For those of you who read
my previous blog post, here is an update on Lucy:
Lucy is recovering from her surgery on Tuesday. The cancerous sarcoma mass was removed. She has a long incision, approximately 10 inches in length, with 30 staples and 2 drains on her lower left flank region.
The surgery was difficult, lasting approximately 2 hours instead of the allotted 1/2 hour of time. The cancer was encapsulated except for at the base where a 1-1/2 inch diameter was attached to her muscle. The veterinary surgeon removed a 5 inch diameter piece of muscle. We are awaiting the histology report and hoping enough of the margins were removed so it doesn't grow back.
Lucy has been a real trooper. Thank goodness for pain meds. Dogs don't show much pain. It is a sign of weakness in the wild. When she is unable to get comfortable (cannot lay down), it is a sign to give her medication, approximately every 12 hours.
Lucy obtained a new wardrobe from her ordeal. We upcycled Steve's old t-shirts for her. Well, actually, Steve passed them to me. I wear them for art and household projects. I cut off the arms on some of them and passed them along to Lucy. Wearing a t-shirt alleviates self-inflicted trauma from Lucy trying to scratch as her incision is healing and catches the fluid from her drains.
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| I'm bringing sexy back! |
Lucy was under some heavy anesthesia and wasn't interested in drinking water at first. I didn't want her to get dehydrated. So I went shopping for some fresh coconuts and found some. As soon as I arrived home, I punctured the eyes of one giving her the water inside. She lapped it up immediately. Yay!
Coconut water provides an isotonic electrolyte balance and I'm sure hers was off from anesthsia. Did you know coconut water from the cavity of a fresh coconut is sterile until opened? It mixes easily with blood and was used in World War II for emergency transfusions.
And too, as Lucy luck would have it, the February/March Issue of
Animal Wellness Magazine arrived containing Dr. Carter's cancer cocktail recipe.
Dr. John Carter, a British veterinary surgeon and research scientist, created it after losing his own dog to cancer. The recipe is as follows:
Ingredients:
8 ounces raw chopped liver
4 ounces grated carrot
1/2 ounce ground Brazil nuts
Instructions:
Puree the ingredients. Serve as a topping or as a complete meal. It's bursting with flavor and nutrients including potassium and selenium.
I chose calf liver over mature beef or chicken thinking it is the youngest liver with the most nutrients. Lucy loves her
"liver pâté de foie gras". She gobbles it all up! It is an easy recipe to include in my beloved's raw diet.
Lucy has had sudden bursts of energy today. She wants to play fetch which, of course, is a BIG no-no presently. So I took her for a walk--down 4 houses to where her dog buddies, BJ and Bear, live and back. She was tired after and took a nap. Steve thought I might have taken her too far. Rehabilitation exercise is a must prior to being able to leave a hospital. It would strengthen her, I told him.
Unfortunately, Lucy is not out of the woods yet. She has a lipoma growing under her left forearm and another small mass on her right side. The veterinary surgeon was unable to remove them as Lucy was at the limit for anesthesia during this surgery. (sob, sob)
To all of Lucy's fans in blog and social networking land and
Loving Touch Animal Center: We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your pawsitive thoughts regarding Lucy's health. Dogs are people too. Woof!
PS: Read the other posts in this series:
Part 1
Part 3
