Lost yet another friend... this time we had to say goodbye to Kelsey, my grampa's beloved dog. Kelsey was a sweet dog and was loved by everyone who met her. She was an wonderful and loyal companion to anji's dad and lived a full and happy 16 years. RIP sweet Kelsey. Say hi to Mona and Lucy and Brewster for me.

Sadly, I lost another friend recently.

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The MRI and potential surgery was scheduled for today. As soon as I woke up I reached over to check the lump... and it was smaller!!! Since the needle biopsy indicated inflammation, the reduction in size likely meant that the antibiotics are starting to work. We arrived back at MOVEH at 8am for drop off as planned and filled out a ton of paperwork. Before we let them take her though we asked to speak to a doctor, preferably Dr. Madge who had seen her on Monday. We just wanted to make sure that an MRI was necessary given the improvement in her energy and the reduction of the lump. Luckily, Dr. Madge was there and was able to examine her. I informed him that she had been very active and perky and had been off the painkillers. He felt the lump and was impressed by how it had reduced in size and was now movable (a really good sign). Just as we had hoped, he said it's most likely an infection and he recommended that we postpone the MRI indefinitely, keep her on the antibiotics for another week and keep an eye on the lump for improvement. I can't believe the change in her between Monday and today, like night and day. Even though there is still a lump, I believe we are out of the woods!!! (Scariest week of my life!!!)

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On Sunday December 19th, in the evening she seemed to be in more pain despite the painkillers, and the lump felt bigger. We decided to take her to the Mississauga Oakville Veterinary Emergency Hospital. The doctor who saw her could see that I was in acute distress and he said two things that stuck in my mind: 1. Stay off the internet (stop reading about worst case scenarios), 2. "If it were my dog I wouldn't be that worried." I've been pretty good about not googling anything and I've really tried to hold on to the more positive things he said. He gave her a pain shot to get her through the night and it was agreed that I would go to my regular vet in the morning for xrays and the needle aspiration. I slept on the couch to be near her overnight. She was up a few times during the night and I helped her out to pee. On Sunday, he vitals were all good (temperature, heart rate, gums etc) and she would eat but she wasn't drinking much.

I called my regular vet on Monday morning, December 20, and set up an appointment for as soon as they could see us. I called my friend Marina to come with me because I'm such a wreck. We went in at noon and the mood of this visit was markedly less optimistic. We did the xrays then and there. The vet ruled out abscess and a foreign body. She said it appeared to be a tumour and should be further examined right away. She referred us back to the Mississauga Oakville Veterinary Emergency Hospital to see an internal medicine doctor and have an ultrasound of the area.

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Yesterday Ruby woke up with a yelp. She didn't eat her breakfast, was slower on her walk and was quieter than usual throughout the day. In the afternoon I noticed a lump on her front at the bottom of her neck by her shoulder blade (which I have since deduced is her right prescapular lymph node area). The lump felt hard and wasn't moveable and my heart sank the moment I touched it.

I took her to the vet immediately. Aside from being pretty quiet, she was otherwise okay. She didn't have a fever, heart rate normal, no other lumps or bumps. I had been able to spoon feed her some moist food earlier. They said it could be an infection so I was prescribed a round of antibiotics as well as painkillers. If it's an infection, we probably wouldn't see improvement in the lump for a few days of antibiotic treatment.

I requested a needle aspiration immediately but it was recommended that we wait until Monday so the sample would be fresh. I was told not to get ahead of myself and to not fear the worst.

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