Baxter

     

     Some of you have asked about Baxter.  I mentioned on the 8th that we had seen a vet in NY.  The morning after we arrived we took him to his regular vet.  His reaction was exactly the same as the NY vet.  He said,"Wow, that's weird.  I've never seen anything like that before."  He has a growth on the side of a toe pad on his right rear foot about half the size of a toe pad.  It is now almost completely callused over...much like a regular pad.  After a couple of weeks of tolerating a bandaged foot, he has now spent a couple of days walking normally.

     The vet is making further inquiries with specialists in his network, but it is beginning to appear as if he won't need foot surgery.  That's good because healing from the resulting hole in that location would be difficult.  He also has a growth on his back and another on his eyelid that need to be removed.  Those relatively simple procedures have been put on hold pending the foot decision so that we will only have to do the general anesthesia thing one time.

     Meanwhile, he is acting more like his OLD self.  He enjoys coming and going to his own back yard without six steep steps where he can lie in the sun while Durelle tries to do a summer's worth of weeding.  He even drags out a squeaky toy from time to time!  He is not yet taking his evening walks around the neighborhood, but he acts as if he wants to.  A small version may happen soon.  He doesn't run, and he occasionally falls, otherwise, he is doing well.  Getting old is not without it's struggles.