Since we have had puppies from Rumi she has developed some fat lumps. The last few months some hard ones on unusual places on her hind quarters worried me a bit. Rumi has had some bad experiences at the vet’s so taking a tissue sample is a bit stressful for us. A few months ago I talked to the holistic vet about preventing teeth problems and showed her Rumi’s bite. She asked what was growing above a tooth? I had not noticed and was very surprised. So I decided to monitor the little bump. The little bump grew quit quickly and I decided in concert with the regular vet & dentist to have it removed. Up until the operation last Monday it continued growing and as Rumi’s mother died of a nose tumor (11 years of age) I started getting a little anxious. We are lucky to have breeding lines without young cancer – as many flatcoated retrievers die too young of this horrible disease (very commonly around 6-7-8 years of age). But even despite of this I always worry when a flatcoated has an unusual growth. The operation went very well – together with vet dentist Joyce Muys at the Diergeneeskundig Centrum Alphen a/d Rijn we took care to make the whole thing less stressful for Rumi. Here a some of the steps we took to make it easier for her:
No shaving for adding the needle – while vet was disinfecting the skin and bringing in the needle for anesthetic I allowed her to lick a tiny bit out of a Danish chef cheese tube (licking has a calming effect)
I had given her a meal in the middle of the night before the operation (according to schedule from Vet) to have her maintain a better blood sugar level to start the day with.
Remaining close to Rumi while the anesthetic was administered instead of handing her over to an assistant.
Being present before she woke up – allowing her to smell that I was in the neighborhood (scent is the firstly registered by the brain after anesthetic).
All of the above requires cooperation from an understanding vet. Thank you Diergeneeskundig centrum Alphen Ad Rijn for that.
Since the operation we have of course done everything to make her feel well. She is on detox homeopathic meds to get all anesthesia out of her body and bone broth from goose feet (homecooked of course) should give a good boost. The wound in her mouth is heeling nicely and she even managed to work with dummies again last Sunday.
While she was under anesthesia we also had an ultrasound to check her organs and womb. All looked very well for a bitch her age – tight and very nice tissue structure. Her stomach had been shaved so now her loose nipples are really showing off at the beach.
Today we got an email from the vet – all tissue sample results were back from the lab – all good – no scary stuff. I am very happy about this and a bit relieved. We trust in many more healthy years for Rumi.
Flatastic flatcoated retrievers 