From Bad to Worse

Virga is scheduled for surgery on Thursday to remove the two masses on either side of her pouch, so we are in the process of making preparations for her care after surgery. In the meantime, yesterday morning M observed Cirrus aggressively grooming her pouch  during the gliders' morning yogurt time. When she checked Cirrus' pouch she found it raw and irritated around the outside of the pouch from overgrooming. Back to the vet we went today. Dr. W immediately noticed that her pouch was worse than two weeks ago and wanted a better look. So, off went Cirrus to go under general anesthesia so they could get a closer examination. When Dr. W came back into the room with a camera we knew the news couldn't be good. The photo showed Cirrus had a growth about the size of a pea on one of her mammary glands. Dr. W wanted to do a needle aspiration for a cytology and of course we said go ahead. The results were supposed to be available late today.  The phone rang around 7:00 p.m.and M took the call. The news was not good. While Cirrus' mass is much smaller than Virga's two, it is definitely cancer (while Virga's may be pre-cancerous). Dr. W called another well-known glider vet to consult with him, and he said he had never encountered a glider with breast cancer, let alone two. Our vet will be calling other vets she knows with glider experience to see what light they might shed on all of this, but it looks like we could be forging new territory.

It's very possible Cirrus may be joining Virga in the surgical suite on Thursday if they can swing it.  It will be a little crazy for us for a few days caring for two recovering gliders but it will probably be better for them not only from a medical standpoint but also for their social well-being.

Our two ladies just turned 9 years old this month (we've had them two years) and they are pretty special to us. Not much of a birthday for them, but hopefully Thursday's outcome will mean more birthdays to come.