Roya has been living in the house since she had a mammary tumor removed last week. Physical examination had revealed her spleen felt enlarged and while ultrasound did not reveal any masses, there was an oddity to the landscape and the vet recommended a recheck in four months. Because of this, I was resigned to the fact that the mass would likely come back as cancerous and I would be faced with making life and death decisions. Roya is such a character; a small dutch shepherd female who has been mother to two of our litters, the most recent resulting in my Cooper, who promises to be an awesome dog! She has crazy high drive, and passes the selection test to be an explosives or narcotics detection dog. In fact, she was originally imported as an explosives detection dog but they determined she lacked focus, and she was sold to me. Personally, I can't imagine her being used for that purpose at the time I got her, as all she knew to do was scream and bite.
At any rate, when the vet called today, I held my breath. I was so happy to hear that the tumor is benign, not cancerous! It is of a type that does not spread and is not cancerous, so those were lovely words!
In the meantime, she continues to reside in the house until her stitches come out. She is a master of opening doors and climbing, but has been relatively well behaved thus far. Maybe she knows a good thing when she sees it! I can tell she is here because all the toys are gathered and placed on the dog bed. If you sit on the couch, you are likely to find one repeatedly thrust into your lap. She is a sweetie, and I am just so glad that she will be with us for some years to come.
