First, let me apologize for not posting in a very long time. Again it seems that life got in the way.
The important news is that Tara had a "minor" surgery and is now doing well. A few slip knots on her tendons by a skilled surgeon, lots of rest, and the big girl is doing much better.
Also, just as importantly, what we at first thought was cancer on her spine was an infection, but showed as disorganized cells, leading us to think it was, in fact, the dreaded "C" word.
Here's how it all transpired:
After watching my huge, beautiful Rottweiler struggle to get up, and stagger once on her feet, Prince Charming and I had to do something! We took her to see Dr. Burnett at the La Verne Animal Hospital in La Verne, California. He did a recheck on the lump near her tail. A quick check with the lab of the original cells, and we discovered it was an infection throwing off disorganized cells. The cancer scare was because the cells on the slide took the dye too well and showed what Dr. Burnett said looked like cancer, but in fact was cellular debris. Long and short--NO CANCER!
With the new diagnosis the next step was what to do about the torn tendons. Dr. Burnett, who has cared for Tara all her life, agreed that there was still too much life in our old dog to put her down. So, rather than submit the big girl to a lengthy surgery, Dr. Burnett agreed to tighten the torn tendons, and send her home with strict instructions to keep her "quiet", no hard play, no running, no jumping on and off the bed, and careful of slips and slides.
Tara is now 11 years-old! She is a couch potato by choice, and the only jumping she does is to step from the floor onto a bench and onto our bed at night. Easily fixed--Prince Charming and I lift her on and off the bed, and she's just fine. A more difficult task was keeping Scruggs from offering her toys to induce her to play. But, Tara is wiser than most humans, and she politely refuses his offers, and stays quietly on her blanket. She seems to know not to over-extend herself. She is now putting some weight on the leg, and is healing well.
Soooo, a huge THANK YOU for all of your PRAYERS! They really helped.
Also, the lesson of the day---ALWAYS GET A SECOND OPINION!
Lots of love,
Mary de la Pena
To read more about Tara, Scruggs, Fina, and Samantha, read
Scruggs and Samantha, How a Shelter Dog and Kitten Saved Cinderella's Marriage
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=scruggs+and+Samantha
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