About a week or so ago I noticed that my boy had some swelling to the right side of his face. I figured that he had gotten into a playful scuffle with Katie, like he had in January of this year, and got a scratch on his cheek. In January it was on the left side of his face, this time the right. And to top it off, he got into another scuffle and had a scratch by his whiskers on that same side.
On Tuesday last week I noticed a dead wasp by the television. I thought maybe Spencer might have gotten stung. That night I noticed while we were snuggling in bed, that his upper lip was inflamed (bright pink), but he wouldn't let me look in his mouth. He was still eating and didn't seem to be in any pain, and was still playful and cuddly, so I wanted to bring him to the vet this past weekend. Unfortunately they were fully booked. I could have gone and sat there to get him in between appointments, but my own health prevents me from sitting for that long of a period.
Today the swelling was down quite a bit and I wondered if he really needed to go or not. But still saw the upper lip looking no different, so I took him.
My poor boy was so frozen with fear. He just didn't know what to think! The doctor used Feliway on herself which helped.
She did an oral exam and probed around with a couple of cotton swabs. He has a great deal of inflammation inside his mouth/cheek. She checked for some cells on a slide. At this point she isn't sure what the source of infection is. She showed me the inside of his mouth. It's very red, swollen and there is puss draining She said it could be:
1. Wasp sting
2. Potential allergy to something
3. Cancer
She said he is only 3 years, and cancer is remote. They gave him a 2 week antibiotic injection, took some photos of the inside of his mouth and I have to take him back in 2 weeks for another checkup to see how the antibiotic worked. If the infection is still there, they will do a biopsy.
While he was there I also had her check his backside because he had had an infected anal gland the last time I took him in for some grooming.
He also weighs 16 pounds. He's a big boy, long and tall, so he is almost 2 pounds more than he should be.
I'm so glad that I took him in as planned.
On Tuesday last week I noticed a dead wasp by the television. I thought maybe Spencer might have gotten stung. That night I noticed while we were snuggling in bed, that his upper lip was inflamed (bright pink), but he wouldn't let me look in his mouth. He was still eating and didn't seem to be in any pain, and was still playful and cuddly, so I wanted to bring him to the vet this past weekend. Unfortunately they were fully booked. I could have gone and sat there to get him in between appointments, but my own health prevents me from sitting for that long of a period.
Today the swelling was down quite a bit and I wondered if he really needed to go or not. But still saw the upper lip looking no different, so I took him.
My poor boy was so frozen with fear. He just didn't know what to think! The doctor used Feliway on herself which helped.
She did an oral exam and probed around with a couple of cotton swabs. He has a great deal of inflammation inside his mouth/cheek. She checked for some cells on a slide. At this point she isn't sure what the source of infection is. She showed me the inside of his mouth. It's very red, swollen and there is puss draining She said it could be:
1. Wasp sting
2. Potential allergy to something
3. Cancer
She said he is only 3 years, and cancer is remote. They gave him a 2 week antibiotic injection, took some photos of the inside of his mouth and I have to take him back in 2 weeks for another checkup to see how the antibiotic worked. If the infection is still there, they will do a biopsy.
While he was there I also had her check his backside because he had had an infected anal gland the last time I took him in for some grooming.
He also weighs 16 pounds. He's a big boy, long and tall, so he is almost 2 pounds more than he should be.
I'm so glad that I took him in as planned.