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Allison Larkin

Internationally Best-Selling Author

You are here: Home / Argo the wonder dog / A hair follicle trauma or an insect bite

A hair follicle trauma or an insect bite

January 5, 2009 Filed Under: Argo the wonder dog

Argo does not have cancer. The bump was benign and the biopsy report stated that it was a hair follicle trauma or an insect bite.

How they aren’t able to tell the difference between the two, but still know that it was one or the other and not one of the gazillion other things that could result in a fairly large, tumor-y looking bump is beyond me, but I am not going to waste time splitting hairs over that. It’s not cancer, and I am so freaking relieved.

It was around this time last year that Argo did have cancer, and we made several trips to the amazing veterinary school/hospital two hours away for diagnosis/surgery/follow-up. I just kept thinking, here we go again, worrying that since the bump was at his side, there wouldn’t be enough spare tissue to remove to get wide margins around the tumor this time, so the next step would be radiation, but radiation is way more expensive than we could afford (but how do you put a price tag on your dog’s life?) and even if we could afford it, the tissue gets so weak from the treatment that it’s important to keep it from trauma and the little dog likes to jump on Argo all the time and how would we stop that and would we have to give up the little dog and oh my god my brain can go a mile a minute when I let it.

I’d like to thank the jerkwad at the microchip company for feeding my overactive brain by telling me last year that my dog would probably get cancer and die young because he was just destined to and the microchip had nothing to do with the cancer even though the chip was at the base of the tumor and the oncology specialists couldn’t figure why a dog Argo’s age would get that kind of tumor in that location until they found the microchip. Because, for the past two weeks, I have heard his smug voice in my head saying, “I told you so,” every time I checked Argo’s stitches.

Well, Mr. Microchip Man, I TOLD YOU SO. I am not a scientist, or an oncologist, or a doctor, but people who were told me the chip/tumor connection seemed highly suspicious, and while I will continue to have odd bumps biopsied, I also will continue to believe that my dog’s microchip caused his cancer, and it does not mean that my dog is destined to die young. It means that the soulless butt-wipes at the microchip company play on your heartstrings and fears about losing your pet so they can sell you a product that may actually be the cause of your pet loss.

Of course, this is all my opinion, because causation in cancer cases is very very hard to prove. That’s my disclaimer so the microchip company doesn’t get on my case about it.

My other disclaimer is that I honestly believe that if your dog is over 40 lbs and has enough fur so he doesn’t get cold in the winter, there is no reason or excuse for dressing him. But given the choice between

  1. Putting him in a cone collar that will allow him to knock everything off of every surface in our house, terrorize the cat and the little dog, and cut up the backs of our legs when he runs into them
  2. Watching him every single second until the stitches come out, including taking him with me to the bathroom
  3. Allowing him to remove his own stitches and running to the vet ER to deal with the resulting infection
  4. Putting a t-shirt on him so he can’t get to his incision

I will chose the t-shirt. And I will take pictures of it, because it’s pretty damn funny.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go take care of all the things I ignored for the past two weeks while I waited for the results. After, of course, I play bad music at deafening decibels and jump around the room with my dogs for a few minutes.

11 Comments

Comments

  1. Vanessa says

    January 5, 2009 at 4:44 pm

    So happy for your (and Argo’s) good news of no cancer! I’m awaiting my own “no cancer” news. Morgan had a growth removed from her foot and I should hear something from pathology soon. The cone collar is murdering my legs though! Any advice on how to fix that? T shirt for a foot?

    Does Argo get to celebrate the great news? Maybe an extra treat or two?

    Reply
  2. Courtney says

    January 5, 2009 at 5:40 pm

    Yay! I’m so happy that Argo is okay that it suppresses my rage at Mr. Microchip man for saying such a vile thing to you. WTF?

    Reply
  3. nancypearlwannabe says

    January 5, 2009 at 5:43 pm

    Good news! I knew all your good karma was going to work in your favor. :)

    Reply
  4. The Modern Gal says

    January 5, 2009 at 9:40 pm

    That is such great news about Argo!! I’m sure you’re relieved, and I am too!! I know how special y’all’s relationship is.

    I too am a firm believer in the dress dogs only for health reasons. I think in this case it’s perfectly acceptable

    Reply
  5. Mickey says

    January 7, 2009 at 2:00 am

    Boston bad music? No way!

    Don’t be a tease with those pictures. We want to see a dog in a t-shirt!

    Reply
  6. Reluctant Blogger says

    January 7, 2009 at 11:37 am

    Oh he is so handsome. I find dogs far more handsome than men.

    Perhaps I should leave now actually. . .

    But such excellent news.

    Reply
  7. equa yona(Big Bear) says

    January 8, 2009 at 2:58 pm

    HOORAY!!!!! for Argo and for you. Argo looks pretty good in the shirt. But how about the doggie halloween costumes? Cute but totally obnoxious. I would not subject my friends to that humiliation.(tiny rant).

