Tonight, I was petting Belle and found a lump about the size of a half dollar near her back leg/hip area. I don't think I can handle bad news about Belle after just losing Mocha weeks ago. I am very worried because Belle has a small fatty tumor on her belly and this other lump doesn't feel like that one. I am going to call the vet right away in the morning to get an appoinment as soon as I can.

I am praying that this won't be anything serious for Belle. I know that Belle is reaching the 'senior' stage of her life, so these lumps and bumps can pop up without reason. I know that they can sometimes be bad news, but more often than not, they are simply 'old age tumors'. They may not all feel the same depending on location. I certainly feel like she should be seen (as with any 'new findings') by your vet for certainty, but I'm hoping that it isn't anything to worry about. Please let us know when you get her in and what was said....I'll be looking for your posts with fingers crossed....
Love,
Kim
P.S.>I accidentally clicked on your name instead of the topic to view this post and saw that you have a picture of Mocha in your profile ( what a beautiful girl she is )...did you know that you can put it as your avatar so it will come up with every post you make?

All of my good thoughts will be with you and Belle as you take her to the vet today. I hope everything will be alright. I am going back to work after 2 weeks, and I will be thinking of you. Please let us know how everhthing works out.
Scooter's Mom

Good luck at the Vet.

Getting it checked early is a good thing. It may turn out to be something that can be managed for your pet's health and extended life. Stay optimistic.

But also enjoy these days with Mocha. Continue to create great memories each and every day.

Let us know the results.

Sorry...meant Belle!

Thanks for the positive thoughts. I am taking Belle to the vet at 10:30 (cst). I will let you know what we find out. I am so scared. I keep thinking that right before I found out that Mocha was sick, she began to gray in her face very quickly. Since Mocha died, Belle has been turning white in her face. It is very noticeable to me. I am going to try to post a pic on here of belle and mocha...we will see if it works!

If this works, this is a pic of my parent's Golden, Montana (pts 7/13/06 because of a brain tumor), Mocha (pts 7/1/06 because of congestive heart failure and a protein losing disorder) and Belle.

What a beautiful group of friends they must've been!

The smiles on their faces are precious!

Good luck with the vet. keep us informed.

We are back from the vet with good news! The vet took fluid from the lump and it came back as only fatty tissue. She said to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't grow or change shape, but otherwise, all is ok. Thank you all for the positive thoughts! I have to take Zoey in this afternoon for her last round of shots and rabies vaccine. I am glad I live close by the office!

Is there a chance that it could turn cancerous? Did the vet say that it should be removed? I freak over feeling anything on my cats now because I am so scared to lose one after losing Meiko.
I am so happy for you that everything turned out okay. I think God only gives us what he thinks we can handle and even though sometimes we may think it is too much, we usually get through it. I am not sure if it is the same for everyone else but I seem to cherish the time I have with my pets more now than before. It never hit me that something you love can be taken away without a blink of an eye so appreciate the time we have with our loved ones.

YEAH!!!!!!!
I didn't think it would be anything serious, but you never know until you have it checked out! Your furkids are absolutely gorgeous! I know it sounds strange, but each time I see the beautiful face of a passed furbaby, I am comforted that my girl is in good company . Mocha is especially striking to me...I thnk because she looks so proud and noble...kinda the same attitude my Sasha always had. I'm so glad that all is well with your sweet Belle. Have you posted a pic of the new puppy yet or did I just miss it?
Love,
Kim

Thanks to everyone here! The vet did say to watch it closely to make sure it did not change shape or grow. She said it was possible for cancer cells to develop and if I felt better having it removed it was up to me. I am thinking that I will have it removed, along with another small fatty tumor she has on her stomach, but not until my husband is home. He is deployed to Iraq right now but will be home in about a month

I had not posted a pic of my new puppy, Zoey, yet. But here she is!

KimR- Thanks for you comments about Mocha. It still hurts so much not to have her here. And you are right. She always had that noble and stoic look about her. I have been going through my pictures of Belle and Mocha and in most of them she has the noble look and Belle has the goofy grin look. I realized that the pictures really do portray their personalities. I am in the process of putting together a HUGE photo album of all the pictures I have taken over the years of Belle and Mocha (and Montana too). I never realized that I was so camera happy with them in their first few years...but I am so glad that I was! I just wish I took half as many in the last couple years as I did the first couple years.

I hope you are not getting sick of seeing my puppies...but here is another pic of Belle and Zoey together.

Two peas in a pod!

What a bunch of cuties!

