Tuesday morning we awoke to a debate between me and Tom over the size of Lilly’s spider bite lump. I said it was bigger, maybe 10%. Tom said it was the same as the night before. Possible surgery hung in the balance. Terrified to make the wrong decision, I waited and waited.
So, we now knew that Lilly suffered a spider bite and ensuing infection. But, we’ll never know what kind of spider or where or how it happened, but she needed treatment and fast.
Yesterday, we continued the story of this mysterious mass I found on Lilly’s neck while awaiting a routine veterinary exam. Today, let’s move on with the diagnosis of the sudden onset (possible) veterinary emergency. Fair warning … if you are squeamish at all.
We began our latest tale of veterinary drama Friday, with Lilly calmly at my feet in the exam room. I asked her to join me on the bench because I wanted to be sure I could find a pea-sized lump in her neck / shoulder when our veterinarian joined us. What I found instead was much scarier.
Not the best day. Monday. About mid-morning, I locked myself in a small, dark room and fought off an anxiety attack. I had to. With a feature article deadline looming and several more in the wings, my day, my week, boasted no room for a breakdown. So, when Lilly seemed not herself Monday afternoon, I assumed she mirrored my mood. I was wrong.
Lilly guards me. She guards Tom. She even guards other people she likes, most notably Tom’s mom. It isn’t her most attractive behavior. She gives Ginko never-ending grief if he wants to come close to one of us. She will growl, snap, posture, and make mean faces to keep him away. It’s a real pain. Sometimes, Lilly even grumbles if Ginko is at the other end of the house and we speak to him.
Lilly’s routine veterinary exam Monday night became anything but when I noticed a HUGE swollen mass in her left neck / left cheek area. I swear it wasn’t there over the weekend or even Monday morning. First thought … another snakebite, but based on various tests and signs our veterinarian says spider bite:
Thanks for putting up with my NYC report. As a girl who often only sees other people or leaves the mountain once a week, the trip was a big deal to me. And, to our canine heroine too. Here is how Lilly coped.
OMD. A highlight of my NYC adventure was the chance to pop over to Staten Island and visit Sam and Marge from Marge Blog. It required a cab, a ferry, and a train, but to see magnificent Marge … I braved it. Look at me overcoming my big city fears!
While waiting to take the ferry over to Staten Island on Sunday to visit Sam and Marge, I made friends with this big, meaty-headed boy named Dash. He is one of many bomb-sniffing dogs that work every day to keep tourists and commuters safe.
