September 9, 2009 – Day 252
Little Bear had an appointment to see his doctor today because I was finally able to convince Ken that the muscle on the right side of Little Bear’s chest might be a lump and not simply an enlarged muscle! However, even as we sat in the waiting room, waiting for the vet to call us in, Ken was still determined that Little Bear’s right chest muscle was just more developed than his left chest muscle.
When we went into the examining room, Doctor Keeler gave Little Bear a quick check up, ending with his chest. He knew immediately that it was a lump – and not an enlarged muscle. He told us that these lumps can grow to be as large as a basketball and that this one is in a bad spot, growing into Little Bear’s armpit. He added that if it continues to grow, it might eventually leave Little Bear a three-legged dog because it could interfere that severely with the use of his front right leg.
Ultimately, it sounds certain that Little Bear is going to need surgery to have the lump removed but the doctor said it would be better for them to have some idea what they’re going in after before they actually go in. He recommended we take things one step at a time and begin with a fine needle aspirate. There was a tech on site and she was able to do the procedure immediately.
While Ken and I were back in the waiting room, waiting for the procedure to be finished and Little Bear to be returned to us, Ken said to me, “So I guess you were right”. In this case, I would have preferred to be wrong but I don’t get a chance to hear him say those words often – so they need to be recorded!
We’re supposed to have the results of the fine needle aspirate no later than Monday and Little Bear is worth whatever this is going to cost but here’s the start of it (today’s visit):
Office call $75.23
Fine needle aspirate $33.03
Cytology – WCVM lab $80.00
GST $9.41
Total $197.67
Little Bear had an appointment to see his doctor today because I was finally able to convince Ken that the muscle on the right side of Little Bear’s chest might be a lump and not simply an enlarged muscle! However, even as we sat in the waiting room, waiting for the vet to call us in, Ken was still determined that Little Bear’s right chest muscle was just more developed than his left chest muscle.
When we went into the examining room, Doctor Keeler gave Little Bear a quick check up, ending with his chest. He knew immediately that it was a lump – and not an enlarged muscle. He told us that these lumps can grow to be as large as a basketball and that this one is in a bad spot, growing into Little Bear’s armpit. He added that if it continues to grow, it might eventually leave Little Bear a three-legged dog because it could interfere that severely with the use of his front right leg.
Ultimately, it sounds certain that Little Bear is going to need surgery to have the lump removed but the doctor said it would be better for them to have some idea what they’re going in after before they actually go in. He recommended we take things one step at a time and begin with a fine needle aspirate. There was a tech on site and she was able to do the procedure immediately.
While Ken and I were back in the waiting room, waiting for the procedure to be finished and Little Bear to be returned to us, Ken said to me, “So I guess you were right”. In this case, I would have preferred to be wrong but I don’t get a chance to hear him say those words often – so they need to be recorded!
We’re supposed to have the results of the fine needle aspirate no later than Monday and Little Bear is worth whatever this is going to cost but here’s the start of it (today’s visit):
Office call $75.23
Fine needle aspirate $33.03
Cytology – WCVM lab $80.00
GST $9.41
Total $197.67
Hopefully everything turns out all right! Vets sure are expensive. At one point we were thinking of getting pet insurance for Tucker but never have got around to it.
ReplyDeleteOh, I hope that Little Bear is ok, you'll have to let us know how he is doing.
ReplyDeleteLittle Bear has an assessment with the surgeon on the 25th. He'll be able to give us an idea of how long it'll take, how much it'll cost and what to expect after surgery. I'm sure Little Bear is going to be fine in the end but I'm scared about the surgery and recovery.
ReplyDelete