The Vet specialty surgeon called to inform us that Daniel, our Italian Greyhound Dog, was doing well.  He told me about the procedure and ended the call with a note about an unrelated piece of information. I would learn more later about the most peculiar thing I ever received. (Part two from the last blog TLC Canine)

MOST PECULIAR THING WE RECEIVED

Daniel started developing a growth under his chin. We went to his regular Vet, who drained it, but the bump kept returning.

Finally, the Vet sent us to a specialist surgeon who surprisingly suggested surgery. Daniel had a salivary gland that was out of control – the excess fluid was causing the growth under his jaw. For those who understand the lingo, Me Not Included!- – Daniel had a Ruptured salivary mucocele with free saliva, granulation tissue, and lymphoplasmacytic sialoadenitis

Long story short – we did the surgery in May 2021 on the left salivary gland, and it turns out the left was the wrong salivary gland, and the surgery needed to be repeated on the right salivary gland which was the “right” gland in March 2022.

And here we are, second surgery in the same year – this time, it was successful.

We came in to retrieve Daniel, and the Dr. who is retiring gave me a container with Daniel’s removed – not-supposed-to-be-there mass. The Dr. said, “Keep this for a year, and if Daniel remains good, you can toss it.” EWWW

“You mean I need to bring this yucky thing home and save it in a safe place?” As I write this, I wonder where I put that thing? Ok, that’s for another blog – I hope the grandchildren don’t find it first.

The doc said he couldn’t throw it out, and it wasn’t worth a biopsy, but, “Keep it for at least the year, “… and since he was retiring…

Show and tell? Facebook post? Put it in a safe? Hopefully, I will not need to retrieve this any time soon.

ONE OF THE PECULIAR THINGS WE DO

On another odd Daniel note (and this is also a delicate topic), Daniel requires a “deflector.” What do I mean by that?

Well, it goes like this…. Daniel’s anatomy is configured so that when he goes number 1, it goes on his large chest. Yup, a direct target. Hence, Daniel received 4-5 baths a day – I even bought a shower head for our utility sink….

But then I had a brilliant idea, and since I am not trademarking it, I will share – Does anyone else really have this problem, anyway?

A paper plate deflector! Yup. We walk, he lifts a leg, I bend down and target the plate, and the flow deflects from “hose” to plate to grass. I bet my neighbors wonder why I walk the streets with Daniel and a small paper plate.

By the way, this has become a honed skill. At first, I was not quick enough, not accurate enough, and don’t get me started about doing it at night.

A year or two have passed, and Mitch and I have our Ph.D. in deflection – our daughter and son-in-law are pretty good at it too….

So, there you go, the most peculiar thing I ever received from a retiring veterinarian and the most peculiar thing we do four to five times a day. Ok, dog lovers and owners, can you top these?