Medical Maladies

One week prior to Leo's untimely passing, I noticed a lump on Kansas' neck. The vet is surprised I found it at all, what with her thick, fluffy coat.

But how do you not notice a raised knot under your dog's jaw, between her jaw and her ear, when petting her?

I worry I could have found it sooner.

I wanted to just leave it alone, but DH insisted she be seen.

I waited a week, and then, with no change, made an appointment. That appointment actually had to be rescheduled due to Leo's falling ill and having him at a different vet clinic at the time.

Anyway, the vet aspirated the lump, said it looked like "just serum", but she would check under the microscope, anyway.

The microscope confirmed- just blood and saliva.

We don't know why her salivary glands are swollen (there's a smaller one on the other side). I've done a lot of reading and none of what I've read sounds exactly like what I'm dealing with.

It doesn't seem to be bothering her as far as eating, swallowing, breathing, etc... It does seem to be the painless ones I've read about, and not the infected, goiter-like swellings I've seen images of.

The vet put her on prednisone (ugh, again) and antibiotics to protect her from infection while she is on the predisone.

That was last Tuesday. She goes in for a re-check next Tuesday (the 19th) and there really has been no change. $95, half of which was medication, for nothing, really, though I am glad we had the aspiration done.

The vet also prescribed warm compresses, which I wasn't able to do at all last week, due to Leo's passing, but I started them Monday and I do think they are slowly helping. Most likely, I will just continue with the warm compresses and see. Some days it feels smaller. Others it feels harder and more raised. After the compresses, it seems to soften. So...

More waiting.

I've spent the past week back to dispensing medications and special foods among two dogs, after just recently concluding that process for the same two dogs for other reasons.

I guess this is what having old dogs is about- spending lots of money in vet bills. Between the two of them, we've spent something like $2,500 between last November to now.

Never before in my life have I had this happen.

I'm grateful we paid off the credit card when we sold the house, but that credit card now has a $2,000 balance.

None of her lymph nodes are swollen, so the vet and I ARE sure it's salivary glands. As long as it's not bothering her... I can't think of anything else to do. It could be drained, sure, or operated on, but...

Let's not.