Luck of the Irish

The phrase "luck of the Irish" is generally mis-used to refer to good luck, but it seems that the phrase actually referred to their epic bad luck, which accounts for much depressing Irish literature.  I'm not sure the Irish have generally been such a lucky people but dogs with Irish names may fare better.  We gave Maggie her name because she came to us on St. Patrick's Day, and her luck took a decided turn for the better. 

Our current Irish named dog is Maggie Mae.  She is one of the whorder's dogs and her life has been anything but lucky so far.  She had surgery last week to remove her reproductive apparatus and a very large mammary tumor.  The vet wasn't very encouraging about her longterm prospects based on the size of the tumor.  However, she called today with the test results, which classified it as only "pre-cancerous."  The report also showed that the tumor had good margins, which means that the surgeon did a great job and got it all.  Much like a woman who has had a lump removed, it means that she's at increased risk to have another, but it's a situation to be monitored, not a time to make funeral plans.  The vet also thought she was only about 5 years old too, which augurs well for her longevity. 

  

Now we need to get to work on Maggie Mae's other problem, her ears.  Chronic ear infection in shepherds generally seems to be associated with allergies, so I'm going to put her on a new food and see if we can get her into adoptable condition.  They do not seem to be bothering her like they were when she first arrived, but it's still tough to get the medication in them. 

She's good indoors, great in a crate, and really seems to like it.  I don't think she will have a problem fitting into a home.

So, good news from the vet today.  Also, Bremo's bloodwork showed that his thyroid level was back up to normal, so hopefully his skin and coat will improve.