Friday, January 15, 2016

More fun with persepctive...and a foot update.

A couple days ago I mentioned that I've been having fun playing with perspective shots of my furbabies. As I said then, Thimble is often my most willing and cooperative furbaby when it comes to this.
Perhaps I'm just a tad bit biased, but this little girl is pretty adorable from any angle. Even from below, she usually oozes all sorts of cuteness. See?
Forgive my doting. I simply can't help myself when I see that face.


Now, for a bit of "bonus" material, I thought I'd give a little update on the benign histiocytoma tumor on Astrid's foot.
All in all, Astrid's tumor is still present. On a good day, she keeps her protective bootie on when we take her outside and then it looks good and seems to be on the mend. On a not so good day, Astrid expertly kicks off or in some other way removes her bootie when outside, and then even just a few seconds of contact with concrete or stepping on a stick causes it to get irritated and often even bleed.

I called Astrid's vet recently to give him this update. He admitted that he would like to continue giving it some time, at least a couple more weeks, as it really can take 14-16 weeks for these tumors to heal on their own, and at present we're only at roughly eight weeks since he initially diagnosed it. He reiterated that, if need be, the tumor can be removed. However, being in a sensitive and heavily used location, cutting it off and thereby creating an incision and open wound would put it at even greater risk of infection and difficulty in healing.

So, for now, we're continuing as we are. Some days it really does appear to be improving and looking healthier. The problem is that, for that to be the case, we still have to hold off on Astrid's usual walk regimen. The poor girl is young and active, and so this is admittedly causing her to be restless. We do what we can to keep her preoccupied and busy in other ways besides walks (car rides, short walks to visit Pawpaw and Gammy, staying and playing with Pawpaw and Gammy, new chew bones and toys, etc.), but all I can say is that both she and we are rooting for this tumor to heal up as soon as possible so that she can get back to her long, energy-expending walks.

Now, for those of you curious, I thought I'd share a photo that I took a few days back of Astrid's tumor. I'm going to keep this picture small at first sight, so that those of you who don't want to see it up close and personal don't have to. If you would like to more closely see what a histiocytoma can look like, just click on the image below. Needless to say, WARNING: MILDLY GRAPHIC EWWW FACTOR.
Not too pretty, huh?

Happy Friday, everybuddy!


***
Our Tip of the Day:
For those who live in cold winter climates, keep in mind that ice-melting salt can irritate your pets' paw pads, and it can also cause internal irritation if the pet licks it off of their feet or the floor. Be sure to wipe off the paws of any animal that goes outdoors and comes in contact with salt. Also be sure to either take off your shoes or thoroughly wipe off your shoes before walking through the house when you've been outside on salt. For your own sidewalk and driveway, consider some of the pet-friendly and salt-free products that are available on the market.

12 comments:

Marg said...

Wow, I didn't realize that the growth was on her pad. That is rough. Poor Astrid.I hope it heals up soon. Astrid, we send you many good thoughts that all will be well for you soon.

pilch92 said...

Ouch- that looks painful. Thimble is adorable.

Anonymous said...

Well we fur sure know what poor Astrid be goin' fru. Me had those same ants in meez bloomers days ago. And mommy sez meez had 'em today too. And it's okay to gush over such beauty, mommy always duz. Hope y'all have a gweat day. Weez sendin' purrayers.

Luv ya'

Dezi and Lexi

Fur Everywhere said...

We hope that Astrid's tumor heals up so she can get back to her regular routine. It must be hard on everyone right now.

Memories of Eric and Flynn said...

That tumour looks very tender. I hope it heals well on it's own.
Thimble has a very sweet face.

Annie Bear said...

Oh, poor Astrid! I was never able to properly visualize what the tumor looked like. It's only been eight weeks? I bet it seems at least twice that to her. I sure hope it heals properly in the next few weeks and she won't have to have surgery and she will be able to resume her walks!

I definitely understand the doting! Thimble is so pretty!

Melissa, Mudpie and Angel Truffles (Mochas, Mysteries and Meows) said...

Poor Astrid! Many purrs that it clears up soon. And yes, Thimble oozes cuteness!

meowmeowmans said...

Thimble is SO cute!

Oh, poor Astrid. That sure does look painful. We're sending lots of healing purrs and prayers!

Mark's Mews (Marley, Lori, Loki, and Binq) said...

Our purrs to Astrid! Upset pawsies are not good.

Marty the Manx said...

Wow that would be tough! Mazie is active enough at 9 and I would have a heck of a time reining her in! Good luck and will keep you all in my prayers! Thimble is a doll!

Cat and DOG Chat With Caren said...

That looks like it would be painful, poor baby! Cody gets something similar on his mouth when he chews on things that he shouldn't. Thanks for the tips about ice and dogs. Not sure if you know, but we have a Shetland Sheepdog and a cat.....Dakota is leaving his blog today! xoxo DakotasDen

The Island Cats said...

That does look ewwwwwy. Poor Astrid.