Koira's Toe

This is the sad face I have been getting for the past few days.

Koira had surgery on Tuesday afternoon to remove a lump on her toe. Now, I don't believe in removing every lump a dog gets, just in case it is something bad. Most lumps are benign and are safer to leave in place than to risk the complications of surgery to remove. This lump, though, had all the earmarks of a not-good kind. It was on a toe, which is probably the number one worst spot to find a lump, as they are much more likely to be something bad when located on a toe. In addition to that, it grew pretty quickly (though it is still pretty small, really), is black, and is an irregular texture. The best way I can describe the texture is like cauliflower- just sort of rough and lumpy. Not one of those things is a good sign, so we decided to get it taken off.

This little lump is causing all this fuss.

Unfortunately, because of the holiday in the middle of the week, we haven't gotten the pathology report back yet. I'm hoping we get it on Monday, but it might not be in until Tuesday. Which just means more waiting and wondering and worrying.

Koira is just a little depressed about wearing a cone, but at least she isn't doing any worrying about the path report.

There was also a similar lump farther up on the same leg, up on the front of her knee. So we took that off at the same time while Koira was under, just to be safe. We figured we may as well, since it lessens the probability of her needing to be put under again. The vet also made sure to get as wide of margins as possible, so that if it is something bad, we will have (hopefully) already gotten rid of all of it.

If you are squeamish, you might not want to look at the pictures below. They aren't of anything too bad, but are of Koira's stitched wounds as of today.

This first one is of her knee. I think a knee is a stupid place to need stitches, and the stitches obviously agree, since they have pulled out on the top side and are now sitting there doing absolutely nothing (except annoying Koira with their itchiness, I bet). Luckily, they stayed in long enough that the wound seems to be healing fine. She'll probably have a pretty obvious scar right there though.

Useless stitches, just hanging out

Her toe I'm not really sure what is up with. It seems a little angry, to be honest. And I'm not sure if the stitch in it is where it is supposed to be, doing what it is supposed to be doing, or if it actually pulled out as well. Her foot was actually wrapped for two days after the surgery, so I didn't get a look at it from the beginning. It just looks strange right now.

I'm thinking I will call my vet and ask, and possibly bring her in for a quick recheck. In the mean time, Koira has destroyed one cone (the clear one in the pictures above). I am now trying her in the Bite Not collar, since I happen to have one laying around. She doesn't appear to be able to get to her foot with it on, so hopefully that works for the rest of the week until the stitches come out.

Happy 4th!

I hope everyone is having a great 4th of July holiday. We've spent weeks doing noise sensitivity training in prep for the fireworks tonight- and if last night is any indication, it should go pretty smoothly! I spend time before the 4th every year using the small snappers (that you can throw on the ground or snap between your fingers) to get the dogs used to the sound and smell of fireworks. Basically, snap, treat at the same time. Repeat. Once they are totally fine with the snappers, I move on to the pop-its (the party poppers where you pull the sting and it shoots out ribbons and makes a bit of a bang noise). Again, pop and treat. And you know what? There was no shaking from Koira at all last night when the day-early fireworks started up.

For tonight, I plan on giving some melatonin before dark, just to help keep things mellow. I also picked up some braided bully sticks (Trader Joe's carries some made in the USA that the dogs love) to keep the dogs busy with something fun. I'll be playing music in the house as well as having the fans running. All of this is for Koira's benefit, as she is generally pretty sound sensitive. But I have pretty high hopes that this evening won't be any big deal for her.

As for Pallo, he couldn't care less about fireworks. I actually did a big no-no in the dog world last year, and took him with me to a fireworks show. I brought a ton of treats, some toys, and was 100% ready to get to the car and leave as soon as he showed even the slightest sign of not being okay with the chaos. But he was totally cool with it. I am thinking we will stay home this year, though, since Koira has stitches I want to be double sure don't come out if she does panic, and I have ear infections in both ears, making staying home seem pretty awesome really.

