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May 11, 2016

I didn’t want to say anything until I knew what was what, but Clover had some tests done last week, and Tori is having surgery this Friday, May 13. Medical news just ahead.

Clover’s Lump & Soreness – Medical News

In mid-April, Clover seemed sore after agility class, so I was massaging her back and found a small lump near her left hip / spine area.

Initially, I had 3 theories:

  • Her microchip had migrated.
  • It was some sort of scar tissue from Tori biting her when they play.
  • It was something else — maybe something scary.

We scanned her chip a week later, and it still scans like it’s where it should be (between her shoulder blades). So, we made an appointment to get the lump and soreness checked out.

Our primary care veterinarian did NOT think the lump was painful, so in addition to shaving a spot and doing a needle aspirate of the small lump, she took hip x-rays.

shaved dog biopsy spot dog blog champion of my heart - medical news

The verdict?

Everything is fine!

The lump is just a little cyst that does NOT need to be removed unless it gets big or painful … or if we’re putting her under anesthesia for something else, we might remove it then.

Both our veterinarian and the veterinary radiologist who also checked Clover’s hip x-rays say they are fine. So, that’s excellent news.

The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals has some good info on how dogs’ hips are graded. Based in my remedial understanding of that, I think Clover’s hips are “good,” maybe leaning toward excellent.

dog hip x-rays, dog blog champion of my heart.

The next step is to take Clover (next week) to see a veterinary chiropractor for assessment and treatment of possible soreness from some another source.

I’ve submitted the pet insurance claim to Embrace Pet Insurance. Assuming this claim is deemed “covered,” we’re getting close to reaching our policy-year deductible on Clover — after some tummy troubles back in February and now this. That means if anything else comes up this year, we’ll get some help paying Clover’s veterinary bills thanks to her pet insurance coverage.

Medical News – Tori’s Spay Surgery – Please keep her in your thoughts.

Tori will have her spay surgery, her rear dew claws removed, and her microchip implanted Friday, May 13.

Just like with Clover, Tori will have a traditional spay. Unlike Clover, however, Tori will be spayed BEFORE she has her first heat cycle. She is about 10 1/2 months old now, and she seems to be done growing.

Surgery day would have been Ginko’s 16th birthday and Lilly’s 12th birthday, so even though it’s a Friday The 13th, we feel like it’s a lucky day for us. Must say — it’s hard to imagine a 12-year-old Lilly … since she died when she was 9.

With a 2-week recovery, that means Tori will get probably her stitches out on May 27, which is Clover’s 2nd birthday (if you can believe it).

Best of all, Tori will be all healed up in time for our first summer together. 

According to our home scale, Tori is about 41 pounds (compared to Clover’s nearly 35 pounds). She is also a couple inches taller now, at the shoulder. Tori is standing on a raised flower bed in the second photo below. She is NOT that much bigger than Clover.

They’ve already come a long way together. It’s going to be a CRAZY summer!

border collie puppies, champion of my heart

border collies in flower bed dog blog champion of my heart

We only have accident / illness pet insurance for both of the puppy-girls (not wellness coverage), so the costs of Tori’s spay surgery are NOT covered and do NOT count toward her policy-year deductible.

About the Author Roxanne Hawn

Trained as a traditional journalist and based in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA, I'm a full-time freelance writer for magazines, websites, and private clients. My areas of specialty include everything in the lifestyles arena, including health and home, personal finance and other consumer interests, relationships and trends, people and business profiles ... and, of course, all things pet related.

I don't just love dogs. I need them in my life. Seriously.

  1. Glad to hear Clover’s hips are good. It was always a concern for us with Jessie. She loved agility and was phenomenal on everything but the weave poles. She never got very fast at it. But she still was able to make it to the intermediate class before she got sick. I still miss her. She was the smartest dog ever and so very sweet. May God be watching over Tori as she goes through her spay and Clover with her cyst. God bless all of you.

  2. So glad they are doing so well. Tori will definitely be in our thoughts and prayers on Friday. Even though we always know it must be done, it is still a concern, as is the recovery…everything from healing to minding the stitches! Hope it all passes quickly. Also hoping Clover’s cyst does not cause her any discomfort. Raven will be neutered in a few months, I think. He is getting big and bad! If I can get him to sit still any time soon we may just get a picture! I was thinking of Obedience School as an option for sometime after vacation, which is at the end of June.. We’ll see. As always it is a pleasure to hear about the girls, and the wonderful life you all share. Take care, and God Bless.

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