What we didn't mention when we visited Zagreb was the big, and growing, lump on the side of Scooby's muzzle. We left it for a couple of days, thinking it might be an insect bite. When it didn't clear up we visited an English speaking vet in Zagreb. After a couple of visits the conclusion was that it was an infection, rather than a tumour ('Hurray!'), but it was likely to be a dental abscess ('Oh dear!') and likely to require the extraction of a canine tooth. That's a big operation for a dog, with a long painful recuperation ('Oh no!').
We got a twelve day course of antibiotics and set off for home a couple of weeks earlier than we'd intended. If he needed any serious surgery we wanted his own vet to do it, and for him to be able to recuperate in one place rather than travelling around.
We were assured that the antibiotics would control the infection, and there was no need to race home, so we got to see a little more of northern Croatia and Slovenia on the way. Scooby showed no signs of being in discomfort, eating normally, playing with toys as usual. It didn't seem anything like Stella's experience of having a dental abscess, but what do we know about dog dentistry ….?
So, we finished off our trip to Europe, as we had started it, with a walk and some dog fun on the beach near Calais.
Back in Cardiff, we went straight to our normal vet. Claire examined Scooby and the notes from Croatia and immediately said it wasn't a dental abscess so no tooth extraction was necessary ('Hurray!'). But she didn't know what it was ('Oh dear!') and while we continued treatment with antibiotics and steroids she'd read up on what diseases we might have encountered en route.
She'd mentioned sandflies, which sent Stella straight to Google, where she found Leishmaniasis (a lifelong infection, hard to treat, sometimes fatal, 'Oh no!'). That gave us a sleepless night.
Since then we've been travelling around the UK visiting family and friends, doing jobs on the van and returning to the vet periodically. It's been hard to plan beyond the next vet visit, but we've got to see a bit of the UK and remind ourselves that there's more to it than schools and offices!
We had a 'mini break' in the Peak District which, especially slightly out of top tourist season, is very lovely. Our first night there was spent on a little farm run by an eccentric old man who looked like Captain Birdseye. In the field next to our van was a newly born foal with its proud mother and a small flock of fabulously fat, woolly sheep. There were also lots of brown, fluffy looking hens and some very handsome cockerels wandering about, an old, portly bulldog and an hilarious Indian runner duck with curly tail feathers which liked to stand in front of the van and quack loudly.
We also finally managed to get ourselves far North enough to visit Richard's sister in Radcliffe (near Manchester), where we had a great, boozy evening, a very good Indian takeaway and left having updated our musical knowledge and gained a jar of delicious homemade chutney. Thanks Liz!
Then we headed back to south Wales for another vet visit (Monday 23rd May), a nasty one this time as Scooby had to be sedated for a biopsy of his nose lump (which wasn't responding well to the antibiotic). After that we went to Richard's parents' house in Swansea to recover.
On Tuesday (24th May) we spent a lazy morning in the sunshine, then went for a walk by the river Tawe. Scooby was on top form, chasing his ball and swimming in the river. When we decided to turn back for home he was still eager for more. He trotted off ahead of us carrying his toy, Richard said “Look at him. He'd have gone miles today!”, but then we turned a corner and found him collapsed in the hedge.
He spent the night in the veterinary hospital in Swansea, we spent the night worrying that we wouldn't see him again. It turned out he had some sort of lump on his heart, which had bled into his pericardium (a sac of membrane around the heart). The pressure on his heart had weakened it to the point that he passed out. The vet hospital drained the fluid and he quickly perked up, but what was the lump?
On Wednesday (25th May) he was almost back to normal, apart from big shaved patches on his belly where they had used an ultrasound scanner. We drove him back to his own vet in Cardiff who suggested an MRI scan to get a better view of what was going on. Surgery might be an option.
This morning (Thursday 26th May) we took him to Bath Veterinary Hospital for further investigations; another ultrasound scan, x-ray and discussions with their specialist surgeon. They confirmed there was a lump which was almost certainly a tumour; one of two types (they have proper names but we think of them as 'quite bad' and 'very bad').
Current position:
- Scooby has been to the vet every day this week. Not his favourite thing at all.
- The bill is going to be enormous. Thank heavens we persevered with his insurance
- We still don't know what is causing the abscess on his nose (hoping for biopsy results tomorrow).
- He's going back to the veterinary hospital tomorrow for an x-ray under anaesthetic to check for secondary tumours on his lungs. If his lungs are clear, Alasdair Hotston Moore will attempt to remove part of his pericardium using keyhole surgery techniques. That way, any future small bleeds should drain away harmlessly.
- Scooby is wondering why we are being so indulgent this evening, but he's not complaining. After leaving the vet he was delighted to have a walk up the Kennet and Avon Canal, but couldn't understand why we walked so slowly and didn't throw his ball. He's currently snoring on a sheepskin fleece on the bench seat next to Stella, digesting a dish of sheep's liver and having his ears rubbed. Mercifully he has no idea that he's so ill.
The best outcome we can realistically hope for is that it turns out to be the 'quite bad' tumour and the surgery goes well. In that case Scooby should be back with us by Saturday morning and good for another year or more. Not bad for a 13 year old dog! The worst outcome is that the Beautiful Big Blue Van might be down to a crew of two by the end of Friday.
We'll update this blog tomorrow, come what may, but we may not feel like writing much. Wish him luck!
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