Zilla's vet visit went well today. He's gained about 2.5 lbs since last week. As usual everyone fussed over him. He loved the attention. Today they took some blood, cleaned some debris from his left ear and found an ouchie. Just underneath his chin buried under his fur was a raw area. What's odd is that it looks a little bit like the growth Zilla had in August that burst open. I think his tags are rubbing against it. Besides the huge left lymph node the right one got bigger.

This is probably why his jowls are pulling down. His swollen gums show that his body is trying to fight some kind of infection. The lymph nodes are the body's natural cleansing system of bad stuff and they're trying to work even with the cancer.

I think the vet visit was a good one. Zilla's feeling (and sounding!) better.

With this pet recall I've been looking into Zilla's diet a bit more. I bought him some Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Eatables. The food is supposed to be good enough for humans to eat - the manufacturing facility meets USDA regulations. I bought him the Irish Stew which looked pretty substantial. He's also got a few cans of the Venison and Brown Rice food. Zilla's nose was orange after eating the food; he'd buried his nose in it to get every last bit. I'll probably end up getting him the dry food when he can eat it comfortably again and after he finishes his bag of Drs. Foster Smith food.

Yesterday I ordered a peanut butter cake for his birthday. He's 11 on Thursday.