Our beloved three-year-old standard poodle, Pepper, will have surgery on Thursday to amputate her toe. She probably has squamous cell carcinoma in her toe, fairly common in black standard poodles, as well as black giant schnauzers and black labs. It will take some time to get the biopsy back. Hopefully, if it's cancer, it hasn't spread.
Her symptom was a cracked toenail. It wasn't healing properly and she was licking her toe a lot, so I started doing some research on the Internet. BTW this is rare enough in the general dog population that most vets don't suspect it because they've never seen it.
Please pray for Pepper and us. We are really, really upset.
Replies
124SoWal Insider
The IBD's and Willie, Tony, Francie, Deuce and Aquamarine sending good thoughts and hugs to you today!!

Beach Fanatic
Prayers for you and your family, BR! Let us know, when you get a chance.
beats on hoodAuthor
Unfortunately, the vets had a lot of emergency surgeries today. They just completed Pepper's surgery, but are still doing surgeries so the vets don't have time to talk to me. The vet tech said they'd call me after they get finished with all of the emergencies.
Thanks for your concern.
I'll post after I find out.
Thanks for your concern.
I'll post after I find out.Beach Fanatic
Unfortunately, the vets had a lot of emergency surgeries today. They just completed Pepper's surgery, but are still doing surgeries so the vets don't have time to talk to me. The vet tech said they'd call me after they get finished with all of the emergencies.
Thanks for your concern.I'll post after I find out.
Thank you for the update.
beats on hoodAuthor
Just got a call from the vet. They had just finished all of their emergency surgeries.
Pepper came through the amputation fine. However, it will be 3-4 weeks before we get the histology results because they have to do deossification of the bones, whatever that means. They amputated three bones, P3 (the end of the toe), P2, and P1. I asked them to do a chest X-ray prior to surgery because that's where SCC seems to metastasize first. I told them if that wasn't normal, there would be no point in putting her through the pain of amputation. Thankfully the chest X-ray was normal, and on visual perusal of the bones, the vet didn't see anything odd-looking. Of course, he acknowledged that this is something that can't be seen with the naked eye unless it is extreme.
So now it's just bouncing off the walls for 3-4 weeks until we get the results.
We can bring Pepper home tomorrow. Even though I know she will be very uncomfortable and it will be hard to see her suffer, of course we can't wait to see her.
Thanks again for all of the well wishes.
Pepper came through the amputation fine. However, it will be 3-4 weeks before we get the histology results because they have to do deossification of the bones, whatever that means. They amputated three bones, P3 (the end of the toe), P2, and P1. I asked them to do a chest X-ray prior to surgery because that's where SCC seems to metastasize first. I told them if that wasn't normal, there would be no point in putting her through the pain of amputation. Thankfully the chest X-ray was normal, and on visual perusal of the bones, the vet didn't see anything odd-looking. Of course, he acknowledged that this is something that can't be seen with the naked eye unless it is extreme.
So now it's just bouncing off the walls for 3-4 weeks until we get the results.
We can bring Pepper home tomorrow. Even though I know she will be very uncomfortable and it will be hard to see her suffer, of course we can't wait to see her.
Thanks again for all of the well wishes.

SoWal Insider
Just got a call from the vet. They had just finished all of their emergency surgeries.
Pepper came through the amputation fine. However, it will be 3-4 weeks before we get the histology results because they have to do deossification of the bones, whatever that means. They amputated three bones, P3 (the end of the toe), P2, and P1. I asked them to do a chest X-ray prior to surgery because that's where SCC seems to metastasize first. I told them if that wasn't normal, there would be no point in putting her through the pain of amputation. Thankfully the chest X-ray was normal, and on visual perusal of the bones, the vet didn't see anything odd-looking. Of course, he acknowledged that this is something that can't be seen with the naked eye unless it is extreme.
So now it's just bouncing off the walls for 3-4 weeks until we get the results.
We can bring Pepper home tomorrow. Even though I know she will be very uncomfortable and it will be hard to see her suffer, of course we can't wait to see her.
Thanks again for all of the well wishes.
Great Beach Runner, I am glad things went ok. Just think positive. Maybe they will have her on some pain medication. She will be glad to see you also.
SoWal Insider
How is Pepper today?
beats on hoodAuthor
Pepper came home this AM. She was so happy to see us -- hubby, daughter, and I all went to pick her up. We were really scared that she would be in bad shape when we picked her up. She's of course not her usual "Peppery" self, but I am relieved that she's getting around as well as she is on three paws.
SoWal Expert
Great news BR!
I am sure she will have a great recovery and lots of pampering!
I am sure she will have a great recovery and lots of pampering!SoWal Insider




Beach Fanatic
Thanks for the update and wishing her a speedy and full recovery. 

