Our poor Scotchy dog

We have had a worrying time the last several weeks. Our precious dog Scotchy hasn’t been quite up to par, and it made us quite concerned. 

Several months ago I noticed a little bump on Scotchy’s chest just in front of one leg. It wasn’t very big and I just kept checking on it and kind of procrastinating about getting her in to see our veterinarian. It got a little bigger over the summer, but not really all that noticeable. 

Then about three weeks ago I noticed she was moving kind of oddly and I checked it again. Wow, it was quite a bit bigger and as I watched her move I could see that it was pushing her elbow out to the side making her walk bowlegged with that leg. I got serious about making an appointment but this is a very busy time for all of the vets in this area so I guess I didn’t push as hard as I should have. Then the day came that she started carrying that front leg and really struggling to get around. 

We have known for a few years that she has hip problems, and even though we know she is overweight, try as we might her big brown eyes keep her from losing much. In other words, we have a really hard time denying her snacks. I know, I know, but that is just the way it is. When she started not using that front leg, though, I noticed it was putting a lot of pressure on her hips and that was starting to cause a lot of whole body issues. 

Our vet worked her in between cattle pregnancy checking and examined that big lump. Of course, anytime we find a lump anywhere, cancer is the first thing that comes to mind. In the back of my mind I wondered if we were going to have to say good-bye to our girl. We decided to do a biopsy to determine if it was cancer before attempting anything else. When the vet pulled the punch back out and it was clear to see that it was a fatty tumor, I almost cried. I knew it meant that she would have to have surgery, but at least we weren’t dealing with cancer. 

She had what is called a lipoma, a tumor of fat tissue. The next problem was whether the vet could get it all out. It was in a sensitive area full of nerves and blood vessels. We were faced with a chance that she could only “debulk” it and in that case it would likely grow back. 

She had surgery last Thursday, the tumor was encapsulated, it all came out in one piece and there is little chance of it coming back. I can’t begin to tell you the joy that was in our house when we went to pick her up from the office Thursday afternoon. For a couple of days she was pretty sore and feeling pretty sorry for herself, but she is back to pretty much normal now and wanting rides in the pickup.  

So when it comes to Thanksgiving, having her cancer free and doing well is tops on our list. 

Apple Yam Bake

  2 cups cooked or canned yams or sweet potatoes

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup walnuts

¼ cup brown sugar

1 can sliced apples

1 cup miniature marshmallows. 

Place yams in baking dish, layer apple slices, brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts over yams. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 350º until heated through. Last 5 minutes, put marshmallows on top and melt.