Molly has decided to have her own little medical emergencies of late.
As mentioned on the weekend, she had a problem with her foot that required a few stitches and a minor procedure to cure an abcessed toe.
Cue to Monday night. I was petting her when I felt something on the base of her tail. It was a hard lump and did not at all feel like something normal. I brought her into the light and suffice to say, it was ready to go. It was infected, and what happened is not for gentle words. I'm glad I'm not a squeamish person, and proceeded to tend to her as best I could. The problem was, however, more than I could take care of on my own. I could feel something under the skin.
On Tuesday, she went to daycare which is held at her vet's office. I mentioned it to them and they said they would take a look during the day. She had no outward signs of distress at this point, and I was only being cautious.
When I picked her up Tuesday night, her tail was bent awkwardly. They had shaved the offending area and partially removed a cyst. I thought that she was holding her tail strangely because the sensation of air on what was normally heavily covered in fur was odd to her. As the night wore on, I jokingly told her to lay off the drama. I mean, we've all had bad haircuts from time to time.
Last night, I got home to something that was much much worse. To be honest, I thought she'd had a stroke during the day. Her tail was still in an awkward position, but she seemed to be unable to walk more than a step or two without falling. It broke my heart to see her try to walk, only to collapse and look up at me with big, brown eyes as if to say 'Why is this happening to me?'
I need to mention too, that this dog is not a whiner. She has shown an extraordinary amount of pain tolerance. When she was a pup, she was nearly torn apart by an aggressive dog and her toe left hanging. During the operation, she stocially held her paw out for the vet to sew up. If I hadn't seen that myself, I might have thought the vet was just being kind, but no. I assisted that night, rather than call in a nurse after hours and she was an angel.
The night got progressively worse. I truly thought the worst. She was showing signs of major discomfort and I was at a loss of how to help her. We both slept very little.
This morning, I called the vet as soon as they opened. I took the day from work as a personal day (I may not have a 2 legged kid, but I have a 4 legged one!) and brought her in as soon as I could.
The growth that was there on Sunday was definitely a cyst and Tuesday's procedure had merely angered it, for lack of a technical term. The swelling had mimicked a pinched nerve, and she was experiencing a sciatica-type spasm. This accounted for all her 'stroke' symptoms and her lameness. She had surgery this morning to remove it, relieve the pressure and has been placed on more antibiotics and Tramadol, which by all accounts is a powerful painkiller.
I gave her two when I got home. She was so out of it. If it wasn't so sad, it would have been funny. The best part though was she made the best model out in the leaves. I could pose her any which way I pleased. That never happens with this high spirited dog, so I couldn't help but take a few shots.
She's resting now and her eyes have cleared a bit. She goes back in on Saturday.
