Charmer’s Pictures
Charmer has a very sad face here. I took this with my cell phone today, early morning, January 26th. He is sad because in just the last 3 days the tumor has grown large enough to bulge out his right cheekbone. At first I noticed a small grape size lump on January 23rd in his cheekbone, and I grew petrified, as it just the day before he had no visible lumps. I have circled in red the area, but you probably can see the difference: 
I immediately telephoned Dr Dibernardi, his oncologist. Where I thought I had one month before he developed any problems like this, and I had more time to get the funds to treat him, suddenly that was torn from me and now I saw I have only a matter of days, perhaps a couple of weeks before it can affect his vision and/or his brain.
Dr. Dibernardi told me it could be a hematoma from the biopsy surgery, or an infection, and not just the tumor. So I rushed him to my vet who ran a cbc blood test on him. Charmer did have a fever, but his blood test did not show an infection. But that could have been because I gave him a couple of clavamox antibiotic pills he had left over from two weeks ago, the vet said. So I put cold packs on his face, and started the antibiotics with hope.
But by today, I could see the bulge only getting larger, not going down. And then in the full sunlight, in my backyard, I lifted away his lips and saw underneath, the tumor now the size of a small walnut, and the very cause of what was protruding his cheekbone.
Panicked again I called the oncologist, worried that if in 3 days this growth had grown so big, what will happen in the next 4 days till his radiation starts? I am afraid it could bulge out his eye, or go to his brain, or invade his bones.
Dr Dibernardi assured me it is okay to wait those 4 days, but to watch him closely. I put him back on the pain medication an NSAID, and that helped him tremendously with his misery, although he is having trouble swallowing now with the increased size tumor. I know that the oncologist probably has seen much worse than Charmer and perhaps had good results, but it is one thing to see it in a book, and another to see it on your dear pet’s face, distorting their expression so they start to change into a dog you do not recognize, a dog that has a malignant facial tumor.
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Charmer all curled up on the slipper bed that is meant to be slept inside of. But Charmer decided long ago that it is to be slept on top of the slipper, and he has permanently smashed down the top so now it is indeed a flat bed. Like so many other times, today he took his favorite spot on top of the slipper bed, away from everyone else to get some alone time while he endures the uncomfortable painful tumor.
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