# Kiera



## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

If everyone could keep some positive thoughts about my service dog. In January she underwent surgery for a Mast Cell tumor. It came back as level 1 which the vet says was a good thing because it generally means that it was contained in that one spot and likely there is nothing else to worry about.

Even at that time she had a "mole" that I didn't even think to tell the doc about for whatever reason, mostly because it was presumed to be a mole and was very small- the size of a pea. A little over a week ago the pea got very hard and grew in size, which is a sign of Mast Cells, as they will change size and consistency off and on, and appear that they are coming and going. It is already back to the size it had been for months. 

I had it aspirated when it got bigger and it is a Mast cell tumor. He now wants that removed and has asked me to try and find any others. Since then I have now found a total of 3 others. Given the thickness of her fur and the incredibly small size of them I am likely missing some. She is tired of my probes. 

She goes in for surgery tomorrow morning and he wants to do an ultrasound of her pancreas and liver to see if there are any nodes there. If so he will aspirate those to see if they are positive for Mast cells. He will also be doing a chest x-ray. I am going to ask him to do those things first, as if she has it internally I don't see putting her through the trauma of numerous excisions. Not to mention the costs of all of this, which are fairly daunting. Certainly not as much as they could be, but with each tumor the costs increase. With so many of them I wonder the purpose behind taking them off at all. They are not painful. The one on her chest was very sizeable, about the size of a small egg. These are all the size of a small pea, and one of them is even smaller. If it wasn't on her head I wouldn't have found it. 

I am very worried about my dog. I want to do what is best for her with as little trauma as possible. If she has systemic cancer then I don't see the purpose in continued excisions that hurt her and cause her trauma, when in the long run it's not doing anything for her. Additionally in the meantime the surgeries each cost me over 600 bucks. I don't even know how much this most recent one will cost me as at the time I was quoted there was only one tumor, not 4. 

The good news is that she is as active as ever and does not appear to phased by all of it just yet. If it is systemic he said she will get pretty sick. I have no idea of a timeline on that. I know the one on her chest (went clear down to her jugular) was there for a long time before I had it checked. I thought it was a fatty tumor that is so common in dogs. One day at least a year after I found it, it got bigger and harder and that is when I had it checked. I feel like a total heel for not having it checked earlier. 

As tomorrow grows closer my worries increase. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. She is my lifeline in many ways. She is with me almost 24/7/365. I do on occasion leave her at home when I go out, but it is not terribly common for me to do so as I really do need to have her with me. I don't bring her when I am with my best friend or if I am going on short shopping trips, but otherwise she is with me, including the longer shopping trips- people at Costco love her  She is not allowed to get petted unless I say so, and people are good about that in general, however when I say no she's working then they start talking to her! Well now how is she supposed to task for me when people are doing baby dog talk to her?!?! She is loved everywhere.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Some pictures of my girl:
Right after her initial surgery








Hiding








It was really cold (teens) at this time so I had to devise a way she could keep her neck warm, and that would get her to leave it alone- Enter Life Saver Pup








This would make me hide too.








About 4-5 days later. The pouch at the top is still a little swollen, but she also has a fairly pouchy neck so it's not quite as bad as it looks. 








Healthy pupper!








Some of my initial training I did at PetCo- This is her graduation day proving she has some degree of patience.








Graduation from beginning training








This is what she thought of the diploma


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

My thoughts and prayers go out to you and Kiera. I know I would rather have something wrong with me than Riley. It hurts to see your loved one in a situation like that.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i will keep her in my thoughts and prayers as well obsidian..


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

Fingers and legs crossed for you bud


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

I know it's hard to tell from icons and screen names, but ob is a lady. FYI


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

and is there any reason why anyone cant call her bud?


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

ROFL, you guys are too funny. That's budette to you weedie 

Kiera update: She is out of surgery and pissed off at the world for her trouble. Ultrasound and chest X-ray's all normal. Only one of the total of 5 lumps was cancerous so that is in her favor. The cancerous lump will be graded this week- pray for a 1 folks  That would mean not much of a chance of metastasis.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Kiera update: 
She has 5 more growths, all small. I have not had them checked for cancer status, and I will not get them removed unless they really start to bug her or something. So far the surgeries bug her much more than the lumps, and the vet said she could get lumps for the rest of her life. So frustrating to see. I want a healthy pup!

Not much holds her back though! She is running around and fetching and barking and jumping as much as ever.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Just remember love goes a long way. We had a dog that had cancer. The doctor that removed it said he could not get it all and gave Dundee a month if he was lucky. He had a rough couple of nights after the surgery but ended up living just over another year. Treats, hugs, and anything they want to keep them happy and it will make your life as well as yours the best and most complete that it could ever be.


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

I know it is very hard to see your dog having problems like that. Deb and I are the same way with our dogs. We had a cancer scare with Riley and thank God he is ok. Hearing this story again clouds my eyes with tears. My heart goes out to you , Ob. and Kiera.


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2013)

I understand your pain seeing your beloved pet go through something like this. My mom's cat, Kitty, was sick with feline leukemia and it was hard to see her go downhill each day. She passed away on July 29, 2013. Now I have to get my cat tested and hopefully she tests negative for feline leukemia so I can get her vaccinated.

I am so sorry that you are going through this. I will keep you and Kiera in my prayers and thoughts. I hope she gets better soon.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Thanks guys. A couple of them went away which is actually not a good thing. Coming and going is part of the cancer ones as opposed to the cyst ones. Unless, of course, they stay gone LOL. 

In the meantime she is having a good time and doing a good job at her service work. She remains as loving as ever!

Angel- my best friend used to rescue fe-luke cats. She still has a few going strong out in her cat house. People just assume they can't have a good life, and many times they really can have a full life. My other awesome friend had a fe-luke cat that died when he was like 15. He tested positive but never showed a sign of illness past when he was a kitten. As a kitten he wouldn't eat and they had to basically hand feed him. For life that cat ate most when you petted him LOL. 

I am hopeful your new cat is healthy


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## Guest (Aug 12, 2013)

Obsidian said:


> Thanks guys. A couple of them went away which is actually not a good thing. Coming and going is part of the cancer ones as opposed to the cyst ones. Unless, of course, they stay gone LOL.
> 
> In the meantime she is having a good time and doing a good job at her service work. She remains as loving as ever!
> 
> ...


Yes, my cat, Skittles, is feline leukemia negative. Found out the day she was tested. It was a big relief to know that she was negative. I am very happy that Skittles gets to stay with me for her whole life. I am not getting anymore animals because I cannot afford anymore at the moment. Maybe sometime in the future though when I have a steady job and can afford it.

Also thank you for your kind words. I will keep Kiera in my prayers. Hope she gets better.


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