Isn't It Ironic?

Mom's been talking to my former foster Mom lots lately because of all of my vet appointments.  My former foster Mom pointed out something to my forever Mom, though, and she had a pretty good point.

It's pretty ironic that I've got a nekkid hiney right now.

WHY is it ironic that I've got a nekkid hiney?  Because I did THIS to toys at my foster home!

That's right.  I plucked the toy furs and gave the toys nekkid spots on their hineys!  And now, ironically, I'M the one with the nekkid hiney!

He he he...
     

Vet Visits and Surprise Toys

So I went to the vet to get my stitches out. The vet said that my big incision from my butt lump looked great and was healing really well.  The incision from the mass in my mouth already healed completely, too.  How cool is that?!

I attacked a Lamb Chop toy in the car as soon as we got out of the vet's office.

So the good news from the vet was that the incisions all looked great.  The bad news from the vet, however, was pretty bad.  The vet talked to the people at the lab that looked at my butt lump, and they re-evaluated it. They decided that it was NOT encapsulated after all and it did NOT have clean margins.

The vet also talked to an oncologist about my butt lump tumor.  The oncologist said that in 50 to 90% of cases, this type of tumor will metastasize within a year.  My butt lump actually appeared well over a year ago.

We don't know if the cancer has spread yet, and we need to go see an oncologist to figure out what to do now. So, Mom made me an appointment for next Tuesday, late morning.

Enough of the bad news for now. Here's something fun...

My friend Boris and his family and my Aunt Jill from DogToys.com sent me an awesome "get well" box of love in the mail.  And when I say "awesome," I mean it!

Here's me telling Mom she had better stop taking pictures and TURN THIS BOX OVER!!!

Much better...

One of my favorite toys so far has been this little pink piggy.  He's loud and easy to squeak.  I've played with him several times now!

I haven't played like this in a long time, so Mom made sure she got this on video.  Of course the camera battery died on her after one minute... *rolls eyes*

 

 
Thanks for the cool box of love, Boris, H2, and Aunt Jill!
   

Pathology Report

My surgery was a few days ago now, and Mom's still calling me FrankenButt.  I don't think I'm going to live this one down for a while.  Hope my fur grows back fast...

We've been hanging out at home since my surgery.  I've been doing my best to act pathetic.  Mom knows I don't feel so good yet, though, so I don't have to do much to get her attention.

I sometimes still get a little loopy from the pain meds.  I used my water bowl as a pillow yesterday.  (Mom added that Snoopy band aid via Photoshop 'cause she didn't want anyone squeamish to get sick if they saw my FrankenButt incision.)

I ended up napping with my ear in my water bowl at one point, too.  Oops.

The vet called Mom yesterday with the pathology report.  The mass in my mouth was sent off, and so was the lump from my rump.  We needed to be sure neither was anything icky.  We sort of got bad news, though.  The mass from my mouth was o.k., but the lump on my hiney was actually a cancerous tumor.

The vet said that it was a "grade 3" tumor, which is the worst. Invasive, aggressive.  The pathology report, though, just told my vet to keep an eye on it and not treat it.  That's not what they usually do with grade 3, so the vet is going to call the lab to talk about that.  We think maybe it was because the tumor was in a weird spot for the type of tumor is was, and we think it was encapsulated.  If that's the case, we might be o.k.

I go back to the vet on July 11 to have my stitches taken out, and the vet is going to check me over for any other possible tumors.  Also going to check my lymph nodes because grade 3 usually means the lymph nodes are affected, too.

Please think good thoughts and say some prayers for me.  I'm gonna be hiding in my princess tent...

Surgery Day -- FrankenButt

Mom and I set out early today, heading to the vet for my surgery.  

We were both pretty tired because Mom refused to give me any bully sticks or kibbles last night.  So, I spent the night looking for food. And I made sure Mom knew I was looking for food.

My surgery went o.k.  Got all of that nasty bacteria off of my teeth and they're squeaky clean now.  The vet told Mom that I had two teeth that were loose and needed to be removed.  They also found a "mass" in my mouth that had to be removed.  That was a surprise to everyone.  So I got some stitches in my mouth now.

The vet was also a bit surprised by the size of the lump on my hiney.  Mom told 'em it was getting bigger and bigger.  The vet said she was glad that it was removed today 'cause it was already too big.  Both of the "lumps" -- from my mouth and my hiney -- are being sent off to see if they're anything dangerous.

Since my incision on my hiney is so big, somewhat jagged, and a bit "Frankenstein-ish," Mom says my new nickname is FrankenButt.  (Mom has a weird sense of humor...)

I was a little out of it on the ride home.

As soon as I got inside, I hid in my Princess Tent.

Then I went and hid under Mom's bed for a while.  (Yes, that shredded paper is my handiwork from earlier.)

Eventually I switched to my dog bed in the bedroom.

Then I made my way back out to the living room and spent the rest of the evening in a bed there.

Mom tried to get me to eat some hamburger and rice, but I wouldn't even look at it.

Mom says I'm supposed to eat two small meals tonight and then take a pain pill.  I am NOT a pup who likes to follow directions, though.

She finally just convinced me to go outside to potty.  Hadn't done that since early afternoon.  I also got Mom to hand-feed me a few pieces of turkey.  I could get used to that sort of treatment!

