Well, my sweet old doggie is minus one potentially cancerous growth and plus one 3-4 inch sutured cut.  She is happy and acting totally normal, despite the funny looking sock around her neck so she can’t scratch it.

The crummy news is that her heart murmur has gone from stage I to stage III.  I learned that dogs with class I heart disease generally have a life expectancy of 2 to 4 years. Dogs with class II to IV heart disease have an average life expectancy of only a few months.

So she’s back to the vet later this month, and she’s on special food to try to help her fluids.  She’s coughing from the fluid in her lungs.  Her demeanor is bright and, well, sunny, so I don’t feel her quality of life is bad.

The good thing is, because of the tumor, we found this heart issue and we may be able to prolong her happy little life.  I truly think she’ll be OK.

Oh, and total cost of the surgery? $400.  There goes my holiday fund!  I would like for pet lovers everywhere to realize the steep cost of bringing one home and giving it the care it needs.  Even if your family can’t afford a $10000 hip replacement or chemo for dogs, at least invest in flea/heartworm meds and such.  Pets are expensive.  And worth every cent.