If you follow me on Twitter, then you already know the deal.
I got a call from the vet early yesterday evening. I was surprised to hear from him since he said that he likely wouldn’t have the results from Sadie’s pathology report until the very end of the week. My voice perked up over the phone when I realized who was calling me, but the inflection in my voice was met with a rather serious tone and I immediately knew the pathology results our vet was calling to share were going to be a little scary.
Apparently they don’t know what Sadie’s little lump is and they want it completely removed. They think it is a kind of sarcoma, a type of cancer that develops from certain tissues, and want to do further testing.
I’m about to leave to take Sadie in for surgery this morning to get that freaking lump out of her. Ryan and I are keeping our thoughts positive. So many of you shared amazing stories in the comments section of my morning post yesterday (thank you!) and I know dogs have cancerous lumps removed all the time and live long and happy lives. I’m trying to postpone any worries I may have until I receive all the information from the vet.
It looks like the Cone of Shame may resurface later today…
I love that little girl.
Breakfast
I inhaled my breakfast this morning as I typed up this blog post.
Steel cut oats with egg whites and a sliced orange!
Off to the vet!
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Oh no! Poor Sadie! Sending you lots of love and good thoughts. I’m sure the bump is nothing, but any surgery on your beloved puppy is scary.
You’ve been diligent doggy parents; I’m positive all shall be well. You’re catching this very early. Hopefully Sadie will enjoy looking like a martini glass again; bulldogs (like my parents) just end up looking like really depressed desk lamps.
…I meant, “like my parents’ [bulldog]”, not that my parents look like depressed desk lamps. Although, now that I think about it…
Good Luck. Everything will be OK!
Julie– My heart goes out to you and Ryan! I’ll include Sadie in my prayers and hope that everything will be ok. My dogs are everything to me and I can’t imagine how worried you must be. I feel like I know Sadie from reading your blog!
Good luck…
I am hoping for the best for that sweet girl!
That orange looks like a real perfect Florida orange, delicious! “It will all be okay in the end, if it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” Sadie will make it through!
Good luck to Sadie! I’m sure she’ll be just fine! I have to say, it’s so refreshing to read your dog stories because you are such awesome dog parents. I know so many pet-owners that never walk their dogs and their idea of “exercising,” their dog is to throw a ball for 5 minutes and call it good. Sadie is so lucky to have active parents that know her fitness is just as important as theirs!
Good luck, Julie! We will all be thinking of you and little Miss Sadie. Your positive attitude is inspiring, you will both come out of this just fine.
Julie,
My mom is a vet and has always cautioned people that feed their dogs human foods of things exactly like this. Dogs should eat dog food, not human food or frozen yogurt. Be very careful what you allow the pup to eat no matter how her puppy dog eyes make you feel bad. This is for the best and could potentially prevent scary things like the “C” word in dogs. Best of luck!
I will respectufully disagree. While there are many types of foods dogs should not have, there are also several very healthy and beneficial “human” food. Have you ever read the ingredients of many well known dog food brands? Not good!
Sublty placing blame on J for feeding certains foods, insuating that she could have caused the potential cancer is *kind of* of a low blow.
“respectfully”
I completely agree with you, Lisa. That was terribly rude Anne. Shame on you.
You have to be careful with “blanket” comments like this because it’s simply not true. Yes, us dog owners know there are certain foods dogs should not eat: chocolate, onions, macadamian nuts, pointsettas (okay not a food but often bought at Christmas), and sugarless gum (can causes kidney failure in puppies).
However, there are lots of human foods that are harmless, even beneficial for dogs. My Louie had terribly dry skin when he was a puppy, my vet’s recommendation was a Tbsp of olive oil in his food and he now has the shiniest coat. When he was constipated, my vet recommended canned pumpkin. And when Louie was experiencing anxiety in a new environment, he reommended natural peanut butter. Yep, peanut butter apparently has the same calming effects on dogs as it does on humans (or at least this human). As for frozen yogurt, ice cream, Frosty paws and the like, they do not offer any health benefits per se, but they are harmless as occasional treats.
