Live Another Day

Caption from Sharkteeth: "Don't go towards the light!"

As you might have noticed, I was exceptionally quiet last October. For the entire October, I only posted thrice, two of which were about my blog anniversary promo. Well, aside from my Instagram business picking up faster than I expected (thanks to a great stroke of luck on my part), my dear doggie got sick. And I can't stand it when a part of my family, human or not, is sick -- it paralyzes me with worry and makes me lose sleep, making me irritable and horrible to be with.

Two Mondays ago, I noticed a soft lump on dear doggy's right side, on the ribs, near the scapula. It was acute, as it wasn't there when I gave him a bath the Sunday before. I initially thought that it might just be a case of aural hematoma. He had it a year or two years ago, and with proper medication and wound care, he survived it. (My other dog didn't and died of it years back.)

Come Tuesday, the lump got bigger and I decided to bring him to the city vet, who prescribed high-dose vitamin C. Googling "high-dose vitamin C+dog+lump",  I learned that it is used for canine cancer.

I was crestfallen.

When Friday came, it seemed like the lump was much bigger and firmer. I brought him back to the vet, but she was blasé about it. I suggested excising the lump, but with TheDog's advanced age, she said that it's going to be risky. She told me to wait it out till the following week, and if the lump isn't getting smaller, I should have him X-ray-ed. But last Saturday, the lump was almost as big as my palm. Hard, yet with fluid at the bottom part near the chest. Add to that was his general lethargy, which at any other time I would have attributed to his old age, but that time, it just made his condition look darkly ominous. I sat beside him, and while I stroke his fur, he tenderly rested his paw on my thigh, and I all I could think of was, "Syeeeeetttt, nagpapaalam na yata sa akin ang bruho." That was it -- I couldn't wait anymore for Monday and brought him to a vet near our home. When we got there, he seemed to perk up and looked happier. He even had the strength, and guts, to bark at an English bulldog brought there for checkup. He was very taken with one of the crew holding him down during the examination, licking his hand and asking for tickles. Turned out the crew knows him because TheDog sometimes go near the clinic to loiter around and look for bitches in heat. After some blood tests, he was prescribed some antibiotics and corticosteroids.


His medications and vitamins are given thrice a day, and after I gave him his meds for the umpteenth time, he went to me, rested his chin on my thigh and wagged his tail, and I immediately recognized it as his sweet "thank you." *Awwww...you're welcome, dear friend. So very welcome.*

When Monday came, the lump was already significantly smaller. By Wednesday, there was no more palpable lump and he seemed more upbeat. Everyone in the family is so happy, even TheDog's fierce nemesis, TheHusband. I'd hazard a guess that even TheHamster is happy, well, only because we'd have more time for her again.

Speaking of TheHamster, she sure is one lucky rodent! Sharkteeth cleaned TheHamster's cage and left her running around, not realizing that TheDog was inside the house. Good thing TheDog was sleeping; otherwise, we would have been burying a dead animal, and it won't be the one I was afraid we would.

Update:

I can safely say that he's out of the woods. I left the gate open when we left yesterday and here's what came bounding to me from the fields when I got back:

Who are you and what have to done to TheDog?!

He looked like a dugyot Dalmatian. He must have fought again with the village dogs. Either that or rolled inside a kiln. Tssskkk... Oh well, I'm just thankful his canine hedonism is back.