I'm glad to hear that the lump was fatty tissue.

Love your four-legged friends and enjoy your time with them! it's a tremendous opportunity you have to continue to have their companionship!

Zoey is ADORABLE!! I just love her expressive little face!Are you kiddin? I just LOVE to see everyone's furbabies! It always brings such a smile to my face...we all need that from time to time!
Love,
Kim

Here....I'll even the score! Here are all of my current babies (except for my barn kitty 'Squeaky'...I don't have any pics of her uploaded into my computer)!

here is my Great Dane 'Zada' and my kitty 'B' (Bubba cat) 'B' was rescued at 9 days old and was bottle fed by me...

This is my senior citizen of the horse group 'Freckles'. She was rescued from a very physically abusive situation...

This is my big baby that I rescued when he was only 12 weeks old...shhhh, he doesn't know he's a horse....he thinks a lap cat!! .....

And this is my 'Diva' of the group 'Mia'. She was rescued from an evil woman who was going to have her put to sleep after she ran into some very complicated leg issues (notice the white hair scars on her front legs from the surgery we had to get for her) so she could collect the insurance money for her. We had to give her the portion of the insurance money she would have otherwise collected on her in order to save her, but it was the best money ever spent! She is such a love!!

KimR- Thanks so much! Zada and "B" are both beautiful! I love great danes but my husband is scared of them! He's deathly afraid of horses (got bucked off after a wild ride on what supposed to be an "old mare" when he was a kid). A friend of ours has a dane and my husband associates the size of the dane to a horse...so there you go! He was so freaked out when we went over to their house and the dog had to lean his head down to rest it on the kitchen table! And your horses are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!

I just found this picture of Belle, Mocha and I taking a nap. This used to be a regular thing before I had my daughter.

Thank you for those beautifull pictures. They certainly put a smile on my face, and I really needed one today.
I found this on my refrigerator and just wanted to share it

God Didn't Promise Days Without Pain, Laughter Without Sorrow,
Sun Without Rain. But, He Did Promise Strength For the Day,
Comfort For The Tears, And Light Fot The Way.

Scooter's Mom

Scooter's mom,
That was a very inspirational piece. Thank you for sharing it. It is nice to have what has turned into an upbeat thread going amongst all the pain...

bellemocha,
That is the sweetest picture! Thank goodness someone (your husband I assume) had the thought to capture that moment on film! Yeah, I find that most people are afraid of her due to her size alone, but she is the biggest baby ever...she wouldn't hurt a fly. She loves my 2 year old daughter and they will lay on the couch together (my daughter uses Zada as a pillow) all the time and watch t.v....it is so cute. I couldn't ask for a better and more gentle dog (and babysitter ) for my daughter to be around (with, of course, the exception of Sasha ). Zada is almost 6 years old now, that is considered 'senior' for a Dane. Her black mask has been completely replaced with gray now....a daily reminder that she too will someday leave us...the thought is agonizing. I will just love her for today and worry about tomorrow as it comes. This is one of my favorite pics of her..I guess because I think her loving, goofy personality shows through in it..

Ohhh what a Charmer Zada is!

I've alwas loved Danes and think they are just so amazing (and so large!)



Thank you for sharing!

What beautiful Horses as well!

Wow, what a great feeling I had looking at everyone's pictures and reading everyone's posts
I find comfort and happiness knowing that there are abandoned or abused animals brought in and taken care of by loving people.

Bellemocha99,
I think that is a good idea having those removed once your husband gets back. I feel for you, my husband is in the Air Force and has taken many trips overseas in his 10 years. That is so much to have going on in your life, I am happy everything turned out okay

Here is my Meiko who passed away in May....

Here is my other Maine Coon, Sasha..... she is a scaredy cat. We took her outside to get fresh air since she is a indoor cat but she didn't like it

And finally. here is the new addition to our family, Jake. We got him from a shelter 6 hours away from the Maine Coon rescue organization....

This thread today has been wonderful! I am very much enjoying the sharing of our beautiful pets! I don't know about the rest of you, but it is very theraputic for me to see and share pictures of all of my "babies". Thank you Kim and My Meiko for sharing!

I think going through all of my pictures and remembering all of the joy Mocha brought into my life has been good for me. I will always miss her and wish we had much more time together but I know she is in a better place with no pain. I think I have moved onto feeling more happiness than sadness-if that makes any sense. Sure, I still have my moments...but they are few and far between compared to moments of remembering her with fondness. I know it is getting better because most of the time I smile when I think of her, rather than cry.