Cassie update: surgery scheduled

Cassie and I met with her surgeon today to discuss removing the mast cell tumor on her head. The good news is that the tumor is small, sub-cutaneous (as opposed to being in her skull or more delicate tissue), and very slow-growing. The bad news is that its location, about a centimeter from her left ear, complicates the removal a bit. The surgeon generally prefers to remove about a 3-cm circle of tissue around the tumor. Since everyone wants Cassie to retain her left ear, she'll have to remove slightly less tissue, which increases the probability of missing some cancer cells.

Still, the surgeon is very optimistic, not least because dogs can live for many years with untreated mast cell disease. Popping the tumor out now gets Cassie's life expectancy to the same place it would be without the disease. She may develop another mast cell tumor later on (as Weimaraners, in particular, are apt to do), but that doesn't indicate metastasis, nor does it mean she'll have a shorter life span.

Really, the worst part of it will be the bill. Because, of course, all surgeries at this clinic come with a complimentary (and mandatory) walletectomy.

So, on July 8th, she'll get a chunk of her head removed and sewn back up, and she'll be in a cone for two weeks. She'll also look ridiculous for a month or so until the fur grows back.

Updates as the situation warrants.