The Floydie-coaster

I think you have met Floyd a couple times over the years. What a week she had last week.

For about a month, she was acting strange. We first thought it was because of the crawling presence of 17 year cicadas in our yard. There were so many of them and during that time (late May through late June), she wouldn't go in the backyard much at all. This was a departure from her usual behavior.

Debbie took her to the vet a month or so ago and they said she had arthritis and put her on glucosomine. We started giving it to her, but the strange behavior continued. She was only intermittently interested in food -- this for a dog who loves nearly everything including lettuce, tomatoes, you name it. Then she wouldn't really play. We kept saying that her age, she is 11 was the reason. But in April and early May she chased the ball around the yard.

Finally, she stopped eating on July 5. On July 7, I took her to the vet. They x-rayed her middle and found what looked to be a growth on her spleen. The doctor who is not our usual vet said I had to take her to the surgical vet immediately for a splenectomy and we faced the real possibility that while she was on the table, they would find a growth on her lungs or liver in which case the surgeon would suggest we euthanize her immediately. I lost it immediately upon hearing that. Floyd has been around longer than our kids. It was one of the worst days of my life.

I rushed home, got Debbie and we took her to the surgical vet. She was in surgery for an hour or so. We later got a call saying the surgery went great and that they had removed the spleen and a mass the size of a cantaloupe (around 3lbs worth). From there, we started the waiting game for a pathology report to let us know whether the tumor was cancerous. If it was, we could expect for Floyd to live another 3-6 months. If it wasn't, the surgery would be curative.

Long, long week, of Floyd not recovering well from the anesthetic. She wouldn't eat. No matter what we put in her bowl, she turned up her nose and walked away. She couldn't get comfortable to sleep either. On Wednesday, they said bring her back. She spent the night at the surgical center. They gave her IV nourishment and Valium to stimulate her appetite. When we picked her up on Thursday, she was in great spirits and was eating small meals again.

Friday, I stayed home from work to watch her a bit. I fed her several meals and hung out with her. She was really loving, constantly looking to be pet. As I tried to type emails, she shoved her hand under my hand.

Later Friday, I left the house for an hour to get coffee and some fresh air. While walking in downtown Wilmette at a sidewalk sale, my phone rang. The surgeon called to tell me that the pathologists had double tested the mass (they cuts slices from the entire mass rather than the surgeon sending just a bit) and found that it was not cancerous. Freedom. After all that, she is going to be fine. I cannot tell you how relieved we were. She is so much a family member and now we know she will be around for a while longer.