Reggie is Sick or the case of the missing testicle

Reggie has asked me to write his blog today. Reggie is sick and doesn't feel like doing anything but getting well. We took Reggie to the Vet last week due to some minor symptoms and the Vet felt a large and abnormal mass in his abdomen. After x-rays the Vet was sure that there was a tumor. It appeared to be the size of a tennis ball. After some thinking by the Vet he asked if Reggie might have had a testicle that didn't drop after birth. I said yes, but the Vet that neutered him assured us that it was removed after some trouble. Well, guess what! That Vet in Nederland, Colorado didn't remove it and it developed into a tumor. When it was removed last Wednesday, it was confirmed that Reggie had been only partially neutered and the large mass was indeed a testicular tumor. It did not appear to have spread but we did not chose to get a biopsy to confirm or deny the presence of malignant cells.

Reggie was a trooper though. He faced his impending operation with bravery. Though he was telling me right at the last moment as we left him at the Vet Hospital that he was going to miss us. We told him we'd be back soon and to be brave. He said he would.

The vet told us that standard procedure when a patient seems to be doing OK after surgery, is to give him drugs to reduce the pain and induce sleep so they can stay without a human watching them overnight. The vet said that if Reggie developed more serious complications after surgery, they could take him to a nearby 24/7 emergency hospital for animals to spend the night. They were planning to leave him alone due to his relatively good condition after surgery. We asked if it would be safe for us to bring him home that night. They thought there would be no problem. When we went to pick him up he was crying and as soon as he saw us that wagging tail went into overdrive, even with all those meds in him.


Neither of us got much sleep that first night and Reggie was spoiled with loving attention. Mom would gently stroke his head until he fell fast asleep.

Over the next 3 to 4 days Reggie improved quite a lot. We went on short walks several times per day. He even got really excited about a cat and squirrel outside our window. He barked to let them know that if he was well, he'd be out their chasing them!


He has a scar with stitches and staples about 10 inches long on his lower belly. He has been a good boy and not licked or chewed them. It is obvious that he is sore however in the way he moves. He does complain a bit about the steep stairs getting in and out of the RV and jumping up on the sofa to rest.


He had a couple good nights of sleep and seemed to be improving quickly. His vet gave him a prescription food that improves his ability to digest. However, Reggie being quite picky, decided after the second day he was tired of eating that bland food. So we started feeding him small amounts of his regular food.

Well, last night Reggie had a set-back. He threw-up all of his food and became very weak. We stayed up with him until 2:30 AM last night until he was fast asleep. He slept all night and at 8 AM he awakened and we went out. Unfortunately, he threw-up some more.


So, right now Reggie is feeling pretty rotten and we are waiting to hear from his Vet to see what to do next. He is resting on the couch, watching me do his blog. I know he'd prefer to be at the keyboard, but when a guys sick, he got to rest.

It's really hard to see the dog you love so much in so much discomfort. We are hopeful for his speedy recovery, but he still has some time to heal. I think we may have overdone our "care" of him seeing what appeared to be a quick spring-back to health.

I apologize for the serious nature of this blog, but we thought his fans would want to know that he is under the weather and hopefully their prayers and good wishes will be felt through that canine sense of perception.

I'll add to the bottom of this blog over the next week to keep you up to date on his progress. Hopefully next week or the week after, he will be back pounding the keys with his paws and relating the adventures of Reggie the RV Dog. I'm sure he'll have a different and interesting perspective on the whole thing to share with you.

Reggie's Dad

Feb 9, evening update: Reggie spent the day at the Vet. He spent 3 hours on an IV to get fluids balanced. He had several xrays and blood work. It's not clear what the problem is yet, except that he did have quite a lot of gas in his stomach. The blood work was good, except for his kidney which was just a bit off. So Tuesday we drive 70 miles to the Vet again for Reggie to spend the day on an IV hoping to flush his kidneys. Sigh.

Feb. 10, evening update:Reggie threw up again this morning. Reggie spent all day on IVs at the Vet hospital to replenish fluids again. He received several injections. He still isn't eating. As dire as it sounds to us, the doctor sounds optimistic for his recovery. He wants Reggie again on Wedesday. That's a 140 mile round-trip each day to the Vet. But... it's Reggie and I know he would do the same for me or Mom. Keep hoping!

Feb 13, afternoon. After spending each day Mon-Thur on an IV Reggie is now looking MUCH better. He's got an appetite, his blood work looks pretty good, he's getting back to some of his old habits (barking at cows, waking us up in the morning), and he was tentatively released for the weekend by the Vet. Plans are to have his stitches out on Monday. Here's hoping for a good weekend. I think he might be up to writing his blog about this mess, early next week.