This morning we were up early, but Mom didn’t feed me.

Instead, Mom took me for a ride to the dogtor. I had managed to paw at the stitches in my forehead enough to get the incision really infected. So much so, in fact, that some stitches were missing and I now had an infected gaping wound between my eyes. Dogtor Smith said the skin had necrotized. (huh?) Mom says I look like one of those India women with a red dot on my forehead and that I am her “gorgeous worgeous.” That’s one of her nicknames for me. I think the dogtor has a sense of humor too – he said it could be much worse. Question: How do you bandage a dog’s forehead? Answer: You don’t. Instead, he told Mom she had to spray sterile wound wash on it twice a day and then spray this special sea salt liquid bandage on it 6 times a day, and it should heal up ok. In the meantime, guess what I have to wear. Grr.

I heard Mom ask if the Labs were back. Back? You mean they had been here once and gone again? Dogtor Smith disappeared for a few minutes and came back in with a paper in his hand. Apparently the Labs had delivered the paper and left. While the dogtor explained what the paper said I could feel Mom getting real upset but holding it all in. It must have been a news paper because there was very bad news on it. Dogtor Karen – who is my favorite – came in the exam room and said she is contacting the University of Knoxville, who has a great veterinary school, and an oncology place in Atlanta to see if I am a Candy Date for a Melanoma Vaccine that could erase the bad news. I hope so. I want to be a Candy Date again. Anyhow, Mom cried a lot today and I laid by her to comfort her. I must have done a good job because she asked me if I wanted to go for another ride. “Of course I want to go for a ride with you, Mom,” I answered. So we hopped in the car and guess where we went…Mickey D’s!! We shared a hamburger and a caramel sundae. I got the caramel all over my beard and I kept trying to lick it from the inside of the e-collar. It made Mom laugh. Hmm, I wonder if it is my birthday again.

This is Lexi and Mom, taking it one day at a time.