So we are back from the vet. Dorian got his belly shave an an ultrasound done.

He did not have surgery, because what we thought was a lump inside him was instead just a very, VERY inflamed lymph node. Most of his lymph nodes are swollen, but that one in particular was bigger. We did however do a full ultrasound rather than a limited one.

The problem could mean one of two things. Either it is cancer, which is the most likely senario, or it is something else which the vet told us about but the name of it escapes me.

If it is cancer, it's somewhat treatable with chemotherapy. He would live likely 4 months or so, possibly as long as a year, though he will be mostly fine and happy for that time.

If it is the something else, it might be completely treatable (depending on exactly what it is). Again, odds are against it being the something else, but the vet said it is possible, and they saw some odd things in his cells under the microscope that could possibly mean it's something else.

Anyway, he is back home now and doing okay. For now we just wait for test results to come back (not sure how long, probably several days at least), feed him a liquid food, give him antibiotics, and in a few days start steriods again.

Hopefully it is the something else that is treatable. But, if it's the more likely senario of cancer, I am at least happy we have him for a while more.

Dorian seems to be grumpy but otherwise doing okay. He was calm during the needle exctraction of cells, and during the injection of fluids. But he clawed at the vet at one point for trying to take a blood sample...which tells me he's at least feeling well enough to fight back after he's been poked for a while.