Callie and I left the ranch early this morning and headed to Pullman, Washington, to see specialists at the WSU veterinary teaching hospital for her brain tumor. In the photo above, veterinary oncologist Dr. Janean Fidel is listening to Callie's heart during the initial exam, along with 4th year vet student Jen K. Dr. Fidel later brought in Dr. Annie Chen, a neurologist, for Callie's consultation.
Callie will have an MRI tomorrow morning, along with a spinal tap, to give Dr. Fidel and Dr. Chen a better idea of the precise location and size of the growth. The MRI gives them a three-dimensional view, while the original CT scan is only two-dimensional, so the image will provide a lot more information about the nature of what's growing in her brain. Dr. Fidel said that although it may well be a tumor, it could also be a non-infectious inflammation of some sort, or even an infectious bacteria causing the growth.
Depending on what we find out tomorrow, Callie may also be a candidate for a clinical trial that Dr. Chen is leading for a minimally invasive way to take a biopsy of brain tumors to get a definitive diagnosis.
Watching Callie mill around on the floor of the exam room, you'd never have any idea anything was wrong with her. At one point she found the trash can under the sink and tried to knock it over to see if there was anything edible inside. <sigh> In the truck today, she did sleep on a Miss Piggy fleece blanket for the entire ride, which seemed appropriate.
I'll post an update tomorrow on Callie's second day at the teaching hospital. Until then, another huge "thank you!" to everyone who made gifts for Callie's medical fund!
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