Thursday, September 5

Princess Daisy, love her like crazy

Last Friday, I woke up to the unpleasant reality that Daisy had a crazy bad anal gland infection. I took her to the vet, and we discovered a mass in her butt-ular area, that was about an inch wide, and inch deep and about six inches long, curling around her anus. The vet, amazed at the size of the mass, suggested that it looked much like a peri-anal tumor, a growth that is "typically very malignant." Needless to say, I freaked out. Brian freaked out. Mom freaked out. And Brian's parents freaked out.
She was given a hardcore injected antibiotic, as well as a secondary oral antibiotic and a pain medication. I was told to get some Metamucil, to help move things along and make pooping easier. The doctor aspirated the mass in her butt, and sent the sample out. She was subjected to x-rays, to see if she had any other masses in her body, which were negative. And a full blood sample was taken to be tested, as well.
Daisy had a rough day last Friday, as did we all. We spent the entire weekend staring at her, babying her and helping her as best we could. I slept on the futon cushion downstairs so she could sleep with me. She spent the entire weekend eating some and drinking, and sleeping on her cushion. On Sunday, she finally pooped. On Monday, she went out the doggy door on her own, and moved around downstairs more.
Tuesday, no word from the vet on the mass pathology. Wednesday, the vet closes its doors at noon, so no word on the pathology again. Finally, today, I got the news we were hoping for. The mass was not cancerous, and it was just "the biggest abscess" the vet had ever seen. So, yay!! We did not cope well with the possibility of losing our little princess, and the sense of relief in this house tonight is palpable.
Daisy still has a sensitive behind, but she's up and down the stairs with no problem (I finally slept in my own bed for the first time since last week last night), is pooping and peeing with no problems, and is her normal, healthy, attitudinal self. She still has three more days of oral antibiotic, and the injection will last for another full week. We're going back to the vet on Monday morning, because now that we don't have to worry about cancer, we can figure out ... the urinary stone, and, because why not, the diabetes that she's developed. Yes, diabetes. And now, it's insulin shots every day for the rest of her life.
But still, at least we get to keep her. And that's the best part of my day.

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