It’s been a long time since I had any real news to report. Before this week, it was all the same: snow, rain, mud, snow, puddles. Lather, rinse, repeat. However, my Woman conspired against me and took me to a new v-e-t yesterday. I was not amused.
Shari here. For the record, Dakota does better in the car now that he can’t stand up and try to pace. Amputation apparently solves a myriad of problems.
I need to have my teeth fixed, and everyone knows about my schnoz. I have a working diagnosis of discoid lupus on my nose. My snoot. My snout. My schnozola. And the v-e-t thought it looked very much like lupus. And my Woman did act like she cared about me. When he told her all the things it looked like it could be, and then told her the treatment for those things, my Woman said “The treatments are all the same. So why do a biopsy?” I know what a biopsy is. They want to punch a piece out of this incredibly tender nose of mine. She tried to save me! I do love her!
There are severalĀ possibilities, but the treatment regimen for all included the same set of meds. I figure there is no reason to biopsy D if we can avoid it. He is traumatized enough just by looking at him cross-eyed. And 3 stitches in the tender nose sounds like something I would want to avoid for myself. If the nose doesn’t respond to treatment, then we may have to biopsy it.
They have ordered my medication and it should come in very soon, maybe today even. I have an appointment next week for my teeth. Because the jerks who tossed me out when I was a puppy didn’t take care of me or my mom, I have dental enamel hypoplasia. Big words. Another v-e-t said my mom probably had distemper when I was growing inside her, or maybe I had distemper when I was a baby. It often comes from that. But this hypoplasia business means my teeth are messed up. They’re all discolored, but the worst part is that they are weak and some are really worn. I don’t chew on tennis balls or rocks, but my teeth look like I do. Some are worn way down. I may come home with a lot fewer teeth than I have now. I also have developed a tumor at my gumline. This v-e-t thinks it’s benign, but it will be sent away to make sure.
Dakota developed on of these things almost overnight. It’s bugging him, but it will be gone next week, along with the tooth. I was told that they generally recur because they branch off from the offending tooth’s root. Dakota has a broken canine, which doesn’t appear to be hurting him but will likely be extracted. He’s had several extractions before. When he was a pup, we were told he might end up toothless due to his hypoplasia.
So that’s all the news from here. I’ll let you all know how things turn out next week.