Thank you, everyone, for your very supportive notes, thoughts, and wishes. We can't tell you how much we appreciate each and every one of them. 

Lulu underwent surgery yesterday and we picked her up from the vet at about 6:00pm. The torture of waiting all day for the call that she was out of surgery and okay was difficult, and we were so relieved when we spoke to our vet and she told us how great Lulu was doing. 

Before Lulu was discharged we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some necessary supplies. Unfortunately, it seems the extreme weather around the country has impacted the delivery of their food shipments, leaving the grocery store looking a little sparse. You're in luck if all you were shopping for was avocados and a bag of banana chips.

We were able to scare up enough of what we needed, in spite of the reduced selection, and Wendy cooked up a bunch of mashed sweet potatoes for Lulu. We picked up a few other great snacks for her, like salmon and carrots. Then we eagerly headed to the vet to pick up our patient and bring her home. She was drugged, but still rather enthusiastic to be leaving the vet, as you can probably imagine. In fact, as soon as they brought her out she started galloping wildly and pulling towards us. So much for keeping her calm and still!

Lulu's incision and stitches are massive given the tiny little bump, but the goal with the surgery is to get sufficient margins to hopefully prevent a recurrence, so the scar is always much larger than the tumor. As you can see, she'll have some good stories to go along with this scar.

Lulu slept pretty much through the night (unlike her parents), and today is resting comfortably. She's a little loopy, but at the same time, a bit too bouncy for her own good. I think she's feeling great, overall. We're doing our best to keep her from running up and down the stairs, chasing Mel, jumping on the couch, etc., but it's a difficult thing with our puppy that enjoys climbing trees and chasing squirrels. 

We have a few days to wait for the biopsy results that will tell us the grading of the tumor. From that point we'll be able to determine our best course of action in future treatment. Until then we'll just be keeping her calm and showering her with our affection. Who are we kidding? The only change is that we're trying to keep her calm. Our affection is always a given.

Comments 40

Comments

fingers crossed for you... xoxo

Wendy
1/8/2014

Thanks, Victoria! Fingers, toes, and paws are crossed in our house!

1/7/2014 at 1:25 PM

Fingers crossed this is the end of all the unpleasantness for guys! Glad she's home and in good spirits.

Wendy
1/8/2014

Thanks, Carrie! Good spirits indeed. We can't get her to stop tearing around the house with her toys!

phoebe
1/7/2014 at 1:35 PM

So glad Lulu is home! She is lucky to have the two of you to take care of her!

Wendy
1/8/2014

Thanks, Phoebe! We feel so lucky to be her parents.Alt smile

1/7/2014 at 1:43 PM

Dear pup. Glad to hear it went well!

Wendy
1/8/2014

Thanks, Bekah! We're glad she's doing so well post-surgery. Fingers crossed the next step is positive too.

1/7/2014 at 1:59 PM

Lulu is going to look like such a bad ass.

Wendy
1/7/2014

Bad to the bone. Watch out bitchezzz!

casacaudill
1/7/2014 at 3:03 PM

Watch out squirrels!

amy g
1/7/2014 at 2:05 PM

Best wishes for Lulu! What kind of dog is she?

Wendy
1/7/2014

Hi Amy. She's a pug / shar pei mix. We rescued her, but her previous family bought her from a breeder, and the mix is called an "oripei."

amy g
1/7/2014 at 2:38 PM

She's a very pretty dog! I just noticed how much she resembles my dog which is half Puggle/half English Bulldog.

Kelly
1/7/2014 at 2:09 PM

Poor girl, glad she's doing well. I hate when doggies have to go through surgeries.

I hope her stuff comes back negative or very low rating. Did the vet say why this is happening, like is this common in her breed?

I really don't mean to sound improper here and please don't take this the wrong way, but based on both Mel and Lulu's previous tumor testing, I hope/wonder if there might be something wrong with the vet's lab equipment or whatever company they are doing testing with? I'm sure it's a great vet, and I am not suggesting anything malicious. But sometimes machines don't calibrate, or samples get accidentally tainted, etc. is all and are giving false positives or something. But I know nothing about mast cell testing or anything either.

Either way, I hope these lumps go away and never come back now for poor Lulu.

Wendy
1/7/2014

Thanks for your note, Kelly! Unfortunately pugs are high up on the list of breeds that are susceptible to mast cell tumors. (Boxers are at the top of the list.) We asked ourselves all kinds of questions along the same lines: Could it be a mistake? Should we be worried about something in our home/neighborhood/drinking water? I think it's just plain, bad luck combined with genetics. We sure hope it goes away too. It's heart breaking not to be able to explain to her why she's being dropped off, stuck with needles, and wakes up in pain, drugged, and confused. Poor muffin.Alt frowning

1/7/2014 at 2:14 PM

Way to go Lulu! We can all take lessons from our dogs ... she has no clue about waiting for pathology reports or any of that. All she knows is that she's home and she's happy.

Wendy
1/7/2014

Indeed, Connie! At the moment, she's curled up in her bed with my favorite fleece blanket and is relishing the special attention and treats.Alt smile

meg
1/7/2014 at 2:58 PM

Next she's going to coming home with tattoos! She's such an adorable dog, and she seems to be in the best of hands. I'll keep my fingers crossed for good news.

