POST # 708
I took the above photo of Dora-dog just this past Tuesday. She sure looks happy, just as she did in a similar photo taken quite a few years ago, which can be seen on the right hand side of the blog (7th photo down the page).
And since last Tuesday, that is about the happiest that she has looked since that time. But why is that? Well in order to answer that question, we have to go back in time to last month. The vet noticed a small lump (lipoma-A lipoma in a dog is a common, non-cancerous (benign) fatty tumor that grows just underneath the skin) on the inside of Dora-dog's right front leg, and she suggested that we keep an eye on it. Since that time it had grown, which resulted in a very pronounced limp, and so recently a decision was made to remove it, which of course meant surgery.
So this past Wednesday, we took her to the vet, dropped her off, and returned home without her. It was strange being home, without Dora-dog. In fact, in all of the time since Mary has had her, and I have been visiting, this was the first time that we were at home, and not had her around.
Later that day, the vet phoned to tell us that the surgery had been successful, and that we could come and pick her up. When we arrived she was happy to see us, but she was still getting over the surgery, so she was a bit groggy, not her normal excited self.
So she's now back home, and she is probably trying to work out why so much of her fur is missing. She looks somewhat stunned by the new hair cut.
I suppose that she could look on the bright side of things, and pretend she now has some new "fur boots" to show off to her four legged friends.
But they really did remove quite a bit of her fur ( more than I would have expected) but I'm not a vet so what do I know when it comes to having a procedure such as she has just had?
It's going to take a long time for that fur to grow back, but it's really a minor issue. The main thing is that the surgery was successful, and for that we are all very thankful indeed.
Of course, Dora-dog now has to wear a cone, to prevent her from licking the affected area, and she won't be able to go for any walks for the next two weeks. TWO WEEKS.
She gets all excited each day when she sees me putting on my shoes by the front door, because that is the signal that we will soon be walking out the door and heading out for our daily journey to town and back. And then she can't work out why I am walking out the door and leaving her behind. I'm guessing that she feels sad, and I certainly know that I do. But it is what it is, and we have to be thankful that she is now recovering, and eventually she should be back to her normal exuberant self. We will both be very happy when that day finally arrives, and we can once again enjoy our daily stroll. And maybe then, we will appreciate how lucky we are to be able to do that simple activity. Like often happens, we take things for granted until they are not there. Thanks Dora-dog, for teaching this lesson to me yet again.
grateful for every breath,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
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