Time Unknown

Earlier this week, Herself took new old dog Tio in to the vet to have a troublesome skin growth removed from near his right armpit.  (He kept getting it snagged on things, and it would bleed.  Yucky.) We assumed it was just a minor thing - when Herself pointed it out to the vet before it started being problematic, he said it was most likely a mole.

When the caller ID on the phone indicated the vet was calling this morning, Herself was a bit perplexed; she knew Tio had an appointment to check his bandage late this afternoon. The vet let her know that the biopsy results had come back on that spot. Ah, she'd forgotten that biopsy was standard protocol.

Dermal hemangiosarcoma.

Hemangiosarcoma, often undetected and suddenly deadly when it develops in the heart or spleen of a canine, is less dire when localized to the skin. The pathology report indicated that the margins were clear, and so it's possible this will be the end of the matter. On the other hand (and unfortunately), there's no way of knowing whether this particular tiny tumor has already metastasized elsewhere, or if it was already a metastasis from another location.

Alas.  There is naught to do but wait and see what the future brings.

Fear not, intrepid, three-toothed, lolling-tongued pup. We shall ensure that your days, no matter how few or how many, are comfortable and happy.