Dog Day Afternoon

We drove to Ottawa on Wednesday to meet with the oncology surgeon at the Alta Vista Animal Hospital who would be working on Shelby. Jeff and I both got a good vibe from Dr. Julius Liptak. He had a look in Dog's mouth and told us he thought it was a fibrous tumour coming from the ligament in the roof of her mouth. This kind of tumour does not require aggressive treatment like removing part of the palate so we were obviously thrilled by that. After our visit we confirmed the next day's surgical appointment with the receptionist and went to the hotel.

We checked into the Monterary Inn and Resort. Jeff found them online through Mapquest. It was one of the facilities listed as close to the animal hospital. It is definitely going on our list of places to stay at in Ottawa. It cost us $119 per night for two large beds on the ground level with a river view and two continental breakfasts (cereal, toast, bagels, fresh fruit, juice). They have a number of buildings for lodgings. Ours was the furthest from the road and was also considered the "pet" rooms. But we were seriously impressed. If you ever visit Ottawa and need a place to stay please check them out.

On Thursday Dog was dropped off at the Alta Vista Animal Hospital for her oral surgery around 7 a.m. She went under the knife and was waking up from her anaesthetic by 11 a.m. They called us around then to let us know how it went and what to expect when we picked her up. The assistant let us know what had transpired during the operation: they cut out the tumor, used liquid nitro to freeze the tag, then caterized for bleeding. They wanted to keep her for a few more hours as she was still partially sedated but coming out of it nicely. We eventually picked her up about 3:30 p.m.

She was so incredibly anxious to see us when she came around the corner. She nosed us both and then headed for the front door. She wanted out. No goodbyes were wasted on the staff. I was dragged out while Jeff paid off our bill which came to just over $1000.

We stayed another night in Ottawa ordering pizza in so we could keep an eye on her. I worked for a bit and then read some more of Breaking Dawn (fourth book in Twilight series) before heading to bed. We were jolted awake early by the sound of barfing cat. Luckily I remembered to pack the pet spot remover and paper towels. Since we were up we showered went for a continental breakfast then checked out. I'm not ashamed to admit I slept most of the way home.

We are home, oh-so-happy to be home. And oh-so-happy that puppy dog had a successful surgery. Here are a few pictures (click to enlarge)--the front side of our building, view out patio doors, dog before surgery, cat checking things out, Jeff looking for directions to food (wearing his Threadless birthday tee I bought him):