Early last week we began to notice that Pixie had a hard area on her lower lip and when we tried to explore further she pulled away. Sue had her on her lap the next day and the area appeared to be growing larger and more distinctly hard. She held Pix while I felt this area. We both immediately thought it was her melanoma coming back and at the same area on her right side of her face. We called the oncology vet. in West Chester for an appointment. Days passed since it was the weekend, and our Pixie was unable to open her mouth on the right side. Both Sue and I were very upset about this and didn't sleep most of Sunday night in preparation to going to the examination on Monday. Tears flowed on the way and we shuddered at the thought of more radiation for poor Pix or even worst. Dr. Vicki Nelson took Pixie into one of the examination rooms and talked to us about her progress since last November. She didn't feel it looked like a cancer, but she wanted to do some tests to be sure. After waiting for two hours our little girl appeared with her tail wagging and a happy look on her face. Vicki told us it was cellulitis, a common infection of the skin and the soft tissues underneath and had given her a shot of antibiotics to help this heal. We have been applying hot/warm compresses to Pixie's right side, continued with the medicine and have noticed in the last day she is able to open her mouth to eat and smile. We'll keep you up-to-date as this episode unravels.
