Lacey's Vet Visit

Lacey saw the Oncologist today.

We heard the best news we could hope for... She was very optimist and doesn't think it is has spread!  :)

Tomorrow we will be getting up bright and early and bringing her back to get a toe and a half removed.  The growth is on the side of her second toe but in order to ensure clean margins and make sure we have enough tissue to close up the incision, we've decided to remove her first toe (the outside toe) completely and part of her second toe. They'll use the skin of the outside toe to close up the gap that the tumour removal will leave on her second toe.

We could have opted to just partially remove both toes, but then we wouldn't be able to get as wide a margin as they want and we'd end up fusing the two toes together to seal up the gap.  Apparently the middle two toes do all the work anyway and the outside ones are just "window dressing".  Her own dog has had an outside toe removed due to a bad break, and her gait hasn't even been affected.  She is thinking it will be similar for Lacey.

Before surgery, we could have tested to see if it had spread elsewhere but we are opting not to.  The first place it would go to is a lymph node in her shoulder/arm and as far as the oncologist can tell, it isn't swollen like it would be if it was affected.  It is so small she didn't think she'd even be able to get a sample from it with a needle.  However, when they are removing the tumour, they are also going to remove the lymph node and get it checked by a pathologist just to be sure.  If the cancer hasn't travelled that far yet, we know it hasn't gone anywhere else either.

She needs to spend the night at the clinic so we are going to stay in Calgary so we can visit her. Besides, driving back and forth 3 days in a row just seemed a bit much.  We are going to try and distract ourselves with the Zoo while she is getting operated on and recovering from the anesthetic.  They said we could come visit as soon as she is able to lay like a sphinx.  :)  I'm hoping we can be there later too when they try and feed her as she won't be released unless she is able to take pain meds orally.  I'm worried she will be too stressed to eat for them.

We should know by Tuesday next week (at the latest) if the surgery worked. If so, there will be nothing left for us to do!  Incredible to believe that the entire turn around time will be 2 weeks!  No wonder my head is spinning.