Mojo went in for a pre-op consultation today.
Right now Mojo is still at the Vet having the mass on his nose biopsied. He will be put under anesthesia and they will be cutting a small part of it off to test. I will know the results by the end of this week.
The Resident I spoke to didn't feel comfortable treating the tumor as though it's just a benign mass since they aren't really *sure* that is benign. They think it is... but they want to be really sure before we go any further. If it is treated benign when in fact it's malignant then it will be an even bigger and more expensive mess down the road.
And when it comes to Mojo? I say let's be very safe and not sorry later.
When they tried to take Mojo back to work on him, he wanted nothing of it. He kept jumping up on the bench and looking at me. Once the leash was on, they tried to get him to go again and he did his best to dig in to the slippery bench with his low center of gravity and not budge from my side.
I told him to go and I'd be back later to pick him up. I know he didn't understand my words so I said it in a light teasing tone so he would stop being so anxious. They then called to him in a tone of voice that most people would use for play and he went over to them a little more willingly.
As far as the surgery options go...
If it's malignant then they will be taking a considerable amount of tissue out around the tumor. This will alter Mojo's muzzle and thus his looks. They were very apologetic about it, and I waved that off.
I replied, "The only thing I care about is knowing if it will alter his sense of smell?"
The resident looked confused, looked at her 4th year student, and then said "No, he will still be able to utilize his nose as he does now."
I nodded with my eyes on my dog who was then sniffing the floor again, and said "Then it doesn't matter about his looks. Mojo gets joy out of tracking scents around. I want him to be happy. What he looks like doesn't change who he is to me. Losing enjoyment in his life does... I'd rather have him be happy and full of joy, than be pretty."
If it is not malignant then it will be a much simpler surgery and they will cut the tumor out, with less surrounding tissue loss.
Either surgery will consist of me dropping him off the day before the surgery where he will spend the night being monitored and fasted for anasthesia. The day of the surgery he will probably be one of the last patients to go in for surgery since his tumor is non-life threatening. Then he will spend another night there to be monitored and brought back around safely and with as little stress as possible. I will pick him up the following day.
I am hoping that i can have his operation scheduled for a friday, that way I don't have to take a lot of time off but will be able to stay close to home to monitor his first days back. His nose will be swollen and painful. According to the vet it will need to be iced and he will need to be watched to make sure he doesn't aggravate it.
I think the whole part of this I like the least is the fact that I won't have him for 36+ hours.
I love my little pooka chien... waiting is hard.
Right now Mojo is still at the Vet having the mass on his nose biopsied. He will be put under anesthesia and they will be cutting a small part of it off to test. I will know the results by the end of this week.
The Resident I spoke to didn't feel comfortable treating the tumor as though it's just a benign mass since they aren't really *sure* that is benign. They think it is... but they want to be really sure before we go any further. If it is treated benign when in fact it's malignant then it will be an even bigger and more expensive mess down the road.
And when it comes to Mojo? I say let's be very safe and not sorry later.
When they tried to take Mojo back to work on him, he wanted nothing of it. He kept jumping up on the bench and looking at me. Once the leash was on, they tried to get him to go again and he did his best to dig in to the slippery bench with his low center of gravity and not budge from my side.
I told him to go and I'd be back later to pick him up. I know he didn't understand my words so I said it in a light teasing tone so he would stop being so anxious. They then called to him in a tone of voice that most people would use for play and he went over to them a little more willingly.
As far as the surgery options go...
If it's malignant then they will be taking a considerable amount of tissue out around the tumor. This will alter Mojo's muzzle and thus his looks. They were very apologetic about it, and I waved that off.
I replied, "The only thing I care about is knowing if it will alter his sense of smell?"
The resident looked confused, looked at her 4th year student, and then said "No, he will still be able to utilize his nose as he does now."
I nodded with my eyes on my dog who was then sniffing the floor again, and said "Then it doesn't matter about his looks. Mojo gets joy out of tracking scents around. I want him to be happy. What he looks like doesn't change who he is to me. Losing enjoyment in his life does... I'd rather have him be happy and full of joy, than be pretty."
If it is not malignant then it will be a much simpler surgery and they will cut the tumor out, with less surrounding tissue loss.
Either surgery will consist of me dropping him off the day before the surgery where he will spend the night being monitored and fasted for anasthesia. The day of the surgery he will probably be one of the last patients to go in for surgery since his tumor is non-life threatening. Then he will spend another night there to be monitored and brought back around safely and with as little stress as possible. I will pick him up the following day.
I am hoping that i can have his operation scheduled for a friday, that way I don't have to take a lot of time off but will be able to stay close to home to monitor his first days back. His nose will be swollen and painful. According to the vet it will need to be iced and he will need to be watched to make sure he doesn't aggravate it.
I think the whole part of this I like the least is the fact that I won't have him for 36+ hours.
I love my little pooka chien... waiting is hard.