We're going to bed for the night now, or at least until I decide to wake Mom up.  (She feels pretty bad right now since she knows I'm ouchy, so I could get away with just about anything...)

Getting Ready...

Mom spent time yesterday getting stuff ready for my surgery. She said I couldn't have anything to eat last night, so she had to hunt to find all of the bully sticks I'd hidden around our house.

She even dug under the bed to look for bully sticks. Instead of bullies, however, she found 21 toys, 3 unmatched socks, a jean jacket, and confetti that was once a magazine. I acted innocent, of course.

Nope. I didn't make this mess. Not me...

You gotta admit that's a pretty impressive stash for a pup my size, though.  He he he.

Mom also rearranged my doggie beds in the living room. I decided to test out the side of one bed.

Getting ready for surgery is exhausting, you know...

Feeling the Love

I've had a sleepy weekend.  Mom thinks my tummy is upset because of some of the new medicines I started taking. I think I just partied too much at the #WeLubButtons party on Twitter Friday night!

Either way, though, I've spent a lot of my weekend hiding in my princess tent.

Weekends are for taking it easy, right?


A Note from the Editor (a.k.a., Buttons' Mom):

Buttons and I have really felt the love of the anipal community this past week, and words can never fully express how much we appreciate this support. I'm just in awe of the outpouring of love for my little girl!

It's extremely humbling to be in a position where you can't provide the medical care your pup needs.  So much money went into trying to diagnose Buttons' liver problems that there just wasn't anything left for the surgery. Because of your support, however, we're able to move towards getting Buttons back to squeaking toys and making mischief. Buttons' dental cleaning and lump removal surgery is scheduled for July 1.

I'd like to thank MattieDog, Boris Kitty, and Companion Critters for planning #WeLubButtons and the countless details that went into it. I'd also like to thank everyone who attended the party; all those who donated; the barktenders, DJs, and prize donors; and anyone who has sent prayers and good thoughts our way over the last few months.  We've really felt the love...I'm truly thankful for everything...and I feel extremely blessed to be a part of this community.

Thank you...
   

Surgery Update

Mom took me to the vet this morning for my surgery.  She wouldn't let me eat anything last night or this morning, and she even hid all of the bully sticks that I had hidden from HER around our house!  I have no idea how she found them all...

Anyway, my surgery was supposed to start around 10:00 or so this morning, but Mom got a call from the vet at 10:00 saying that they couldn't actually do the surgery today.  My pre-op blood work came back out of whack, and the vet wanted to do more tests before putting me under anesthesia.

So instead of doing the surgery, they took x-rays and poked me with needles and it was NOT FUN.  We're still waiting on the test results to come back, and we probably won't hear more until Wednesday.  Mom says something isn't right with my liver, and that's why the vet is worried.

I was exhausted by the time I got to come home this afternoon.  Mom got a new toy for me, but I really didn't pay any attention to it.

Instead, I've snoozed all afternoon and evening. Spending the day getting tested at the vet's is really exhausting, you know.

Ignore those bully sticks protruding from my head in that last picture. Those are three from my stash.  Mom gave 'em all back to me when we got home.

 

Of course I'm relieved that Mom didn't eat my bully sticks herself.  You never know with her...
     

Surgery on Monday

On Monday I'm going to the vet for some surgery.  Could you think good thoughts and say a few prayers for me, please?

I'm gonna get my teeth cleaned so my breath doesn't stink so much.  (That's Mom's opinion, of course, I think it smells just fine!)  While I'm under the anesthesia, the vet is also gonna remove a big lump from my hiney.  We think it's a cyst, but it's getting bigger and bigger, so it's gotta come off.  

It's about the size of a clementine. Takes up over half of my back down by my rear. You can usually only see it when my tail's down 'cause my tail floof covers up the lump.

I've got a cute little fat roll down by my tail, and the vet says that's actually good.  Because the cyst is so big, they're gonna need my extra fat roll to cover the area they remove.  The vet says I'm gonna get a butt lift. 

Mom's worried 'bout the size of the incision because she knows it's gonna be ouchy for me. She's the Mom, though, and it's her job to do the worrying.

You can kind of see the lump in this last picture. I'm mainly including it, however, because Mom made me take a bath last night.  I did this tonight. See all of that mud I'm standing in?!  I really paid her back for that bath!

I guess the good thing about the surgery is that I'll get out of baths for a while, too.  Woo hoo!
 

Staying with Grandma

I've been sort of quiet lately, and I need to explain to you why. It's obviously not my fault, of course!

Usually I blame things like this on Mom's laziness. This time, however, it's because Mom had this happen...

She had surgery on her hand a week ago, and she was a complete crazy woman the week before that. I couldn't figure out why, but then she got out our suitcases. Right after her surgery at the hospital, Grandma took us both back to Grandma's house!

We stayed at Grandma's house for over a week. That was cool because I got LOTS of time to hang out leash-free in Grandma's fenced yard. I LOVE hanging out in the sun puddles out there! There's so, so much stuff to sniff out there, too.

Anyway, we got back home to our house a day or two ago. Mom's doing better now, but she still can't use her hand for much. (She gets very annoyed with having to type one-handed, too!)

When we got to our house, this is what I did for nine straight hours:


And yesterday I did more of the same.

I love Grandma's house, but there's really NO place like home!