Today, was Jack’s follow up appointment at the Vet. His face looks so much better than last time, but I still kept the appointment as a precaution, in case, the Vet still thought it was a good idea in doing a biopsy.
Jack is Jack. I’m grateful the waiting room was empty and we only had a short wait. I helped keep Jack’s mind off the exam room by having him work his “Find It” and asked him for an assortment of obedience cues. I think this also helped me keep my mind off the Vet. All of the fun went out the door when the Vet Tech greeted us. Jack immediately dug his heels in and I resorted to getting my high pitched voice out and skipping into the hallway. Jack regretfully followed.
After his initial wellness check, the Vet came out and the air seemed lighter. The Vet looked relieved when he saw how much improvement Jack’s face looked. He even admitted to me he was a bit concerned that it could have been some sort of tumor or even cancer. I was in agreement with the Vet on initially thinking this, but since Jack’s response to treatment made the tumor/cancer question move towards the bottom of the list.
The treatment plan for Jack is finishing his meds and see the Vet again in 2 weeks. The conclusion of his fungal test was well, inconclusive. The only thing the Vet saw was bacteria on the sore. The Vet still doesn’t know what happened or the reason for the issue. He does believe on some level Jack had a severe case of ringworm. There isn’t much in the way of science backing up this thinking, but I guess he ruled out anything else severe.
This question mark made me ask a few questions:
- Is this an allergic reaction to a sudden change in diet? Our family was without a fridge for the better part of a month, so we were very limited in the way of adhering to the BARF diet. The Vet’s response was allergic reactions are not localized. There would be generalized skin issues and fur falling out on other parts of the body.
- Is this an allergic reaction to something in the environment? I’ve grown increasingly concerned about my own allergy sensitivities since moving to OK. I believe I developed a mold allergy, but with me it manifests as a upper respiratory issue. The Vet believes the mold would be breathed in an not manifest on his face. What about mold that grows outside? I know Jack enjoys rubbing his face, maybe that’s a possibility. The Vet did say, dogs scratch not only because they have an itch, but because it releases endorphin!
- My last question related to the quickness of a lump of this size growing on him in less than a day. The Vet did say its not abnormal for tumors to grow that quickly in such a short amount of time. He rattled off a host of possible tumor and cancer possibilites like squamous cell carcinoma, mast cell tumor and the such.
Overall, I’m happy knowing Jack’s responding well to his treatment, the Vet isn’t as concerned and Jack didn’t have to go through a biopsy today. Even though these are all good things, the one question still remains without an answer and which the Vet was very open in saying, what is on his face? We may never know. I hope the issue is resolved and doesn’t return. I’m grateful I took Jack into the Vet initially. Only a Vet can find out the issue of a new lump and bump and I’m glad I didn’t ignore it!
Fingers crossed!
Four Paws & You Dog Training 