I took these pictures Thursday, January 11, 2007 with my cell phone.  Charmer is a good boy and obediently lay on the grass in my backyard and let me take pictures of the mass around his upper right rear molar.  The white part in the middle is his rear molar, and the red and pink-white tissues are the mass. 

As you can see it actually encapsulates his rear molar.  In the image above you can see a close-up that shows the white-pink mass on the outside of his molar and that is about the size of a peanut.  The mass itself is veined and bleeds, and extends to a few centimeters on his upper palate, behind the molar itself going to the tonsil area, and then along the outside.  I have to make all of his food soft mushy so he does not have to chew.  He is scheduled to have a biopsy of it next Wednesday to determine the kind of cancer, and to have 3 chest x-rays to rule out spread to his lungs.  Depending on what type it is then a program of radiation/surgery/chemo will be arrived at by the oncologist. 

Update: the biopsy came back Amelanotic melanoma, malignant, oral.  The chest x-rays were negative, the only good news.  I am working almost round the clock to get him any kind of help possible.  I heard good things about a vaccine for melanoma, and I am trying to see if I can get him to receive a study dose.  Please pray that this can happen!