No real news

We don't know much more than we knew this morning. The experts at CSU did not want to biopsy Shyla's ulna until they had performed other tests for fungal and bacterial bone infections. Those tests are pending. We did get one good result, which is that there's no disease visible in Shyla's lungs in chest x-rays, like cancer mets or nodules from fungal disease.

As for osteosarcoma (OSA), it's still on the list. But, at Shyla's age, the odds of it occurring are low enough that the vets would prefer to do other tests before doing a bone biopsy, primarily because the biopsy might weaken the bone. And, we all hope that Shyla will need a strong ulna for a long time. Moreover, if it is OSA, it isn't a battle that we're likely to win... so waiting a couple of weeks to diagnose it while we test for other things isn't a big deal.

It was a long day, as it always is when we go all the way to the experts at CSU. We left our house in the early morning and just recently arrived home. In some ways, it was a heart-wrenching day for me. They put us in the exam room where K was often seen, and I remembered the grief that I felt over the bad news that seemed to slam us during every single one of K's appointments. It felt surreal to be there with a new dog, a young Shyla.

On the heartwarming side, Shyla was jaw-droppingly comfortable with the veterinary staff. She did her "relax" command beautifully, as a resident examined her and four vet students stood over her to watch the exam. I was about to object to the set-up, thinking that it would be scary for Shyla to have so many people peering at her as she lay on her back, but then I saw the relaxed look on her face and I kept my mouth shut. Our girl is changing at warp speed.

After the initial exam, Shyla was taken to "the back" (for hours - I'm not exaggerating - all while I waited in the exam room), and I'm told that she won many friends with her sweet and sensitive personality. Finally, I almost fell over in amazement when she met a 2-year-old boy in the waiting room after her appointment. She chose to say "hi" to him on her own initiative (with his mother's permission), and she even gave him kisses!

I was so proud of Shyla today. She has such courage and sweetness in her heart. I feel lucky to have her by my side and to have the honor of teaching her all about our world.

I promise to keep you posted as we find out the test results. I really hoped that we'd have definitive news today - for the sake of our hearts - but the vets felt strongly that it was not in Shyla's best interest to do a bone biopsy today.