Nov 17, 2009

It's a fine line... Nola

So, took Nola to get her annual wellness exam and vaccine last week. Blogged about it here, and discussed how I had been back and forth about even doing it since just about EVERY major veterinary group recommends every 3 years. Regardless, it was done. She had an immediate reaction, I asked about it and Dr said it should go away in a couple of days, if not - call. So I called a week later. We went in, tried to aspirate, got meds, came home. Lump changed, went back to vet, got meds, came home. It measured 3" in diameter on Sunday and it's about 2.75-2.5" today.

I've had a hard time with this and feel like I'm walking a fine line between completely freaking out and being proactive. My ultimate fear is that this could be an injection site sarcoma. That is pretty rare in dogs and usually is a cat thing, but it can and does happen. I expressed my concern about this and our vet agreed that it is a possibility but not a great one. She has said that if after a month since the vaccine the lump is still there, we'll remove/biopsy.

We're hoping and praying that the lump is simply the vaccine that went IN the skin instead of under it and her body will absorb it... we're doing warm compresses 2-3 times/day hoping to increase the blood flow.

I have pictures of said lump but can't find my camera cord to get the files to the computer. Perhaps tomorrow...

3 comments:

~CC~ said...

Girl, I bet you're freaking out. Poor Nola Belle. I tend to feel like every three years is the best too. I hope everything turns out okay for her.

Abbie H. said...

Sorry to hear about Nola. Hopefully it clears up soon.

pippasmum said...

Being a dog person, I get how something like this tugs at your heart. I am praying that it goes away quickly. One of my dogs had something like this once and it went away after about a month. I am sorry, though - they have such a big piece of our hearts.

"Sometimes I'd like to ask God why He allows poverty, famine, and injustice in the world when He could do something about it, but I'm afraid God would ask me the same question."
-Anonymous
You don't change the world by trying to change the world; you change the world by changing yourself.
-Gerry Straub