    Reply
  8. Willow says

    January 11, 2009 at 4:23 am

    Well, I’m glad your dog is fine. It is a bit wearing on the nerves to wait and wait.

    I read about the Crap Garden and thoroughly enjoyed the telling of it.

    Reply
  9. Mickey says

    January 16, 2009 at 2:48 pm

    Thanks for setting me straight. I didn’t even notice the t-shirt.

    Reply
  10. Heather says

    January 24, 2009 at 3:48 am

    Hey Allie,
    Hopefully there won’t be a next time, but use Vick’s Vapor Rub, or whatever they have at the health food store that is comparable. We used to recommend it to clients after their dogs had surgery and worked like a charm 99 times out of ten. There is an odd dog out there that actually likes the smell, but most of the time rubbing it around (NOT ON) the incision will deter them from ripping their sutures out. I’m so glad it’s not cancer and I’ve passed on your suspicions to the vets I used to work with. My large dog has two (he’s a flight risk) and my other dog has one. Next time I’ll think twice about it.
    Velocity Grrl

    Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    March 7, 2009 at 9:39 pm

    What a sweet face! I wanted to find a pic of Argo. I know you have one on your avatar but I wanted to see a bigger pic of the cutie pie.

    So glad that he’s cancer free. I got Dingo Girl from a shelter and they had already microchipped her. I think I would have done it if they hadn’t.

    Dingo Girl has a cable knit sweater for days when it’s really cold — like 20 degrees. If it’s warmer than that she will absolutely refuse to wear it. I, of course, look like a bad doggy mom when we’re out walking in 30 degree temps and every other dog is wearing North Face and Columbia.

    Reply

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We are in the habit of starting and ending our day We are in the habit of starting and ending our days side by side in our lawn chairs, while the light rises or dims. It’s still chilly at the outer edges of the day. Sometimes Roxy shivers. I bought her a sweater, but she won’t wear it. Sometimes I try to wrap her in my jacket, but she’s not having that either, so I throw her ball and try to get her run and then she comes back to her chair, warm for a little longer. #dailyroxydog #huskychihuahua #dogssittinginchairs
“I got a secret I should tell. I’m going up to “I got a secret I should tell. I’m going up to heaven in a split pea shell.” ~ @petermulvey43 Words Too Small to Say
Happy as a dog in a freshly dug nap hole. #dailyro Happy as a dog in a freshly dug nap hole. #dailyroxydog #huskymixesofinstagram
I saw this little dresser at my favorite magic ant I saw this little dresser at my favorite magic antique store sometime in November and didn’t buy it. But then, of course, I kept thinking about her. She’s the perfect size for my office, and I found those drawer pulls hilarious. When I finally went back in December, I told myself I was shopping for wall art, because I assumed she would be gone. But she was right where I’d seen her last: balanced on another dresser with boxes of old picture frames and tchotchkes piled on top (the true mark of a magic antique store). I didn’t even realize she had a towel rack — that she was a wash stand, not a dresser — until I asked about the price, said I’d take her, and my favorite magic antique store person asked if we needed to unscrew the towel rack to fit her in my car. I suspect this little sweetie is not from the days of necessary wash stands so much as from a country kitchen in the 80s. She was in rough shape, and not made from wood worth stripping and re-staining, but her price reflected that. I had to disassemble that door and put it back together, but I’d been in the market for some experience working with old furniture, and she made me feel brave about trying. I thought about painting her something more neutral, but I’m so glad I didn’t. She deserves to be pink. She’s not perfectly painted and needs a few touch ups. I learned some things about chalk paint and finishes. The drawers stick a bit. Eventually, I’d like to line them with fabric and when I do, I might plane the edges to smooth things out. But goodness, I love her in a way that I wouldn’t if I hadn’t spent time cleaning away her cobwebs and scrubbing the grime from her hilarious drawer pulls. She’s also become a little shrine for the book I’m working on, which makes me love her even more. I’ve always been a person who sees some soul in certain things, and I’m learning to cherish that idiosyncrasy, because there’s so much joy to be found in a brave little toaster or an underdog wash stand. We’re not here in the world for all that long. We may as well love some bright little things. #furnituremakeover
After Roxy started stealing my seat, I dragged a s After Roxy started stealing my seat, I dragged a second lawn chair out. She nudges me over and we sit in our chairs, side by side, and watch the sun set. Well, I watch the sun set. She spies on the neighbors. #dailyroxydog #dogstagram #sundayevening
I truly don’t understand how anyone is this cute I truly don’t understand how anyone is this cute. I never get used to it. There’s no immunity. She’s adorable beyond what pictures can capture. #dailyroxydog #huskymixesofinstagram #ilovemydog
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