Sweltering Sunday

I finally got my wish, lots of heat. It's almost too hot to be outside, except for early morning, late evening. Oh yeah, I gotta remember to water plants, they have been somewhat ignored this week. My brown thumb returns.

I haven't been online this week, dealing with my pup's health issue, traveling for work, and here I said I would at least visit blogs. The road to Heaven is paved with good intentions.

My pup went to the only two cancer centers available here, I wanted to make sure I was getting as much info as I could, in order to make a responsible decision. He will have surgery this week to remove the tumor mass, and if it has invaded bone, a part of his mandible will be excised as well. In talking to two oncologists, and one surgeon, this is the best way to remove an aggressive mass from this area. Chemo is not an option (I was relieved to hear it), and just radiation in such a general area would cause damage in healthy tissue and bone. I asked how pup would look aesthetically, how would he function, especially if part of jawbone is removed, and was told that dogs do not care what they look like, that they are happy to be pain-free, and get on with the business of living. Dogs are very adaptible to this surgery, and it doesn't slow them down. Dogs respond better to this than any other treatment, with a much better prognosis. He is a beautiful animal, not quite 8 years old, in great health otherwise, and supremely intelligent. Lungs, tonsils and lymph nodes were checked, they appear clear, which means that the cells have stayed local to that gum area. Am I making a responsible choice? I hope I am, but have to admit that it is keeping me awake at night.

I won't make the mistake of promising to visit blogs right now, I just really haven't wanted to be online on evenings when I do get to be home. I hope you will all forgive me, but that's where my head is for now.

Thanks for your continued concern and best wishes, it means alot. Bless you all.