Yesterday, I noticed a large lump on the side of Ben’s penile sheath. I immediately called Kathy at DINO for a visit to the vet. The visit was quite informative. The lump turned out to be the bulbous gland, which is responsible for the protrusion and contraction of the penis. Apparently, in some dogs, the gland does become enlarged like that when it has to work. Thankfully, it’s nothing to be concerned about; I just have to make sure that when Ben does get a bit of an erection, it doesn’t get stuck outside the sheath. I don’t relish the idea of having to massage him to get it back in – which is the only way…. ::blink::
Ben is a perfect 47 lbs. now. He is also no older than 2 years – in fact, after carefully examining his teeth, the vet believes he’s actually a little younger than two. I knew he was too puppy-like to be a 3- to 5-year-old dog!
Aside from the enlarged pad on his back foot – which he was born with – the vet said that Ben is in excellent health. She was also very pleased to see fur growing back in most of the areas where mange left its mark. Some scars are still visible and they probably always will be. But for the most part, she said, Ben’s coat and skin is in excellent condition.
We are still in forced separation and isolation status. A placement for Ben has not yet been found. If nothing is found for him by the end of the week, he will be meeting some people on the weekend who have been following his journey here. However, they can’t adopt him until the middle of April…. and we can’t keep the separation and isolation going for that long. Ben must find a safe placement until such time as he can be adopted.
While we waited our turn to see the vet, I worked Ben on some of his basics. Considering where we were, he actually did a really good job. I had to use food rewards to help him focus, but it was his first time working around so many distractions, and I wanted to set him up for success. He did an awesome job of it, too. I was very proud of him.
Because of the current situation, I can’t work Ben in the house at all – and it’s too cold outside for anything other than a potty break. My husband is in the process of booking some time off work to help me.
Have a great day, everyone, and remember to stay calm and lead on…