Our holiday pictures were taken early this afternoon, hanging out in the hammock in the back yard in the sun.

Hope everyone has a great holiday!

Book Review: It's Just A Dog

I think any one who is a true dog lover has heard the phrase "it's just a dog" from the people around them. I've heard it when I turned down invitations to go places because of my dogs, or because I spent too much money on my dogs, or because I spend so much of my time involved in doing things with my dogs- including writing this blog. I have never had to deal with people telling me "it's just a dog" after a dog has died, however. And I hope I never will.

The general public, who views dogs as pets, not family, may not get this book. They will probably enjoy it, but be thinking that the main character, Charlie, is over reacting to the loss of his dog, Pete. I think most of my blog readers fall into a different camp of people- those for whom the loss of a dog is just as bad as the loss of a family member, or sometimes, even seems worse, since a daily companion and huge part of our life is missing.

Russ Ryan, the author of It's Just A Dog, really gets it. I, thanking my lucky stars every day, have not had to lose one of my dogs since my childhood dog. That was heartbreaking enough, but I doubt it would compare to losing the dogs who have shared the past three and five years of my life. I don't even want to think about it.

Overall, I really ended up enjoying this book. It's Just A Dog was a good read, plain and simple. Parts of it made me cry as I read them aloud to my dogs (please tell me I'm not the only one who reads out loud to their dogs...). I actually had to stop reading, or read silently for a while, as certain parts of the book made my throat close and tears start leaking from my eyes. 

Then, at the same time, there was always some kind of relief. Sometimes, it was a bit of dark humor at just the right place in the story. Other times, it was a funny story about Pete, or the destructive or irritating things that he did during (and after) his life. I think I would call this book a comedy, if I had to choose, though maybe more along the lines of a dark comedy. It deals with the very serious feelings of grief and depression associated with losing your dog, but does so in a fun to read way- without ever making light of the all consuming horribleness of losing your best friend.

A description of the book is below, along with links to where you can purchase a copy for yourself or for a dog loving friend. 

 

What if your dog died and then came back as a ghost…that could talk? Would you welcome him back with open arms or run away scared to death? 

This is the premise of IT’S JUST A DOG, a new novel about love, loss, and one man’s dog who rises up yapping from the grave.

Charlie Keefe is not just your typical dog lover –– he’s a world famous dog painter, a.k.a. “The Picasso of Pooch Portraits”. Unfortunately, Charlie’s beloved muse, Pete, his lovable Jack Russell terrier, has just died. And he’s totally devastated by the loss of his furry best friend.

So, after months of grieving over his dearly departed soulmate, Charlie reluctantly agrees to foster a new puppy –– a cute Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Brownie from the local animal shelter. Soon after, Charlie is surprised to find himself falling head over heels with this new puppy girl, his ‘Rebound Dog’, as he calls her –– as well as being romantically attracted to Janelle Jordan, the head hound at the dog rescue.

But then complications arise when the ghost of his old dog, Pete, mysteriously reappears one night and comes back to haunt him and the new puppy –– setting off a bizarre chain of events that throw Charlie’s life, career, and entire belief system into chaos!

If you’ve enjoyed such classic dog books as The Art of Racing in the Rain and A Dog’s Purpose, then you are bound to find a place in your heart for IT’S JUST A DOG -  Part Book, Part Blog, ALL DOG, (Okay, there may be a few cat videos, too, to show some love for the other team!)

Buy the book from....

Amazon.com - printed book

Amazon.com - ebook

Barnes and Noble

About the Author 

Aside from being a dog lover and a dog widower, RUSS RYAN has written and developed screenplays with the Hollywood producers of American Pie, Final Destination, and Fireflies in the Garden. He was also a writer on a really bad teen comedy, National Lampoon’s Repli-kate, starring Eugene Levy. This is his first novel.

In addition, he is the creator of Meansheets, a vintage movie poster blog that focuses on the greatest artists and illustrators from the 1940′s-1980′s.







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I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.

 
printed book          ebook version