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Good Mojo for Jester, please


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A little over a week ago I found a small lump in Jester's neck. It was just under the skin, and could be moved, so I did not think it needed more than to be closely watched for a little while. Sometimes a cactus spine gets into one's flesh and has to work its way out, or he could have run into an agave spike or mesquite thorn and gotten a little infection. In the desert anything that stabs you may start an infection because there are as many microorganisms in the soil here as there are in a jungle. You wouldn't think it, but it's true.

 

Anyway, I went out of town for 4 days and got back to find it was huge. Of course I got him in to the vet first thing the next morning, yesterday. By then it was weeping blood and the fur had all fallen off. The vet drained a whole lot of blood and pus out of it, and put him on antibiotics. If it doesn't reduce, she will have to do more. It has not gotten larger in the past 24 hours but not smaller either.

 

There's certainly no reason at this point for me to panic but I am scared. If it is just an infection it will get better, presumably. But if there's a thorn inside or, god forbid something worse, then it could require surgery. He is 15. Surgery would be very risky and the vet said she didn't really like the sound of his lungs.

 

I trust my vet, that is the good part. And Jester is a strong dog even for 15, with a great attitude. But he is 15, so I worry. If you can just send a little mojo his way I would appreciate it. Thanks.

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Mojo on it's way from the great white north. The miracle of antibiotics, great stuff.

True story: my previous dog could not drink water one day, took her to the vet, her tongue was swollen and blue with infection, a day and antibiotic treatment later, she was drinking again, then she was fine. There, some mojo for you.

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Thanks so much, everyone. Gosh, it feels good just to know that there are people pulling for him!

 

Today the swelling has gone down, not as much as I would like to see, but a smidge. It is no longer bright red or hot, though, so I think the antibiotics are taking effect. As long as it keeps getting smaller, the vet says just keep an eye on it. My greatest hope at this point is, of course, that there is nothing actually inside there, like a spike, because if something is lodged it might just keep getting infected. Of course, there is also the chance that the body could absorb it, given enough time. Anyway, things are looking pretty optimistic at this point. I will keep you all informed.

And.....thanks again for the support.

Jester thanks you too.

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Had the same thing on my Clancy (BC) He is outside a lot on our 10 acres. I notices a knot under his chin and the next day it was bigger. It very quickly got to the side of a baseball and the next day, we went to the Vet. No idea what it was and they drained it. It was filled with blood and puss. Gave him antibiotics. It went away for a month. It came back with vigor and in just a day it burst and drained on it's own. Back to the Vet and they opened it and flushed the pocket out, put a drain in and antibiotics again. It never came back and I would assume he had something in it. Hopefully they checked the inside of his mouth where he could have jammed something inside of Jester's mouth.

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Today the swelling has gone down, not as much as I would like to see, but a smidge. It is no longer bright red or hot, though, so I think the antibiotics are taking effect. As long as it keeps getting smaller, the vet says just keep an eye on it. My greatest hope at this point is, of course, that there is nothing actually inside there, like a spike, because if something is lodged it might just keep getting infected. Of course, there is also the chance that the body could absorb it, given enough time. Anyway, things are looking pretty optimistic at this point. I will keep you all informed.

And.....thanks again for the support.

Jester thanks you too.

Yay! Sounds like great news for the first day.

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Thanks again for all the good Mojo -

The abscess....I guess that is what it is....is smaller every day and seems to be drying up. I am going to keep a close eye on it in case it starts to come back again, but it is on the mend as of now.

Kenbo- thanks for the parallel story - it is too low on the throat to be something originating from the mouth in Jester's case. ...but if there's something still in there, it is likely to grow again, in which case I will make sure it gets flushed out.

Sure appreciate all the support from you folks.

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