Saturday, September 15, 2012

The Toughest Tooth in the West

Recently we found a lump on the Sharptooth.  We did not want to have to take him to the vet because he hates it so much but we knew we had to in case it was the beginning of a cancerous tumor.  Yesterday morning I brought him to our trusty vet Rocco who is a master of veterinary practices.  Sharptooth has seen Rocco a number of times and hates him with a passion.  This normally docile, laid back Tooth turns into a ferocious mountain lion at the vet and yesterday was no exception.  We had to dump him out of his carrier, and put a towel over him so Rocco could give him a shot to relax him so that he would be able to give him the gas for the surgery.  Rocco gives lightning fast shots so that was good but then he attempted to pick Sharptooth up and place him in the clinic kennel.  Sharptooth escaped his hold and ran all over the clinic like a wild man, hissing and growling and striking at anyone who came near.  Luckily Rocco opened the kennel door and Sharptooth ran inside instead of hiding in some place that would have been impossible to get him out of.  

I went to work and got a call about an hour later that the vet staff had to give him a second  and stronger kind of shot because he would still not cooperate.  A vet without serious sedation is no match for the Sharptooth's raw power!!  About an hour after that the vet called again letting me know the surgery was done and Sharptooth made it through just fine.  Upon picking him up he was groggy and still quite sedated.  Rocco had removed a mass called a lipoma which he said he has seen many times, usually in dogs, and he did not think it was cancerous. It was a bit smaller than a golf ball in size. 

Sharptooth was shaved in a few places and has 10 stitches which Rocco told Matt he could remove in 2 weeks (good luck, Honey!).  We took him home where he promptly headed towards his favorite sleeping spot, on our bed between our pillows.  He could hardly walk without falling over (drunk Tooth) and seemed miserable. Poor cat!  He slept all night and seems better today.  

We were so relieved the lump was not a cancerous tumor that we celebrated by opening our best wine, Souverain, Cabernet Sauvingnon 2007, and praised the Lord for His great mercy to us!  The Sharptooth and Matt and I extend a hardy thank you for all the prayers!






3 comments:

Pa Ul said...

Your post is great to read. I was wondering what is the easy way to clean dog teeth?

Anonymous said...

Ohh poor Sharptooth! ~Jenny

Sando said...

well done ST! that's one bravenlittle polar bear x