UPDATE Post 26; BENIGN!!!!: Prayers for Sugar, please

[robinh]

She knows you wouldn't leave her unless it was necessary. And she knows you'll come get her as soon as they let you in. These loving creatures forgive us everything as long as they know we love them. You're right, it doesn't take long for them to work their way into our hearts.

Prayers on the way for the beautiful little girl that she come home well.

Hugs to you.

Robin

[Pam]

Huge ((((hugs)))) to you Sandie and lots of prayers for Sugar. I hope the lab results bring good news.

[Karen]

Prayers still on the way for you and Sugar.

[cassiesmom]

Prayers still on the way for you and Sugar.

Same here

[Ginger's Mom]

Thinking of you and Sugar, and hoping that your talk with the vet today will give you more encouraging news. I am sure she will be happy to be home with everyone again. And no more wheezing, hopefully.

[lvpets2002]

Any News Sandie?? We are all sending lots of Huggss & Prayers for wittle Sugar.. Come on wittle one Sugar Get Well Soon..

[Freedom]

Hello everyone and thank you SO much for all the prayers and good wishes. I KNOW they help us!

Our appt for Sugar's discharge was at 2 PM this afternoon. We (Dad came with me) met with the doc and he showed us the MRIs. I find those fascinating! It is a bit of a drive to the specialist's and what with meeting with him and all I am just now getting back on to update this

He couldn't get all of it as the space is so small and the tools can't be used well. When they DO remove a nasal tumor surgically they go in from the top and remove a piece of bone as well. He really wasn't expecting to find a tumor, as they are not as common in this breed as in some others. (Wonderful, Sugar just HAS to be unique!)

So we have been sitting here at home and Dad keeps saying how quiet it is! After 3 months of listening to her chortling and gasping, gagging and snuffling, all is silent.

She didn't even need any pain meds for coming home, she is doing GREAT!

Now we wait to learn what the lab says and that will indicate how we proceed with all this. He did warn us that 75% of all dog nasal tumors are malignant. However there are degrees and types and many of them can still be dealt with.

Sugar is doing fine, she ate all her supper (no surprise, she is ALWAYS a member of the clean plate club!) She should take it easy for the rest of this week until we have more info as to what we are coping with.

Thank you all, once again.

[dukedogsmom]

So glad to hear she's doing well! The bad tumor percentage is scary so let's hope that she's in the 25% part. Get well, Sugar! Fingers and paws crossed for you.

[Pam]

So glad to hear she's doing well! The bad tumor percentage is scary so let's hope that she's in the 25% part. Get well, Sugar! Fingers and paws crossed for you.

I was just thinking the same thing. We will hang onto the hope that she is in that 25%! Sugar, good girl for eating all of your dinner! Now you take it easy little one and give your nosie time to heal.

[cassiesmom]

let's hope that she's in the 25% part.

Hear, hear! Welcome home, Sugar and I'm glad you ate all your dinner! (gentle smooch for healing Sugar)

[Freedom]

BENIGN!!!!!

I feel so silly. We -- Dad and I -- took the dogs out in the back yard this morning about 10:30 for a few minutes. Never thought to check the answer machine when we came in. So I just now heard the Doctor's message: it is benign!

I left a voice mail for him and will speak with him tomorrow.

It is a polyp and, from what I can gather from the internet, it has to do with the scarring and healing from her bull mastiff attack 2 years back! I will speak to him further about this and post more tomorrow when I have all the details.

OK so here is what happened: Sugar was raised by a puppy miller BUT, she was taken to his home and was his daughter's pet. So she received better care than the average female puppy mill producer. She DID have lots and lots of litters. When she was 9, no longer producing and blind with cataracts, he gave her to SPR. From the stories I heard, he had his young daughter in the car (about 13 or 14?) she was crying she wanted her dog, and he kept saying they could go to the 'farm' and pick out a new puppy. DUH!

Anyhow, Sugar was in that first foster home, with several other bichons. And one day, the woman went to the local shelter and came home with a Bull Mastiff. Now, if you adopt a dog from a foster home, you get loads of info about the dog's temperment. But from the shelters, well, they aren't set up to give you that info. On the 3rd or 4 th day, the Mastiff attacked, pick Sugar up by the head and shook her! She was in a coma for 72 hours, in the vet's quite a while. She left the vet's wearing an e collar and having a drainage tube still in her head (I've seen photos, horrible! I am amazed she survived!) That woman no longer fosters, and all her dogs were immediately moved to other foster homes. Sugar was in her 2d foster home when I adopted her.

On my answer machine, the doc said this is benign; it is a fibroproliferative nasal decolosal polyp. I am guessing at the spelling. On the internet, fibroproliferative polyps are usually primary or secondary to healing from a severe injury. So I am piecing this all together.

Am I giving you all too much info? Sorry!

I was crying with relief for 10 minutes. Then I phoned in and left him a voice mail message. He did say we are NOT done, we need to do some follow up treatment. I will DEFINITELY talk to him about the attack to see if he feels that is related and also it may alter some of what he decides to do so I have to make sure he knows about it. It never came up in the one meeting we had on Monday.

Oh joy I will sleep well tonight!!!!

[cassiesmom]

Yay!!! Sandie, could you please scoop the Sugar girl up and give her some BIG hugs and snuggles for me!

[Moesha]

Oh that is such good news!

[Catty1]

WONDERFUL!!!!!

Hopefully the follow-up treatment will have her feeling even better than before! And I'm sure she is happy to be breathing comfortably!

[Ginger's Mom]

Oh Yay, that is good news. Poor Sugar sure has been through a lot. She is lucky she now has a home like yours to help her through all of this.