There is no rhyme or reason when it comes to cancer or any illness when it comes to our pets(or people for that matter). All we can do is love and take care of them for as long as we are blessed to have them. And that is exactly what Julie and Ryan are doing.
I disagree there is no “rhyme or reason” connecting diets to cancer. There is a lot of evidence out there that our poor american diets are causing cancer! That being said Julie doesn’t feed her dog hostess cupcakes for 2 meals a day so in this case certain breeds are just more prone to cancer than others unfortunately.
Anne~ My dog is the pickiest dog ever! We’ve tried every brand of dog food there is and she will eat it for maybe a week and then she’s done. Everyone says “when she gets hungry, she’ll eat it”. Well, no she won’t. I tried and it didn’t work. I got her as a puppy, and she’s never liked dog food. So the only thing I knew to do was give her people food. She loves it, especially chicken. She also love veggies and fruits. She’s almost 13 years old now and has never had any healthy problems. The only time I’ve ever had to take her to the vet has been for her shots. My point is, you CAN feed your dog people food. And even though I wouldn’t do it, my BF has been feeding her tiny dog chocolate M&M’s every night for years. I just know it depends on the dog. Nothing is just black or white, there’s a whole lot of gray in this world.
“There is a lot of evidence out there that our poor american diets are causing cancer!”
Please find me some peer-reviewed scientific literature to support your claim. Yes, poor health can be correlated to certain diseases but to claim causation is misguided. Citation please!
Lol. It’s common sense. Not all cancer is caused by poor diet but poor diet is linked to obesity, heart disease, some cancers, and a host of other health issues. Sorry I work full time and am not going to head to the library to read some peer-reviewed scientific literature. Throwing around some college type phrases good for you girl
Exactly. Linked. Not causative.
Actually, some foods contain carcinogens. Carcinogens cause cancer. Nitrates for example.
Sharan- watch the documentary Forks Over Knives. All peer-reviewed, scientific goodness brought to you from the very best– Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. Caldwell. Many many many trails and evidence that that not only link, but SHOW, that the american diet DOES cause cancer. Or just go on living in your ignorant little world full ignorant little lies, but don’t say the science isn’t out there.
****dr. campbell and dr. esselstyn sorry about that
Best of luck Sadie girl!! Sending positive thoughts your way!
Sending positive thoughts for the surgery!! Hope the recovery is speedy.
Definitely keeping you guys in my thoughts and prayers today!
Sending love and healthy thoughts to you and Sadie!
Praying for Sadie and a speedy recovery.
Sending love and hope to Sadie. Stressed for you and your sweet pup. I understand the deep love that you have for her. Please keep us posted.
love from Scarlett (the pugweenie) and Courtney
Praying that the surgery goes well and Sadie recoveries quickly!
I’m sure Sadie will be just fine! 🙂 My little boston terrier has a small lump on her side and the vet is trying to see if it will drain naturally before draining it with a needle. I can understand your worries…dogs are like children!
Julie,
My thoughts are with you on this very difficult day. As a fellow dog mama, I can empathize with the attachment and one-of-a-kind bond that forms between dog and family. Good luck today, and wishing a safe recovery to Miss Sadie.
Deep Breaths,
Jeanie
Poor Sadie!! Hope she re-coups quick. Those oranges look so delish. Love that we get the FL citrus 🙂
Julie,
I feel like I know you because of your blog so I wanted to extend my sincerest well wishes for Sadie. I have a 14 year old dog who is my shadow and best friend too. He has a very questionable lump on his neck, but is too old for surgery because of the risks of anesthesia. All I can do is love him while I have him. So, I am so glad that you can do this for Sadie. Best wishes and prayers.
