Just before Christmas I noticed what appeared to be a sore in the roof of Lea's mouth. Erroneously thinking it was a splinter or something wedged there, I took her to the vet and scheduled to have her teeth cleaned and whatever it was removed. Wrong. One diagnosis and a biopsy later, she has a rare form of canine cancer. UGH.
The great Dr. Simpson researched the cancer and studied her films and determined he would attempt to remove the tumor without damage to her jaw - which the specialist highly recommended removal of her upper palate and most of her teeth and jawbone. NOT.
So Lea underwent experimental surgery yesterday. Dr. Simpson only removed two upper teeth and was able to remove "all" of the visible tumor. Lea is not happy about the cone around her head that she has wear for several weeks but I doubt she would have appreciated the alternative more. The vet is cautiously optimistic but we pray the cancer had not spread into her nasal area or jawbone.
In the meantime, she is walking mostly backwards and being hand fed her can food. She will pull on our heartstrings for a while with her sad eyes highlighted by the halo around her head.
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