Worried about Murphy

[Rohnda]

Hugs to Murphy and you two as well. I hope to hear that all is well soon!

[Tuesday]

Hugs to you and Murphy from me and Murphy. We are all thinking of you and hoping for the best.

[Dempsy's Mom]

Hmmm - my post didn't take Murphy ... just want you to know we are hoping the best for you. You have a good mom & dad - they are doing their best for you. In our thoughts.

[hheldorfer]

Waiting and hoping for good news, with fingers and paws crossed.

[BetsyNoodle]

Just wanted to let everyone know that Murphy is out of surgery. The vet tech who called said the surgeon believes he was able to get all of the tumor out. So now we wait for the pathology report and continue to pray that it is benign. We are picking him up later today and will get more info from the surgeon then.

Hugs and thank yous to every one of you for your support!

Melissa

[pkcrossley]

all wishes for a quick recovery from the surgery, and encouraging news from the lab. i know you will be thrilled to get him home.

[Hillscreek]

Good news that he is out of surgery. Keeping paws crossed for a safe recovery.

[Dempsy's Mom]

Over the first big bump - thinking of you all. Happy for the good report.

[Lynn in TN]

So glad to hear that and praying for more good news.

[Ivy & Lucy's Mom]

Continued prayers for Murphy!! He is a cairn so he is tough and will come through this with flying colors...

[_whits_]

I'm so glad to hear he's out of surgery. I'm praying for more good news as the tests come back.

Give Murphy some extra cuddles from all of us here!

[josie&holly]

Hope that Murphy is mrecovering well and that you get results soon.

[hheldorfer]

Whew! At least the surgery is over. Is Murphy recovering well? Any further updates from the surgeon?

[Hawkeye]

Glad to hear the surgery went well and praying for good lab results.

Hugs to both you and Murphy.

[BetsyNoodle]

Sorry I couldn't update sooner. I had an appt. for a medical procedure this morning ( of all mornings! ) for a neck injury and have been down for the count most of the day.

The surgeon was on an emergency call when we picked Murphy up at 5PM, and didn't call until almost 10PM. He said he is "guardedly optimistic" about the growth they removed. Apparently beneath the mass they found a grass awn completed embedded in his paw, so deep it had to be surgically removed. He said sometimes when grass awns penetrate they can cause an immune reaction with the end result being a granuloma, which is usually benign. He went on to say the other vet who assisted in the surgery said it didn't appear to be a typical granuloma. So, bottom line: we wait for pathology. The waiting is so hard. I deal with it by lying beside Murphy and rubbing his belly. My DH copes by buying Murph's favorite squeaky toys. Our home has been turned into doggie disneyland in just two days!

Our boy was trying to walk today and was able to bear a little weight on the paw. Other times, he "tripods." He is eating very well, but not drinking much water or taking any ice chips. I know he had IV hydration, but it seems he would be a little thirsty by now.

We tried the soft donut ring versus the cone, but while wearing the ring he was quickly able to grab and chew on his sutured paw. So, back to the cone... which he hates, of course.

He is on meloxicam once daily for pain. I have had problems in the past with this drug when it was prescribed for two of my other dogs and they couldn't tolerate the side effects. I worry about his miminal water intake, especially with the meloxicam. I just gave him some water through a syringe and he swallowed it. If he doesn't drink on his own by tomorrow morning, I will call the vet. Have any of you had this drug prescribed for post-surgical pain for your Cairns?

Thanks so much for being here and for letting me vent. When the vet first used the word "tumor" I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't been able to post on this forum and find support. You're the best.

[Ivy & Lucy's Mom]

My golden retriever recently had a tumor removed as well-the surgeon was very concerned and said it didn't appear to be a granuloma. But guess what, it turned out that it was, so keep your hopes up and your fingers crossed. I know the waiting is agony. I am keeping you and Murphy in my prayers.

[Hillscreek]

My goodness. Foxtails I knew of - grass awns I'd never heard of. Another reason we all love this forum.......... to share and to care!!

Good luck Murphy and to your upright also!!

[Sam I Am]

One thing you might try to get Murphy to drink more, is to cook up a tiny bit of hamburger or ground chicken and put it in his water bowl. We have done this in the past and it works. Just put a small amount of water in the bowl with the tiny amount of hamburger. If you put to much water into the bowl they drink to much and throw up.

[BetsyNoodle]

Terrier lover, I just tried it with "soft" dog food, and he looked up at me as if to say, "So, you think you can trick me, do 'ya?" But, I bet he will drink to get to a bit of roasted chicken! Thanks so much for the suggestion!

[Lynn in TN]

I once added a little orange juice from a glass that I was drinking from to Kelly's water and she drank it. If Murphy likes oranges it might work, if not try a juice from a fruit he does like.

[Dempsy's Mom]

Murphy has had quite a summer so far. Thanks for posting and walking us through Murphy's crisis. We all feel horrible that one of our family is having a tough go. Have to laugh at how you and your husband are dealing with Murphy's set back ... really shows the man vs women brain functions again. I am sure that Murphy is loving it and giggling to himself - he gets the best of both worlds. "Murphy! You drink some water and then have a nap with mom." Continue to get better.

[oscar's mom]

Sorry to hear about Murphy. Glad he was taken care of so quickly. I will have positive thoughts coming Murphy's way.

[jodi0553]

Wishing for you to get the news back fast and for it to be all good news.

If they gave Murphy a camel hump of fluid, it'll last a couple days, but I bet the meat in the water will work!

[BetsyNoodle]

Murphy's aversion to water has become a problem, although the he did drink some water as he "fished" some pieces of chicken out of his water bowl (thanks Terrier lover). Lynn, he also drank a bit of orange juice flavored water. In addition I gave him about 50 ml of water today using a syringe, but he gave me the corner eye for that! Oh, goodness. Jodi, I think we are going to head to the vet tomorrow morning for the "camel humps." We had to do that for Betsy Noodle, my little Cairn mix, after she had surgery.

One other odd thing we've noticed is he no longer cares for fresh blueberries which used to be a favorite treat for him. Otherwise, his appetite is good.

Hillscreek, we had never heard of grass awns before this either. I had to do a google search to find the information.

* The vet also told us something no vet has ever mentioned to us before - he said we should closely examine our dog's skin/body for lumps or bumps once a month. And also carefully check their paws. I thought I would pass this on as it seems like sound advice, especially as our dogs age.

Thanks again to each of you for all the well wishes and prayers. We are trying to think positive thoughts and praying for a clean pathology report.

Edited June 11, 2012 by BetsyNoodle

[Hawkeye]

Well I had to google grass awns as well. I had never heard of this before and thank you for passing along this information so that we all can learn. I know how difficult it is to wait for test results, just know that we all are waiting with you and sending good vibes your way.

Best wishes to all...