This blog is going to be a little bit more of a serious post. We thought we’d share it to help others catch things early that could potentially be dangerous for your pets.
Recently I discovered a lump at the base of Woody’s chest. Each time I’m cuddling him I run my hands all over his body just to check for any bumps or grazes. It’s such a routine he just thinks that he’s getting an extra tickle. This time I was actually doing it in our agility class in between runsĀ [Stroking him is an extra way to keep him calm whenĀ he’s in a very exciting environment],Ā thankfully the most I usually find is a tick which can easily be removed. But unfortunately this time I discovered a massive lump the size of a ping pong ball.
Of course I was terrified and endless possibilities ran through my mind, with the dreaded C word being number one. It was almost closing time for the vets and I didn’t fancy paying the out of hours fee as there wouldn’t be much they could do in the evening if it was anything serious and he needed an operationĀ [If it was an emergency I wouldĀ have rushed him there, it justĀ wasn’t necessary at this point]. To put my mind at rest I booked him into the vets the next day.
The next morning it had gone down slightly so I cancelled our appointment hoping this continuedĀ [Our vetsĀ are very good, I could have madeĀ another appointment if it was to get worse]. Thank goodness after a couple of days it wasn’t noticeable at all and vanished. I feel so very lucky that this turned into nothing serious but didn’t stop me giving the dogs even moreĀ hugs each day as I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to them. Now he’s fully recovered I think that the lump was caused by a scratch or bite that got very inflamed. Woody will run through everything and it’s not uncommon for him to get cuts from brambles and spikesĀ [I’ve told him he needs to beĀ careful but funnily enough his Spaniel brain ignores me].
I didn’t want to share this at the time in case it was actually something serious yet now i’d like to encourage you to regularly check your dogs. I’m so glad I’ve regularly checked my dogs as what if i’d have missed this and it was something serious. At Wilma’s puppy training we do an excersise each week feeling every area of your dogs body, this is a great way if you have got a dog who isn’t particularly fond of cuddles. This is so important and if you are unlucky enough to find something hopefully you can catch it early.
Thank you for reading, and sorry it’s been a bit of a gloomy post.
Megan, Woody & Wilma
The Cotswold Spaniels 