Long story short, it wasn't an absess. It was a tumor...the size of a baseball. They removed it successfully, and have sent it off to have it biopsied. We won't know for two weeks whether or not it's malignant...we are all hopeful that it isn't, of course.

I've been home with him today. His face is SO awful looking. Shaved and stitched up. He looks like our own little Frankenstein dog. I'm just so relieved that he made it through the surgery. He's working his way back to being normal...appetite's good, peeing and pooping is good, he's asking me for affection constantly. So in his mind, he's totally pulled through.

Now, we'll just have to wait and see, as far as what his body will have us do.

Truly, the hard part's over. If he has cancer, at least we can plan out a "timeline" for him, and make the most of his final days. I feared suddenly losing him in surgery, so facing the possibility of cancer actually isn't scary because at least it wouldn't "blind side" us. We have two weeks to hope for the best and prepare for the worst...

But again, I'm hoping for the best.

Thank you everyone, for checking up on us, and for the prayers and puppy love. He's quite appreciative, and so am I.