Rewind Wednesday with a Mummy of a Mutt

Today is a rewind sort of day. Exactly one year ago today, pup Astrid had the outer toe removed from her hind right paw. Many of you might remember that she had a growth on that paw pad that was initially believed benign. On October 10, 2017, the growth itself was removed. Thereafter, further cytology on the tumor revealed it was a malignant sarcoma, much to the surprise of both Astrid's veterinarian and myself. What's more, not all of the margins had been removed.

Astrid was scheduled for another surgery just one week later, on October 17, 2017, to have the entire toe removed. After much deliberation, our veterinarian believed that toe amputation should suffice for full removal of the tumor and all of its margins, rather than partial leg amputation. Long story short, he was right. Removing the toe indeed removed all of the margins, and no signs of metastasis were found anywhere else on pup Astrid. She has now been cancer-free for exactly a year!

Of course, following the surgery, we still had recovery to work through. During her recovery last October, pup Astrid had a mummy's foot for a couple of weeks.

Let me tell you, Astrid hated that thing. That bandage was the bane of all our existences for quite some time. The cone of shame was donned in full force for that bandage. Otherwise, Astrid proved that she would remove the bandage (and once even her sutures) within seconds. Like I said, there were a rough couple of weeks here at our house last October.

In honor of bandaged Astrid, this was one of the Halloween doodles I shared last year:

Last week, since I was creating Halloween bookmarks for an art fair, I decided to take that mutt of a mummy and turn it into, well, a bookmark.

Just as with the other bookmarks we've been sharing over the past couple of days, I found a corny little saying to go with that image. See?

Goodness, we sure gave you all a hearty dose of bandages and mummies in this post. Well, 'tis the season!

Happy Wednesday, friends!

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Our Tip of the Day:

Today's Halloween tip is about bats. Bats may be a staple in Halloween lore and decor, but the reality is that they are one of the primary carriers of rabies. What's more, bats leave very small bites that might go unnoticed, especially on kitties or pups with fur that can hide such minuscule bite marks. For such reasons, do be aware and cautious of the presence of bats, such as if you and your furbaby are walking through a park with trees near nightfall.

Bats are not always found outside, though. Bats can sometimes find their ways into buildings, including attics or other areas of homes. If you live in a house or apartment where bats are discovered, keep your furbaby away (and also, of course, try to keep yourself safe), and certainly do not allow your furbaby to chase or play with any bats. A bat can bite quickly and without notice, and rabies could potentially be transferred that quickly if the bat at hand is infected with it. If a bat is unable to be safely escorted out through a window, or in another safe means that does not mean direct handling, then contact animal control or another relevant organization for the safe removal of bats.