I have been rather cheery of late but unfortunately the bubble has burst so to speak. I knew that something would typically come along and stamp the happiness out of me.
I have been worried about the dog since coming home from work on Saturday night. She has been straining to go to the toilet, both ways. When she passes water she will squat, strain and do what amounts to a couple of drops. She must have been 12 times on Saturday night between 9.30 and 10.30pm.
She was no better on Sunday and I managed to have a little look at her. I have found what amounts to a huge, hard mass on the lower right side of her abdomen, what a doctor would call the inguinal area. She did have a smallish lump there, which I showed the vet last year, but I would say that in the last couple of weeks it has grown enormously.
I booked her in at the vets this morning and even managed to catch a urine sample (although it did leak in my coat pocket, which is now in the washing machine.....).
It is not good news. The specifc gravity of her urine was extremely low and suggests that her kidneys aren't functioning well. There is also some blood in it, although the sample looked clear. He is very concerned about the mass and its rate of growth. He looked very grave when he tried to explain as nicely as he could that the mass may have invaded her kidneys and bladder. We have been booked in for an emergency session tomorrow where they will do blood tests, X-rays and biopsies. The vet does hope that he can remove it, but without knowing what he is dealing with he tried to prepare me for the worst. He also found another, smaller mass on her left side.
All in all, this doesn't sound good. I have telephoned work and arranged a half day tomorrow so that I can be contactable at home. I told the vet that I don't want my little friend to suffer but I have to try and get my head round the fact that I may have to let her go.
I have cried my eyes out all afternoon.
I have been worried about the dog since coming home from work on Saturday night. She has been straining to go to the toilet, both ways. When she passes water she will squat, strain and do what amounts to a couple of drops. She must have been 12 times on Saturday night between 9.30 and 10.30pm.
She was no better on Sunday and I managed to have a little look at her. I have found what amounts to a huge, hard mass on the lower right side of her abdomen, what a doctor would call the inguinal area. She did have a smallish lump there, which I showed the vet last year, but I would say that in the last couple of weeks it has grown enormously.
I booked her in at the vets this morning and even managed to catch a urine sample (although it did leak in my coat pocket, which is now in the washing machine.....).
It is not good news. The specifc gravity of her urine was extremely low and suggests that her kidneys aren't functioning well. There is also some blood in it, although the sample looked clear. He is very concerned about the mass and its rate of growth. He looked very grave when he tried to explain as nicely as he could that the mass may have invaded her kidneys and bladder. We have been booked in for an emergency session tomorrow where they will do blood tests, X-rays and biopsies. The vet does hope that he can remove it, but without knowing what he is dealing with he tried to prepare me for the worst. He also found another, smaller mass on her left side.
All in all, this doesn't sound good. I have telephoned work and arranged a half day tomorrow so that I can be contactable at home. I told the vet that I don't want my little friend to suffer but I have to try and get my head round the fact that I may have to let her go.
I have cried my eyes out all afternoon.
