We've been wrapped up in our little world lately. The good news is the weather improved so much and our piles of snow are quickly disappearing. Last night the dogs went outside after dark. After five minutes or so I looked out the door and could not see them. I went into the bedroom to look out the back windows. No dogs. Starting to get a little uncomfortable, I returned to the door and called out to them. "Jingle jingle jingle" came the reply of their collar tags from a far corner of the yard. They haven't been able to get back there for weeks due to deep snow -- I imagine the wild critters have had quite a party not being chased, and left all of their detritus for the dogs to sniff out!
Too many roosters continues to be a problem in the barn. Hopefully once the snow is gone I'll be able to do some rearranging so that there is more pen space and they can be separated more effectively. The ducks have enjoyed a few days outside lately, splashing in all the mud and puddles the snow's leaving behind.
Boy, they're having fun!
What's not so fun is that Oskar has developed what the vet believes is a very large fatty tumor in his thigh. How large? The unaffected thigh is 12 inches in circumference. The one with the swelling is 17 inches. So far it does not seem to bother him -- he's walking like himself, trots to retrieve a ball or frisbee, sleeps on both sides. But it's worrisome. I'm not keen on surgery on a 12-1/2 year old large dog. We have the option to take a different look at the growth via ultrasound, but it would require shaving the area and I want to at least wait until the weather is reliably warmer.
So that's what's up around here at busy, busy Busy Solitude Farm!
4 comments:
I don't blame you on not wanting to do that kind of invasive surgery on an older dog.
We ended up with 4 roos and wanted none. Now they have separate pens.....
A client came into the veterinary hospital where I work today with a Briard. I mentioned your blog and she knew exactly who you were. Oh, Johanna? she said. She knew your name from a Briard message board. "Such a small world," we marvelled. Enjoy the warmer days.
Could they do a needle biopsy of that mass? I don't know the ins and outs of dog anatomy, but that seems less invasive and it would give you information. Sorry to hear it. I hope everything turns out all right.
That's what the needle aspirations were. But a needle only hits a very small section, so it only really proves that those little slices were fat.
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