Hello, this is Dr. Karin! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my five funny dogs, Poppy, Bailey, Koda, Ned and Fred.
I don’t think I’d have a dog if I didn’t have to worry about a dog chunk. Every dog, from small to benign, every dog will always end up with one lump or more in the course of life. The tricky part is knowing which ones to worry about. The frustrating answer is that it is often not possible in most cases to tell the vet at least properly without properly examining the cells under a microscope, which lumps need to be urgently processed, and which lumps are suitable for looking at the “wait” approach.
The other day I was extremely surprised to see a huge chunk of fur protruding from Koda’s Delière. Fortunately, in this particular example, no tests were required to run to determine the nature of the lump. This is because the chunk is a Chihuahua called a NED.
Who do you call the lump?
One of my favorites about my little dog pack is how the smallest members placed themselves on the top of the heap, both literally and figically. There is no hint of resistance even to seeing an 80-pound Marinoy Shepherd put in his place by a 4-pound Chihuahua. After all, in dog society, it’s not your size that matters, but your ego size, and there’s a lot to do with Ned!
Confused lump
What’s interesting about the dynamics of our dog family is how they change and change, usually mainly depending on Ned’s mood. At one moment he stands across the room and screams at Koda for something bold for a glance at this food bowl. Talk about feeling safe in your position! The most consistent thing about this dynamic is that Koda appears to be equally happy when he is told, stands up, or snuggles. He is excited to be included in either capacity for Ned and thinks his trusty offser, Fred, is appropriate.
The lump is coming back
As for Koda, despite Ned’s short fuse, no matter how many times he leaves, he’s just a mass of coming back. Once all the noise and posture is finished and the game is over, Ned loves to curl up or over Koda. The relationships between these dogs are almost exclusively large dog relationships, and are comparable to the relationships of siblings that always fight and compensate. Koda is over 12 months old, and not to mention the heavy weight of over 70 pounds, his role is one of the “brothers”, desperate for approval, and just wants to be part of the game. And if that means playing the host of a benign little ned-shaped chunk, he doesn’t obligate to be too happy.
What I find most comfortable with is that Koda knows that the only way to harm his little friend is by chance, and it seems Ned also knows that. This is one lump that neither Koda nor I have been worried about. It’s a lump that hasn’t disappeared, so we’re lucky!
This article is part of Dr. Karin’s series with five dogs.
