Our Sick Puppy

Many of you know that David and I may not have children, but our dog, Brennan, might as well be our child. We adopted him in April of 2003, about eight months after we got married. He's been a major part of our lives over the nearly seven years we've been married. Any time he can travel with us, he does. We love taking him places and hate it when we have to leave him behind.

During the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Brennan stayed with my parents in Oklahoma City so that we could move and transition to Fort Worth before he joined us. During this time, he developed a small growths on his head and inside his right ear; as the days passed, the growths got larger. David took Brennan to the vet in Amarillo before the New Year's holiday, and the vet gave Brennan some topical antibiotic that we applied twice per day. The growth on his head changed, but wouldn't go away, and the growth inside his ear stayed the same. We returned Brennan to the vet here in Fort Worth, where he was put on oral antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory mediation.

Because the growths would not go away, Brennan had surgery today. Like worried parents, David and I called each other multiple times this afternoon to discuss Brennan's progress. We picked him up this evening. He's got a large patch of hair on his head shaved off, and a Frankenstein-like scar on his head. He's a little groggy, but he's eating and drinking well. They sent both of the growths off to a lab today, so we should find out in a week or two exactly what's going on. Neither of the vets could tell us what the growths are, so we are obviously worried about him.

I know some people would say he's "just a dog," but he's so much more than that to us. Keep him in your thoughts!

"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive." ~Gilda Radner