Phase Two: The Surgery

Foster experienced surgery like a champ.

We were told to arrive between 7 & 8am, and though I told them I would be staying, it "wasn't scheduled that way."  We had to wait an additional two hours before being called into a room.  I'd brought plenty to do and plenty to eat and drink, but since Foster was not allowed to eat or drink, I couldn't, and we just hung out in the air conditioning seeing everyone's arrival and departure.

Hanging in the waiting room under the rocking chair.

Hey there's a bird here!!!

Once we were in a room, we were able to stay the entire time which is so helpful to me, and I think it was helpful to Foster.  He was able to fall out under anesthetic with us right there, and he was able to go through the stress of coming out of the anesthetic with his head in my lap.

The Lump

Fosse under

Some news we received just before surgery has me both relieved and upset.  The local vet who sent out the aspirate for analysis reported that the cells analyzed showed a mast cell tumor that needed to be removed ASAP for staging.  I was told it was cancer and treatment would depend on the staging done through pathology.  Our favorite vet who performed the surgery told us that the analysis shows "undifferentiated mast cells that may indicate malignancy."  Quite different.  Choosing surgery is not an overly aggressive choice resulting from the report either way, but still, I've been overly stressed that my Sweet Foster Dog has a Stage III or IV mastocytoma.  I suppose that is still possible, but I feel less alarmed at the moment.

Fosse finding his land legs.

It took Foster a long time to get his "land legs," and he was in serious pain.  It's a horrible thing to hear someone you love yelp and cry.  It was challenging getting him in and out of the car and into the house, but after a few hours of hanging out in his favorite places, Foster started to figure out how to get around on three legs.  He ate some kibble mixed with rice and lapped up some water, and finally slept.  He's shown he is the strong, smart, sweet dog we know him to be.

Home and in a favorite place - The Massage Room

Finally Sleeping
(It didn't last long...his human is sooooo tired.)

There's more healing to come and more adjustments and changes to make.  There is a pathology report to wait for and results to hear and a Foster Dog to take care of.  These are all things I can do.