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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

UPDATE: Blaze: Surgery Was a Success

UPDATE SEPTTEMBER 29, 2011: (as always, click on any image for a larger view)Hi_yall

Once again, Blazie astounds us with how tough and resilient and determined to live she really is.

After 2 ½ hours of surgery, she is now resting well in recovery with her favorite vet tech, Anthony, at her side. She has a Fentanyl patch for pain, as well as oral pain meds and antibiotics, and has an IV fluid drip going until morning. If she feels like eating and drinking on her own in the morning (and my money is on Blaze for that!), the IV can come out.

The tumor was 11 centimeters and weighed over a pound! Even on a human, that would be considered extremely large, not to mention on a little dog.  Everyone is surprised that it did not actually weigh more than that based on how it looked. It was adhered to the wall of her body on one side and had a lot of blood vessels going to it, so required very careful dissection to remove it.

Since Blaze had virtually no body fat, extra work was done to close the incision against her body, and then the skin over it. She has a drain in the incision because she had no fat wall (like most of us do) to anchor the skin to. The drain will stay in 3 – 5 days, depending upon how well the incision heals.

Dr. Brandley cut the tumor in half afterward to see the composition of it. Most of the mass was fatty stuff (good), but there was a dark core to it that she could not identify (not so good). We will have to wait a week for the test results to come back before we know what it really is, but again, we're going to put our money on Blaze.  She's got it in her to pull off another miracle.  However, the best news is that the horrid thing is gone. Dr. Brandley says she looks so much better without it. I can’t wait to see her tomorrow to see for myself!

Dr. Brandley also took the opportunity to check Blaze’s mouth from the previous surgery last month. She says she is truly amazed at how well it has healed. None of the gum flaps have come loose, no abscesses or pockets are visible and the whole site looks good. She removed the wire that was holding Blaze’s upper mandible because it was starting to cause irritation to the tissue. The upper mandible is still not completely healed but should not cause her any pain or difficulty eating, so it will just take time to heal completely. She’ll continue to eat soft food to keep from stressing it - a fact that we're all sure Blaze is totally cool with!

I was so moved by Dr. Brandley’s caring and the time she took with me to discuss everything about Blaze’s condition. She said that at some point everybody in the whole clinic (vets and techs) came in to check on Blazie while she was in surgery. She says they are all so attached to her now and that it has truly been their pleasure and great joy to take care of this darling little girl. What they’ve given her goes so far beyond medical treatment that there is no description to do it justice.

I’m exhausted – waiting totally SUCKS – but am hugely relieved and thrilled at today’s successful surgery. I’ve gotten such nice notes and texts and calls from so many of you and can’t thank you enough for that. Special thanks to all of you who have donated money for Blaze’s care. No matter what the amount, your generous gifts are so appreciated and so touching and are literally what keeps rescue afloat and able to help dogs like Blaze get a chance at a good life, where she can be loved and appreciated for the beautiful spirit she so obviously is.

I feel certain that your prayers, your love, and your powerful thoughts have all made a difference in Blaze’s will to live and her recovery against all the terrible odds in the beginning, so keep ‘em coming! I’ll visit her tomorrow, take some new photos and post another update on how she’s doing.

Right now I’m going to crash with a stiff Scotch and my four terrierists who always make things better.

Holly

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