Kairo Update - Part 2

I know the last post was titled "Kairo January Update - Part 1" but this update has actually extended into February, so I think I'm right on track for once. 

When we went to the vet for Crisis #1, we also asked the vet about this small bump on Kairo's chest.  It had started out about the size of a pimple and at the time of the vet visit, had grown to about the size of a dime.  The vet said not to be concerned.  Since it was a growth on the skin rather than more internal near organs, it was likely non-cancerous.  Phew.  Well a few weeks later, I get a call from G$ informing me that daycare had called him to let him know that Kairo's chest growth had been cut open and was bleeding.  Gross.  Since the vet visit, the growth had grown from the size of a dime to probably about a quarter/half dollar and was protruding even more.  To be on the safe side, G$ called the vet and they were able to fit him in that afternoon.

The Diagnosis:  A benign fatty tumor
The Treatment: Wait 6-8 weeks to see if Kairo's body would dissolve it on his own, and if not, surgery to remove it.

Now that it was cut open, it started to bleed pretty easily, which would then lead to Kairo incessantly licking it.  The vet recommended either making him wear the cone/inner tube of shame or to put a t-shirt on him to prevent the licking.  So for the past 6-8 weeks, Kairo has been sporting cutoff, midriff t-shirts.  He had five shirts in rotation: two old softball shirts, a kickball shirt, a mock turtle tunic shirt from my Goodwill pile, and the classiest of them all, a Coors Light shirt from my cross-country road trip (yes, Jack, I randomly thought of and found the incomplete blog we kept during our adventures to California and back.  Talk about a trip down memory lane!).  Since he only had five shirts, I was doing dog laundry more frequently than human laundry.

It was a vicious cycle:

1. Wound would scab over at night
2. Wound would re-open during the day either while at daycare, on a walk, or at playtime with the dogs
3. We'd clean it, change his shirt, and he'd go to bed.  
4.  Repeat

The failed attempt with the inner tube.  He. Hated. It.

 Kind of funny, if he saw you go for the bactine, he would try to run the other way because he knew what was coming.  G$ and I had it down to a science: we'd put the clean shirt on his head, then G$ would pick him up from behind, I'd spray the wound, then slip his arms into the sleeves and tie up the shirt 80s style so the shirt neck wouldn't stretch to the point where he could lick the wound.
At first, both G$ and I were very self conscious.  We didn't want to be those people who dress their dog in clothes, so if anyone made a comment about the shirt (and even sometimes when they didn't), we'd quickly say, he's wearing the shirt because he has a cut he keeps trying to lick.  Yes, yes, we did.

He did look super cute in the shirts though, don't you think?  :)

Well about two weeks ago, we noticed that the scab was getting smaller and smaller, which could only mean that tumor was gradually shrinking.  Hurray!  Then last week, the scab was so small, it was hardly even a scab anymore, so we decided it was time for Kairo to go nakey again.  And man, we had forgotten just how beautiful his sleek coat is! 

Now the most important February update is that there are only five more days left.  Which if we can make it five. more. days, then we we will have had a vet-free February!  And I probably just jinxed us...

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  I know I'm super thrilled about our plans for Saturday: helping my parents' mulch!  Heavy sarcasm, of course.  But carrying 50 pound bags of much will be a good workout, right?  If not, I can squat them or do a weighted run to the backyard. 

<3
K$