Earlier this week, while I was brushing her, I found a lump at the bottom of her tail. I was concerned but not overly alarmed–it seemed to be directly under her skin and was similar to a fatty lump she has had for several years (8? 9?) under her left “armpit.”
But I’ve also noticed an increase in little lumps in her chest and torso–it was like lumpy cottage cheese. OK, I’ll admit I was feeling just a little bit panicky.
Luckily, Dr. Blakelock was working on Saturday, and she was able to see Bailey. Best news of all: Dr. B. checked her little butt–no sign of the Big C (visualize me dancing!!). But she also noticed the cottage cheese feel in Bailey’s torso, and she easily found the lump in Bailey’s tail. So she did several “fine needle aspirations.” She stuck a very small needle into several of the lumps, withdrew fluid, and looked at it. No cells, all fat. And not cancer. The little lumps in Bailey’s torso, she said, were like cellulite! Her new nickname is “Lumpy,” and I guess my little girl has something in common with the movie stars!
(Sidebar: The technicians at Bigger Road Veterinary Clinic are so empathetic and know me very well! To do the aspirations, Dr. Blakelock had to take Bailey from the consult room–where I remained–to the clinic’s hospital area, where the real work is done. Also back in the hospital area was another dog who was having his anal glands expressed against his will. He was very loud in his objections, and one of the technicians made a point of sticking her head in the consult room where I was in order to tell me that those yelps were not coming from Bailey. When Dr. Blakelock came back, she told me that no less than 3 of the technicians piped up with “Better tell Bev that’s not Bailey!” when that other dog yelped. I love the folks at Bigger Road!)
So we’ve made it through another month without cancer rearing it’s ugly head.
However, I have a new worry. She has started to show signs of canine cognitive dysfunction, AKA senility. Bailey will be 13 years old next month, so this is not totally unexpected. I’m just not used to it yet.
Back in August, Bailey has a very nasty bout of flu. We caught it early and were able to give her meds to help ease her through it, but at her age it was extremely hard on her and she was sick for five days. It took FOREVER to get her stools back to normal. I am firmly convinced that this sick spell has contributed to her senility.
She will sometimes sit and stare off into the distance. She does this maybe a couple of times a week. The last time she did it, I accidentally brushed against her and she was so startled it was like she had been touched by a live electric wire.
Sometimes, she sleeps so deeply that she doesn’t hear things. For instance, last week I came home from work, walked into the house, put my briefcase in my office, went out to the Florida room, and started to read the paper before she realized I was home. Usually, she hears the garage door opening and it waiting at the door when I walk in.
She has bouts of restlessness. She has bouts of barking for no reason. She has always groomed her feet at night just before we go to bed, but I think her licking has become a little obsessive.
According to the article on VeterinaryPartner.com, all of these are symptoms of senility. Dr. Blakelock agrees. I probably wouldn’t have noticed them, except I watch her so closely looking for symptoms that the cancer might be back.
On the glass-half-full side of things, she hasn’t started having house-training problems. Yet.