Wendy
1/8/2014

Thanks, Meg! I think her tattoo should read, "Cancer can f*ck off!"Alt smile

1/7/2014 at 3:33 PM

Glad she's home and everything went smoothly. Hopefully the worst part is over.

Wendy
1/8/2014

Thanks, Tom and Jada! We're hoping the worst is over too, but will be on pins and needles until we know for sure.

KarinK
1/7/2014 at 3:34 PM

Thanks for the update!!!! I have thought about the sweet girl a lot since your post, and I am so glad she's home and happy! My fingers are crossed for the best possible results.

Wendy
1/8/2014

Thank you so much, Karin! We're so touched that you and so many other people are keeping her in their thoughts and are hoping for the best.

Tracy
1/7/2014 at 4:30 PM

My heart goes out to you both (and of course Lulu). I have puggles and didn't know pugs were susceptible to mast cell tumors. What did it look like? I'm now super paranoid and want to make sure I keep a look out. Lulu is in my thoughts!!

Wendy
1/8/2014

Thanks, Tracy! (We love puggles, by the way. Oliver was mistaken for a puggle all the time!) Her first mast cell tumor looked like an angry sting or bite. It was a big red lump, that grew exponentially overnight. This one was really mild, and felt almost like a pencil eraser under her skin. It didn't change shape, size or color, but it also didn't go away after a few weeks so we brought her in to have it tested.

Please give your puggles a big hug from all of us here!

aussiebeachgirl
1/7/2014 at 11:19 PM

So glad to hear that Lulu's surgery yesterday was a success. Sending loads of healing hugs her way and looking forward to more updates. Strength to you guys too. Alt smile heather x

Wendy
1/8/2014

Thanks, Heather! We really appreciate it.Alt smile

Monique
1/8/2014 at 9:58 AM

Praying for a quick recovery from surgery and that she beats the cancer. Lulu is such a cute pup.

Raw carrots and broccoli are good cancer fighters. If Lulu hasn't been eating raw broccoli all along, I'd try giving her just a small bit at a time until her tummy is used to eating it. Too much might upset her system.

Wendy
1/8/2014

Thanks, Monique! We think she's pretty cute too, although I know we're a bit biased.Alt smile

Lulu is a huge fan of carrots and broccoli, as well as spinach, kale, brussels sprouts, romaine, sweet potatoes, etc. From the get go, we've made sure she's eating a really high quality diet, and fortunately she LOVES veggies! I think some days she eats better than we do!

1/8/2014 at 10:24 AM

I have been thinking about you a lot since Monday. It is an awful feeling to have a sick baby, even a furry one, and not be able to do anything. You guys are great pet parents.

Wendy
1/8/2014

Thank you, Jessica. I really appreciate you saying that. Making the decision to rescue a four legged family member means that we're all in, and are committed to doing everything we can to ensure health, happiness, and the best life possible for our babies. Even if that means giving up our pillow and space in bed if that makes her more comfortable.Alt smile

threadbndr
1/8/2014 at 12:47 PM

Glad to hear the surgery went well and best wishes from the Mollydog and I for the biopsy results as well.

Stay warm!

Wendy
1/8/2014

Thanks, Karla! We'll keep you posted.

Hugs to you and Mollydog!

Jan
1/8/2014 at 12:49 PM

Hoping to hear good biopsy news soon ... glad the surgery went well. Willow also had a huge scar and half her head shaved for removal of a 3/4-inch-diameter bump. We were just happy she didn't need the Cone of Shame.

Wendy
1/8/2014

Oh no! Poor Willow. The cone of shame is the worst. We actually refused one for Lulu. We decided constant monitoring is better than putting her through that again. (It didn't go so well last time.)

Southern Gal
1/9/2014 at 12:57 PM

Just caught up with your news... so glad to hear that LULU is home and fighting her convalecence !

fingers crossed for the best possible report!

JC
1/11/2014 at 3:40 PM

I just saw this now. I know how much your pets mean to you, so I really hope everything turns out alright. Glad to see that Lulu seems to be going great!Alt smile

1/13/2014 at 7:48 AM

Somehow I missed this update! I'm glad Lulu is home and "resting" with her loving humansAlt smile Still sending positive vibes for the test results you want!

Since you've not signed in yet, you will need to fill in your name and email below. If you have a Facebook account, save yourself a step and use Connect to login.

Denotes a required field.

Please enter full URL, including http://

You can use Markdown syntax in your comment. And you can also use lots of Emoji!
  • Search

  • Login
  • Follow
  • Advertising

If you're looking for information on advertising and sponsorships, head on over to our sponsorships page. You can purchase site sponsorships in a few easy clicks. 

Toolbox Tuesday
Open Housing
  • We're Featured!

Old Town Home has been featured in the following places and publications:

The Washington Post
 
Washingtonian Magazine
 
Domino
 
Old House Journal
 
 
Apartment Therapy House Tour
 
Washington Post Express Feature
 
Home & Garden Blogs
 
© 2024 OldTownHome.com. - Privacy Policy

Unexpected Error

Your submission caused an unexpected error. You can try your request again, but if you continue to experience problems, please contact the administrator.

Working...

Working...