Good luck, Sadie! Sounds like you guys have a great vet, trust in his/her knowledge and expertise! Also, PetCo/PetSmart sell inflatable collars that are somewhat more comfy than the humungo cone-of-shame and cut down on the coffee table bump-ins. 🙂
I’m sending my best wishes for Sadie!
Keeping Sadie (and you and Ryan) in my thoughts and prayers!
🙁 i’m thinking positive healing thoughts for lil sadie! my heart goes out to you, Ryan, and the rest of Sadie’s family today.
Praying for you and Sadie!
the upside of the cone of shame: http://imgur.com/1bbGamx
Awww, thinking of you and Sadie.
Poor Sadie 🙁 I hope the surgery goes well and she makes a speedy recovery.
Lots of love and good thoughts for Sadie! I know this is so stressful and my heart and prayers go out to your family. There is no love like the one we have for pets and they have for us. Prehaps a post-surgical scoop of peanut butter for Miss Sadie will help speed her recovery!
Keeping you, Ryan and Sadie in my thoughts. As a fellow dog mama and a sisterinlaw to a basset hound who went through cancer treatments, I’m praying. (Addie, the basset, is cancer free now, for one year). Positive thoughts and light your way.
Good luck at the vet!!!! I was an absolute WRECK when I had to take my kitty for surgery a few months ago.
I hope Sadie (and you guys!) are hanging in there and feeling better!
I’m so sorry:( I have gone through a similar situation and it consuming. Hopefully the next few days will go fast. Sending thoughts and prayers your way!!
Poor puppy! Praying for Sadie!! 🙂
Such a sweet puppy dog, hope all goes well today! I’m sure she will be back to her perky self soon 🙂 much love Sadie girl!
My lab had a cancerous lump removed in almost the same place when he was younger. He is doing fine and while he still has to have the occasional lump removed, luckily, none of them have been cancerous again. My thoughts are with you.
Sending happy thoughts to Sadie! Hope all goes well!!
Lots of positive thoughts your way! Sadie is gonna rock that cone again like a champ 😉
Sending you all hugs & prayers!!
Hi Julie!
I just wanted to poke my little veterinarian nose in to let you know that my experience with sarcomas has been good! Though sarcomas can arise from a variety of different tissues, they tend to have grown from the tissue right at the site of the lump, rather than spread from elsewhere in the body, which means that surgery alone is very often curative! Your doctor will take the widest possible tissue margins, so the incision may be much larger than the original mass was, but that’s good! When the lab looks at the biopsy, they will evaluate the surgical margins to confirm complete removal of all abnormal tissue and then be able to grade the mass, which will tell you a lot about whether you should have any concerns going forward….
I will send you a message on your PBfingers FB page so if you EVER have any specific questions or concerns, you can send me a PM ANYTIME!!!!
Prayers for you!
Good luck today! I hope the surgery is smooth and the test results are as good as they can be!!
Good luck. Will be thinking of you, Ryan and Sadie. Hope she heals quickly!
Poor Sadie! I’ll send my positive thoughts to her, you and Ryan!
All three of you are in my thoughts and prayers…Lots of love and positive thoughts!
Hi Julie! I myself am a vet, and the fact that you are having it taken off right away is going to make a BIG difference! It is small, which means it will be easy to obtain good margins. And after the biopsy report comes back determining the type of sarcoma and if margins were obtained, then you know if there’s anything else that needs to be done! I am thinking positive thoughts about Sadie!!!
The poor thing! Good thing it was caught early, she will be ok xoxoxo!
Sending positive thoughts for Sadie!!
My baby had three mast cell tumors (cancerous) removed along with 10 other non-cancerous bumps just to be on the safe side. I’ve since changed her food to Honest Kitchen -dehydrated “human” food 🙂 – and she hasn’t had any since! Also started seeing a holistic vet along with her regular vet. Sending positive thoughts your way!!!
Positive energy and prayers coming your way for Sadie and for you and Ryan during this.
I’m so sorry to hear about Sadie, praying everything goes great with her surgery!