After a series of discussions concerning Annie's cytology report, Artie and I decided to have the large lump removed as quickly as possible. We did as we always do, sitting down as a family and discussing the pros, cons and what questions/concerns need to be addressed.
Our biggest concern with Annie, apart from a possible cancer diagnosis, was her age and how she would tolerate anesthesia. In addition, other issues needed to be addressed. There were 3 small lumps of a size similar to the large one before its unexpected growth; could they be removed at the same time? Annie had what looked like a mole under her chin - could that be removed during surgery? A tab on her back leg grew into an elongated 1 inch stretch of flesh, could that be removed? Finally, was there time to clean and evaluate her teeth? With the New Year Annie turns 10. Now is the time to get a clearer understanding of her dental health as she enters 'old age'. The final question: could Annie be kept under anesthesia long enough to take care of everything? It was decided to give the cat's visit to Annie bringing her in for a preliminary to surgery and a discussion of what would be done.
So off we went to keep our doctor appointment. Needle aspirations were done on the 3 lumps; all 3 are lipomas (fatty tumors) no need to remove them. Dr. Young examined the mole which turned out to be a cyst. She checked the tab and Annie's teeth. The cyst would be removed and biopsied, the tab removed to prevent Annie from catching it on anything (no need to biopsy) and Annie's teeth would receive a light cleaning since they are in good shape.
Annie is 42 lbs. not easy for us to handle alone. Surgery had to be scheduled for a day both Artie and I could get her home afterwards. Dr. Young checked the procedure/surgery schedule and decided Annie's surgery could be preformed that afternoon. We agreed. So Annie was prepped and we went off to do errands in the 3-hour time-frame needed to get everything done.
We arrived at Hope Vet's about 15 minutes before the 3-hour mark to the news that Annie was out of surgery. The operation went well; all we needed was to wait for Annie to wake up completely from the anesthesia. No sooner were we told this when I heard a long high howl. I knew Annie was still somewhat under the anesthesia. I've heard her howl like that in her sleep. We were told to give her an additional 30 minutes so we went for a walk.
Getting her home became a bit complicated. She was awake but still out of it and very wobbly on her legs. Her bandages kept slipping but a special sticky ace-type bandage solved that problem. We went over post-surgery care instructions and the Veterinary Technician carried her to the car. Once at home, Artie and I lifted her by her harness and a towel sling under her hind legs out of the car, up the steps and into the house. She was moving her legs and 'walking' but not really doing anything just going through the motions since her legs were like rubber-bands.
The rest of the evening was spent monitoring her condition, her intake of food, water and administering medications. So far, so good; I will continue Annie's story in another post.
We arrived at Hope Vet's about 15 minutes before the 3-hour mark to the news that Annie was out of surgery. The operation went well; all we needed was to wait for Annie to wake up completely from the anesthesia. No sooner were we told this when I heard a long high howl. I knew Annie was still somewhat under the anesthesia. I've heard her howl like that in her sleep. We were told to give her an additional 30 minutes so we went for a walk.
Getting her home became a bit complicated. She was awake but still out of it and very wobbly on her legs. Her bandages kept slipping but a special sticky ace-type bandage solved that problem. We went over post-surgery care instructions and the Veterinary Technician carried her to the car. Once at home, Artie and I lifted her by her harness and a towel sling under her hind legs out of the car, up the steps and into the house. She was moving her legs and 'walking' but not really doing anything just going through the motions since her legs were like rubber-bands.
The rest of the evening was spent monitoring her condition, her intake of food, water and administering medications. So far, so good; I will continue Annie's story in another post.
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