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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on December 16, 2003, at 11:17:34
One of my big dogs was limping the night before last and by yesterday was obviously hurting though I couldn't see why. So I made an appointment at the vets. My husband pointed out what should have been obvious to me. She had a hole about two inches in diameter that looked infected by the narrowest part of her stomach, right near the flap of skin that attaches the stomach and the leg.
I take her in this morning, and the vet tells me the whole area is necrotic and will have to be surgically removed. That it might be an abrasion that became infected or it might be skin cancer.
I feel like such an idiot not to have seen it. :( She was sitting almost on top of me and my son the other night, and we were petting her.
I just hope it was an abrasion.
Posted by Poet on December 16, 2003, at 11:58:27
In reply to Drat, drat, drat, posted by Dinah on December 16, 2003, at 11:17:34
Dinah,
Don't be so hard on yourself for not seeing the wound, if one of my cats was limping, I'd look at his/her paw, not stomach.
I'm sending positive thoughts that it's an abrasion and your dog will be back on all fours soon.
Poet
Posted by Susan J on December 16, 2003, at 12:02:13
In reply to Drat, drat, drat, posted by Dinah on December 16, 2003, at 11:17:34
Yeah, Dinah, dont blame yourself for not seeing that...I think it would be very easy to miss.
But you are getting it fixed! Lucky dog...I get sad when I think of those owners who just don't care, cuz after all, it's *only* a dog.
Thanks for being a great human to your pups!
:-) And I'm wishing him all the best...
Susan
Posted by DeeJay on December 16, 2003, at 12:06:42
In reply to Re: Drat, drat, drat » Dinah, posted by Susan J on December 16, 2003, at 12:02:13
Hi all---
I know this is sorta not directly on the subject, but speaking of pups, my mini dachshund, 12 wks old, likes to sleep in bed with us and decides to jump off in the middle of the night to go pee, and she's like super tiny...but I can't stop her! I'm afraid she's going to have major back problems when she's older. She just doesn't like to sleep alone.
D.
Posted by Susan J on December 16, 2003, at 12:11:19
In reply to Re: Drat, drat, drat, posted by DeeJay on December 16, 2003, at 12:06:42
>>>my mini dachshund, 12 wks old, likes to sleep in bed with us and decides to jump off in the middle of the night to go pee, and she's like super tiny...but I can't stop her!
<<Where does she go to the bathroom? I don't know about mini-dachshunds at all, but if there is a risk of injury, she should probably sleep on a dog bed or something for now.I know dogs don't *like* to sleep on the floor, but maybe you should make her until she's fully housebroken. It will probably give you a couple of sleepless nights as she whines, but she'll settle down once she knows who's boss. Prob'ly best for her health....
And then *after* she can sleep thru the night (sounds like a baby!), she can sleep to her heart's content up on the bed... :-)
Good luck!
Susan
Posted by Poet on December 16, 2003, at 13:12:35
In reply to Re: Drat, drat, drat, posted by DeeJay on December 16, 2003, at 12:06:42
Could you put a large pillow or a stool by the bed for her to use as a safe place to land? Hopefully if you show her enough times what it's there for she'll catch on and use it.
It worked with one of my cats when she was a kitten. She was really tiny- she's still the size of a six month old cat at six years.
Poet
Posted by fallsfall on December 16, 2003, at 15:09:41
In reply to Drat, drat, drat, posted by Dinah on December 16, 2003, at 11:17:34
Dinah,
I hope your dog feels better soon. Don't feel bad about not seeing it earlier.
My puppies send their regards and hope that he is having fun barking with the other doggies.
Let us know how it goes.
Posted by Karen_kay on December 16, 2003, at 17:04:21
In reply to Drat, drat, drat, posted by Dinah on December 16, 2003, at 11:17:34
I hope she's feeling better. And I hope it is an abrasion. You got her to the vet as soon as you realized there was a problem. Don't be too hard on yourself. You're a wonderful mommy to your doggies. They are blessed to have such a caring mom. I often think of this quote when I'm feeling down, "God, help me to become the person my dog thinks I am." I'm sure your dogs think you are Mother Theresa!
I remember once when my dog was at the kennel (or camp as we call it) and got loose. I was in town visiting my sister and the owner (who I am friends with) called to say that Bodega had gotten free and had been kicked by a horse. It seems he likes to chase horses in his spare time. I thought I was going to faint. I had to go get him and take him to the vet. But, he was OK. And, he got to wear a cool, blue cast for a few weeks. He looked like a rock star! We even have a few pictures of him in his cast.
Posted by st@cy on December 16, 2003, at 18:18:08
In reply to Drat, drat, drat, posted by Dinah on December 16, 2003, at 11:17:34
it's not your fault you didn't see it on her belly, you weren't exactly looking for it, right?? i hope everything turns out to be okay with your pup. i have a little toy poodle, so i can sort of identify with your affection for your dog. good luck and let us know how she/ he turned out!
Posted by Dinah on December 17, 2003, at 15:52:13
In reply to Re: Drat, drat, drat, posted by st@cy on December 16, 2003, at 18:18:08
My regular vet did the surgery. He said he was definitely going to send tissue off for biopsy and we won't know the results from that till next week sometime, running right into the holiday. And that he was going to have to make a pretty sizeable incision, as he usually likes to remove twice the affected area. He said it was going to be a challenge, and her nipple would probably end up on her side, but he could do it. And it's going to be a rough recovery because where it's located, she's likely to tear the incision as she moves. :(
I just ran up debt for Harry's surgery, and it looks like this one is going to be close to as expensive. I was hoping it would be just a quick incision. But she's got to stay in the hospital.
If I let a cut get infected to cause all this damage, I'm going to be pretty annoyed with myself. :(
Posted by shar on December 17, 2003, at 23:21:47
In reply to Re: She's ok after surgery, posted by Dinah on December 17, 2003, at 15:52:13
So glad to hear she's ok. I will say prayers for you all.
And, when my dog (lab) had ear surgery (broken blood vessels so ear flap swelled up, filled ear and had to be drained) from shaking her head and probably hitting it on the coffee table or something...she came home with a 'toothache' bandage which I couldn't keep on her (they can be SO persistent when they want something OFF), then she proceeded to shake her head when I took her E-collar off and because they had sewn stuff on her ear to keep it stiff, that ear shaking caused the vessels that were ok before to break. So, next day we're in there again, more surgery on the remaining part of her ear, another bandage...deja vu.
So--I know how very, very frustrating it can be to try to keep dogs still, clean, bandaged, stitched, etc. You have my sympathy and understanding, and even if you do everything in your power to keep it all ok, it may still call for more care and most importantly it's not a reflection on you. Good luck to you!
Shar
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