Maxwell Collects

Max: Collector of toys (Click picture for larger view)

"The fidelity of a dog is a precious gift demanding no less binding moral responsibilities than the friendship of a human being. The bond with a dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth can ever be." ~ Konrad Lorenz

If Max could write, I think he could write a "true" story of his life that would chill us to our bones. His life on the street is long gone and now he enjoys the same comforts of dogs who have always been well cared for. I think he appreciates these comforts more than dogs who have always had them. Take his toys. He loves toys, especially the latex squeaky ones; especially balls. His football was "loved" so much that it had to be tossed out. This is his current collection with the favorite being his basketball. Since basketball is Nyssa's favorite sport, this pleases her.

Max has not re-developed any ascites since fig season is over. We have also banned his rawhide chew bones for this reason. He had a recurrence of his inner ear problem a couple of weeks ago that left him looking quite drunk but a couple of days of quiet rest and reduced activity seems to have been all he needed. Since Max is a rescue dog we don't know how old he is. By the vets calculations he is at least seven, maybe eight. In the last two weeks I've started feeling several small nodules in his skin; on his sides, his belly and one on his back. Max will be going to the vet on Monday so we can check these out. The rapidity with which they came up is frightening. Of course since pathology is my business, I tend to think of all the bad things it could be. They are too hard for fatty tumors and my main concern is the mast cell tumor. He has too many to ensure adequate resection and chemotherapy doesn't usually work. I hope it is something else. So while he doesn't like to ride in the car and he doesn't like to go to the vet he does like to sleep in his big carrier in the sunroom with his toys and the company of the kitties. He will have this pleasure tomorrow night. Keep your fingers crossed.

Sending to Carnival of the Dogs hosted by Mickey's Musings. Max loves to play with the other dogs there. (end of post)