Thursday, July 30, 2009

Thor

A couple of days ago, one of Thors ears swelled up. I don't like taking him to the vet. Thor is the oldest mastiff we've ever had, at 8-1/4 years old, and I don't want anyone telling me to do anything which might be harmful to my children's best friend. So, reluctantly, I agreed to let Jeffrey and Kellie take Thor to a new vet (we were not going back to the fat guy who said Thor needed a diet and we should take him to Philly for surgery because of his minor limp). They were very pleased with this new vet. They said the office was staffed with plump ladies who just gooed over Thor and the couple of other pets who were there: this is a good thing.

The ear swelling was a hematoma caused by his ear flapping. She gave us ointment and prednisone (50 mg - that's a hefty dose!). She didn't want to drain it, for fear of causing other problems, stating that the swelling will simply be absorbed back into his body over time. He has a number of cysts all over his body, and we've been told that mastiffs are prone to those. She said they're benign, and unless one or more start growing like crazy, we should just leave them alone. She didn't mention that he's quite old, which leads us to believe Thor's still in good shape! Of course, Thor was a perfect gentleman, not budging when she gave him his rabies shot, although he did knock the "nurse" over when the vet tried to look at his ear (Jeff just grabbed his harness and held Thor in place - problem over). Kellie had cookies in her purse, and Thor earned a couple for being a wonderful boy. And he's now a very happy boy, because in addition to his daily peanut butter and vitamin sandwich, he gets not one, but two peanut butter and prednisone sandwiches a day - at least, for the next couple of days.

Happy Thorsday, everyone! Thor is healthy!

21 comments:

Unknown said...

yea! Nothing makes you feel worse than the fur babies being sick - because no matter how old they are - they are always the baby, right? Plus the kids can tell what doesn't feel good - the dogs not so much.

Mine are about the go downstairs and have a nap on the carpeted concrete. I so wish we had put the tile in already :) g

SissySees said...

Hooray! And the staff should coo over EVERY pet that comes in that isn't nasty or so ill cooing is inappropriate. I like the sound of this new vet...

Glad Thor is okay, and hopefully he's going to set a new record for the oldest, happiest, healthiest mastiff out there.

Lapdog Creations said...

Glad to hear that's Thor's ear problem should be cleared up easily!

Zeus has those benign cysts as well... they kinda freak me out, but our vets says they're ok. He had one removed when he was a pup and has a scar on his chest from that... Lola also had one removed as a pup.

Dawn said...

always scared to take our babies to the vet...never know what they're going to say or want to do...so glad Thor is doing well...such a sweet boy!

The Blonde Duck said...

Poor Thor! I'm glad he's ok! There's a midsummer's night dream puppy ball he'll have to attend!

And hooray for the new vet! I once had a vet that told me the babies were imbred and needed doggie braces--LAST time we went there!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

We could learn alot from Thor. Don't you just wish more people had his manners and temperment?

Tina. said...

Awesome job Thor! Such a good boy! Glad to hear he is in good shape and you are right a good vet makes all the difference!

Sue said...

A good report from the vet is one of the very best things in our house. I'm glad the big boy is doing well and hope he enjoys his sandwiches.

Leslie Marken said...

Glad you found a good vet and Thor is okay.

Poppy Cottage said...

Good Doctors are important and I'm glad you found one!

Happy DOT,
Sharon

Mickle in NZ said...

What a relief that Thor is doing fine. He may be a bit "hyper" on the steroids, I know I was!

Vet centre staff that fuss over your pet are so necessary. Zeb just purrs at them all and they love him, while telling me off about the lad's weight.

Huge cuddles to Thor (while Zeb isn't looking), Michelle xxx

veedogknitter said...

A friend of mine has a lab who has this ear problem quite frequently. Hope Thor is back to normal soon!!

gemma said...

Hooray for Thor! I read here a lot and don't think I ever comment. Love it here but I'm a sit in the back row and watch sort. Can't resist this outburst though. I am so happy when vets are what they should be, caring for the four legged kid more than their wallet. We have one of those and our kids have done just fine with the "don't fix it if it ain't broke" approach. Hug Thor for me!!

buffalodick said...

Once, my vet took on a pardner. I bought my spoiled, beloved cat into their office, as her fur on her belly was disappearing. This quack says the animal has been abused. Anyone who knows me and how I love animals would know better! I demanded to see the "real Vet" and it turned out in was a simple skin rash, easily treated. When you have a dog breed that is a little unusual(Mastiff or Airedale!)you sometimes know more than the vet the breed's chronic missfires... Airdales don't live too long, either.. our missed one, Nellie lived to be nine, and was carried(75lbs.) into the vet's office about 10 times in 3 weeks before we had to make the final decision. Hope Thor is doing well, and lives as long as he wants to!

The Blonde Duck said...

Thanks for visiting my feature at Pretty. :) I read over it again this morning and decided I sound like an absolute moron during interviews. But at least I'm a whimsical moron, right? :)

Pam said...

I am so glad he is okay and that you found a great vet. Enjoy your pb + medicine sandwiches Thor!

Paula said...

Oh man, when I first started reading the message, I was worried that something bad, bad, bad had happened. Whew. Glad that the new vet was more Thor worthy than the last fella. Plus, I think the staff at the vet is important to making the animals feel loved and comfortable. I love that the ladies were gooing over Thor and the other animals. Hope the big guy enjoys his extra sammies this week! By the way, when we were in Indiana, we attended the dog obedience show at the county fair. There was a gorgeous dog the same breed as Thor, and when my kids first saw the gentle giant stride out of the ring, they all gasped and called out "Thor"!!! The dog we saw was a girl, and she was GORGEOUS! Thor would have been pleased. :-)

Breezy Point Mom said...

If we had continued to take our Beau to the same vet we started with, he would have been on a special expensive dog food for allergies, he would have had ear surgery, and who knows what else by now? We were blessed to find a vet who really cares and feels that less is better when it comes to "treatment". We never needed any of those things, and he's been doing great all these years, except for a little constipation problem we are dealing with now. Glad that you have found a good vet, too, and I hope the meds work well! Thor is so cute!

Anonymous said...

Glad Thor did okay at the vet. Our vet just comes in for coffee when she's here doing cow and horse stuff. She brings her own dog along and is one of the cooing and cuddling sort:)

monica said...

Poor Thor - good the vet treatd him nicely! get well soon Thor!

Ann Made Studio said...

good for you..if they are not Thor worthy...just walk on out-of-there and don't go back :) :)
Lucky Thor.. I was happy to read that you found a great vet......