SoWal Expert


fartblossom
i hope pepper feels "peppery" soon ! 
bean
i hope pepper feels "peppery" soon !
Ditto!
Beach Fanatic
Glad Pepper is home and getting lots of love.
Beach Fanatic
Pepper is all about unconditional love, as all dogs are. I now send mine to Pepper.
Beach Fanatic
Goodness. Sorry to hear about this. Glad Pepper is home and out of surgery. Your three week wait will be hard on all of you. Take care and best of luck on a speedy recovery.
hmmmm......can't remember
Warm fuzzies and well wishes to you, BR. I hope Pepper has good news...
Beach Fanatic
Ditto - hoping Pepper will feel better each day, and that there will be good news when all the tests come back!
SoWal Insider
How's Pepper today??
beats on hoodAuthor
Pepper got her appetite back on Sunday, yesterday starting putting some weight on the paw on which the surgery was done (instead of hopping around on three legs), and this morning was able to go up and down the stairs to the bedroom without being carried. She gets her bandage off on Thursday.
Thanks again for all of the well wishes.
BTW I've been MIA on the board because I unexpectedly had to teach a class at the request of the scheduled professor because he got promoted to dean. Can't exactly turn down the boss! It requires two hours of class time plus two hours of prep time Monday through Friday.

Thanks again for all of the well wishes.
BTW I've been MIA on the board because I unexpectedly had to teach a class at the request of the scheduled professor because he got promoted to dean. Can't exactly turn down the boss! It requires two hours of class time plus two hours of prep time Monday through Friday.
Meow
...yay! What are you teaching?beats on hoodAuthor
Boring -- it's a core class -- Excel with financial applications. Yesterday we were doing the formulas to compute how much one would need to save for retirement at age 65 to maintain a decent lifestyle. I came to the conclusion that I don't have enough in my retirement account yet. I was trying to lighten things up by saying, "Well, guess I'll be a bag lady living under one of the overpasses on the 75/85 connector in downtown Atlanta. (People actually live there). One of the kids jokingly said, "Yeah, you'd probably be on crack, too." I said, "I don't need crack -- I already act like I'm on it, although I wouldn't know what it looks like if I saw it."...yay! What are you teaching?
They thought it was hilarious. Kinda broke the boredom from looking at the formulaPV=R(1-(1+i)^-n)/i
where PV is the amount you need to have saved by retirement
R is how much your periodic retirement check will be
i is the periodic interest rate
and n is how many checks you think you'll need before you die!
(This can also be done using the Excel PV formula).
TMI.
Meow
Boring -- it's a core class -- Excel with financial applications. Yesterday we were doing the formulas to compute how much one would need to save for retirement at age 65 to maintain a decent lifestyle. I came to the conclusion that I don't have enough in my retirement account yet. I was trying to lighten things up by saying, "Well, guess I'll be a bag lady living under one of the overpasses on the 75/85 connector in downtown Atlanta. (People actually live there). One of the kids jokingly said, "Yeah, you'd probably be on crack, too." I said, "I don't need crack -- I already act like I'm on it, although I wouldn't know what it looks like if I saw it."They thought it was hilarious. Kinda broke the boredom from looking at the formula
PV=R(1-(1+i)^-n)/i
where PV is the amount you need to have saved by retirement
R is how much your periodic retirement check will be
i is the periodic interest rate
and n is how many checks you think you'll need before you die!
(This can also be done using the Excel PV formula).
TMI.
I heart you, BR. I will pass this on to my financial advisor, Mr. K, because it makes me break out in hives.
Beach Fanatic
I'm happy to hear Pepper is on the mend 
Yes, but you will be the most stylish bag lady with bags from NeimanMarcus :rofl:

Boring -- it's a core class -- Excel with financial applications. Yesterday we were doing the formulas to compute how much one would need to save for retirement at age 65 to maintain a decent lifestyle. I came to the conclusion that I don't have enough in my retirement account yet. I was trying to lighten things up by saying, "Well, guess I'll be a bag lady living under one of the overpasses on the 75/85 connector in downtown Atlanta. (People actually live there). One of the kids jokingly said, "Yeah, you'd probably be on crack, too." I said, "I don't need crack -- I already act like I'm on it, although I wouldn't know what it looks like if I saw it."They thought it was hilarious. Kinda broke the boredom from looking at the formula
PV=R(1-(1+i)^-n)/i
where PV is the amount you need to have saved by retirement
R is how much your periodic retirement check will be
i is the periodic interest rate
and n is how many checks you think you'll need before you die!
(This can also be done using the Excel PV formula).
TMI.
Yes, but you will be the most stylish bag lady with bags from NeimanMarcus :rofl:Checking your forum account
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