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Oh what a week we've had with Mr. Tan man. After trying two different types of eye drops, the conclusion was that he wasn't getting better and therefore the next step was to do a biopsy on the bump that wasn't going away. All in all, Tanner did really well but of course, surgery is no fun and the instructions were to keep the cone of shame on him AT ALL TIMES. He loved that as did we. Maybe in his next life he'll be drummer because he sure has banged on every piece of furniture in our house.
He's really very good about it all. In spite of hating it, he's still his joy-filled self, wants a good cuddle, did not whine at all and slept and ate like a champ. We returned to the vet today and true to Tanner form, he managed to rip the stitches out on the way to the vet. How he did this with that cone on is a big mystery to us.
But the good news is that they did not find any cancer or even a tumor. Big sighs of relief. Doug even got a little teary. But...because of the way the mass sits on his face there are issues with his eye and eyelid. The first step was to leave him behind today so they could sedate him, get the wound cleaned up and stitch it up with stronger stitches. Then they want to send us to specialist to see what a good next step would be. They are talking about re-constructing the eyelid after removing the entire mass. Sounds super complex and a bit daunting because the hospital they want us to go to is about 45 minutes north of here. With no car and Tanner the size he is, it just feels a bit overwhelming. And of course, there's the additional stress of the cost which we have no idea about at this point but based on what the procedures and care have cost thus far, it won't be cheap.
So we have some decisions to make as we continue to get more information. We are thrilled that it's not cancer and the vet is super impressed with how youthful Tanner is even at 10 years old. Even so, one wonders if putting him through a traumatic surgery once again and seeing him through the post-op is the right thing to do. We'll see. Best case scenario would be to treat with antibiotics, hope the infection clears and that things clear up. Worst case scenario is likely related to him losing his vision in his left eye. Trying to take it one step at a time.
For now, we're just so pleased that he's not sick or dying. He is still as spritely as ever so I hope there are years to come of enjoying our crazy pup.
He's really very good about it all. In spite of hating it, he's still his joy-filled self, wants a good cuddle, did not whine at all and slept and ate like a champ. We returned to the vet today and true to Tanner form, he managed to rip the stitches out on the way to the vet. How he did this with that cone on is a big mystery to us.
But the good news is that they did not find any cancer or even a tumor. Big sighs of relief. Doug even got a little teary. But...because of the way the mass sits on his face there are issues with his eye and eyelid. The first step was to leave him behind today so they could sedate him, get the wound cleaned up and stitch it up with stronger stitches. Then they want to send us to specialist to see what a good next step would be. They are talking about re-constructing the eyelid after removing the entire mass. Sounds super complex and a bit daunting because the hospital they want us to go to is about 45 minutes north of here. With no car and Tanner the size he is, it just feels a bit overwhelming. And of course, there's the additional stress of the cost which we have no idea about at this point but based on what the procedures and care have cost thus far, it won't be cheap.
So we have some decisions to make as we continue to get more information. We are thrilled that it's not cancer and the vet is super impressed with how youthful Tanner is even at 10 years old. Even so, one wonders if putting him through a traumatic surgery once again and seeing him through the post-op is the right thing to do. We'll see. Best case scenario would be to treat with antibiotics, hope the infection clears and that things clear up. Worst case scenario is likely related to him losing his vision in his left eye. Trying to take it one step at a time.
For now, we're just so pleased that he's not sick or dying. He is still as spritely as ever so I hope there are years to come of enjoying our crazy pup.
Oh my goodness! Poor Tanner! :/ I'm sorry he's still suffering. bleh. Keep us posted, and here's hoping it's all easy peasy and doesn't break the bank. :*
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