This was a week full of medical appointments for many! To start the week we took Brutus to the vet for some potty issues.  He’s been having pretty runny stools (thankfully all outside)  and I’m just not sure what the cause is so we took him in to get checked out. They ran a stool sample test and he is worm free (which was one of my worries) but they sent us home with a broad spectrum medication to give him. I honestly think it may be his food so we may try a different brand/flavor next. The vet said he’s a young pup and it also could just be sticks, dirt, and various things that he is eating (other than his actual food). The good news is he continues to gain wait and get taller. Check him out at the office! Next up on Tuesday, March 21st, was Lily’s appointment at the OSU Veterinary Medical Center to consult with the ortho doctor and drop her off for surgery for her torn CCL in her right knee. The vet hospital is quite nice as they’ve just remodeled the entire waiting area. It is a huge and very bright lobby – and very well sanitized as it smells a bit like bleach! Lily was really chill in the waiting area and did great in the room while I talked to the Drs. They then took her back and she spent the next two nights there. The first night they kept her so she’d be there in the morning to prep for surgery on Wednesday. She did really well through the procedure. Though the Dr. called me to tell me that when prepping her and shaving her leg and body for surgery one of the technicians found a mass on her left (other) leg. They did a quick biopsy and it is a Mast Cell Tumor, which is cancerous. She recommended waiting to do anything on it since it would require a good size area to be removed and then stitched up. She thought it best to do the originally planned knee surgery and then tackle the MCT at her follow up visit in two weeks. She awakened well from the anesthetic and I got frequent calls from the vet tech to give me updates on her recovery. I was able to pick her up on Thursday and bring her home. She has to wear the cone of shame for at least 2 weeks (then likely 2 more for her MCT removal surgery) and she and Brutus need to be separated. We’ve transformed our kitchen area into a nice dog rehab facility. Lily is only allowed outside on a leash to go potty and then come right back in. It will be that way for the next 2-3 weeks, so when Lily needs to go out Mr. Brutus goes into his crate. Next up was Griffin who went to his 4-year well-check exam on Tuesday afternoon. He checked out really well and as always was a champ with his shots. He got four this time and the last one the nurse had a bit of a time – she had to poke him twice to get it in! But he just flinched and made a face – didn’t even cry. He weighed in at 35.4 pounds (46th Percentile), 40.25″ tall (49th percentile)  with a Body Mass Index of 15.4% (41st percentile). So he’s right in the middle and his growth charts all look really great. To celebrate a good visit and a champ shot taker we headed to Target and Finn picked out some bath toys. He was also given his choice of toys from the doctor and he chose a small dog lovey. Finally we ended up at none other than Graeter’s for a sundae.  And here are a few others from our week, including Finn’s first piece of stained glass (aka sticker art) that was given to him for his birthday from Mr. Chad.  On Saturday Kevin and Finn, along with all of the Bethune’s, attended the Columbus Blue Jackets Hockey Game for Boy Scout Day. They all had a great time and Finn was treated to a CBJ jersey (as his other hockey jersey was a size 12M that he was still wearing, lol!). I stayed home to chill with Lily. She continues to do great, but she is on many medications (for which I literally made a chart for the week to ensure I do them all correctly and don’t miss anything!) and she needs warm and cold compresses 2-3 times a day both at the incision site on her knee and on her ankle (where all the swelling tends to be). And Finn had a fun adventure to the zoo again this week. I’m thankful that Debbie puts pictures of the activities and fun things he does each week in the app we use. One day they had a taco bar for lunch and also you can see him helping get the asparagus ready to cook. And I just love the last one which captures Finn’s expression quite well.