Well, I'm glad that's over, By Maggie

 Hi Everybody, it's me, Maggie.  Mah Mama says I should let you know I is doin' fine.  If you saw the postscript on her last blog post, you'll know I haz had some medical problems. A couple of months ago, Mama noticed a lump under my nipple.  It didn't bother me none, but Mama said we had to get the dog doctor to check it out. 

I dunno what's worse - having to put on these silly outfits
 every year or going to visit the dog doctor!

I had to go in All By Myself!  Because of something called covid, the dog doctor only lets dogs (okay, and cats and other critters) into the building.  The humans, except the ones that work there, hafta stay out.  Not Fair. 

Anyways, they stuck needles in me and sent me home.  Then a couple of weeks later, Mama found out the lump was cancer.  Something called Mast Cell.  So then she told me I hadta go back to the dog doctor for Surgery.  Again, I had to go in All By Myself!  And before we went, Mama wasn't allowed to give me Any Breakfast!!!!!  I was Very Upset.

The dog doctor stuck me with needles again and I fell asleep or something, because when I woked up, someone had dressed me in this thing called a onesie, and I had a big incision and a bunch of stitches under it.  Stitches! What did they think I was, some kinda stuffed teddy bear who was comin' apart at the seams? Mama said I looked like a stuffed sausage in my onesie, but with fluff comin' out both ends. And that I couldn't go to the beach fer awhile because I couldn't get it all wet an' sandy. 

Me in mah onesie

Mah bum in the onesie - it snaps up around mah tail!

They did give me a bootiful hand-drawn paper bag wiv my medications in it - it even haz my name on it! I think I might use it as a Christmas stocking this year.  As long as Santa doesn't leave more pills instead of treats!  

Do ya like the bag they gave me?

Then we had to wait fer some more reports to find out how bad the cancer is.  Good News!  The dog doctor phoned a few days ago to say it was a Low Grade!  (Later, my mama got a copy of the actual report, and it says something a bit different:  On the three point scale, it is a 2 [Intermediate], and on the two point scale it is a Low Grade. But still, that's good news). Best of all, there were clean margins, whatever that means.  Mama sez it means it hasn't spread to my limp nodes, whatever they are, and so I has an Excellent Prognosis. Dogs with mast cell do sometimes get more mast cells, unrelated to the first, in other areas so Mama has to watch carefully for them. But she watches fer lumps on me anyway. 

Yesterday I went back to the dog doctor AGAIN, and this time they took out my stitches and said I don't hasta wear the onesie any more.  

Wanna see my scar? It starts from just under my right front leg, and goes down to my belly.  See?  Don't mind the dirty belly - I is not allowed to go to the groomer fer a bit so No Baths Fer Me (hee hee hee hee)!

See mah scar?

Soon I will be able to go back to the beach and run on the sand and paddle in the water again!  Dat's the best Christmas Present Ever - no more cancer, and BEACHTIME!

Ah can't wait to go back to mah beach again!  
This waz taken before mah surgery. 

Love, Maggie.