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.
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I was worried I was going to have an experience straight out of a Raymond Carver story with the birthday cake.