October 21, 2009: Brí is doing better, at least her hygroma seems to be getting better.  There's a picture below which shows that it appears to be getting smaller.  The drainage tube has not yet been removed; that won't happen until tomorrow; however, things seem to be going well so far.

October 19, 2009: Both Brí and Bó visited the vet today.  Stuffed in a bag was Bó's partially digested dinner with the infestation.  The technicians at Rose City Veterinary Hospital examined the worm and confirmed it as a roundworm.  The puppies needed to be dosed.  Roundworms are quite common in puppies, even Irish Wolfhounds; they're passed from the mother during feeding.

October 18, 2009: Brí's hygroma seemed to be troubling her this evening; she walked with a slight limp in her hind leg.  The lump is noticeably larger than it was earlier in the day.  Out of an abundance of caution, the two Irish Wolfhound puppies were taken to the emergency room–to TLC Pet Medical Centers in South Pasadena.

It's a hospital that I had visited many times before.  Louie was admitted there twice; on both occasions the attending vet was sure he would die.  The first time he was released (after a 107.8 °F fever), they entered "miracle dog" on his chart.  It's also the hospital where Lír spent his last night.

Brí got to meet Dr. Maureen Roberts, a great veterinarian with a passion for her job and a love of dogs.  They bonded.  Dr. Roberts thought that surgery was a possibility, but cautioned waiting to see if the hygroma would disappear.  She didn't believe that any action was needed that evening, particularly given the fact that Brí had an appointment the next day at Rose City Veterinarian Hospital.  Relieved, we headed home.

October 18, 2009: Another week, another weigh in.  The two rascals didn't put on as much weight this week as they've done in the past. Bó gained only 2.6 pounds and now weighs 68.6 lbs (31.2 kg). Brí amassed an additional 2.8 pounds and now weighs 67.4 lbs (30.6 kg). They're now just twenty-one weeks old.

A red flag is always raised when Irish Wolfhound puppies don't gain as much weight in a given period of time as they've done consistently in the past.  They're still in their rapid growth spurt.  I will be checking each dog's stool over the next week for any sign of infestation.

Brí's hygroma has grown again, so she has an appointment set up at Rose City Veterinary Hospital with Dr. Bonnie on Monday evening to check the thing out.

October 9, 2009: Here's the weekly update on Bó and Brí, the Irish Wolfhound puppies. Bó gained a healthy five pounds this week; he now weighs 66.0 lbs (30.0 kg); Brí grew just over three-and-a-half pounds and now weighs 64.6 lbs (29.4 kg). They each weighed 61.0 pounds last Saturday. We'll see if Brí can put on another growth spurt this week and catch up again. Her cyst has reappeared—it's benign; it was drained at Rose City Veterinary Hospital and all's well. The puppies are twenty weeks old.  They continue to entertain.

September 26, 2009: Bó and Brí, the Irish Wolfhound puppies, had their weights checked again today at Rose City Veterinary Hospital.  Bó gained almost four pounds this week: he’s now 56.8 lbs (25.8 kg). Surprisingly, Brí did even better, gaining just over five pounds. Brí weighs 55.4 pounds (25.2 kg).  They’ll each were four months old on Thursday, so for Wolfhounds, they’re developing nicely.  Brí's cyst seems to be doing fine.

September 19, 2009: Bó and Brí paid their weekly visit to Rose City Veterinary Hospital today to be weighed.  Brí has put on a little weight and is now 50.2 pounds (22.8 kg); Bó now weighs exactly 53 pounds (24.1 kg).  So, over the past week, Bó has gained 3.8 pounds (1.7 kg), while Brí gained only 1.4 pounds or 0.6 kg.  They're now seventeen weeks old and will be four months old on September 24.

Brí also developed a benign cyst–an hygroma–which had to be drained.  The cyst developed on her back left hip over the joint.  These hygromas occur in large breeds, usually on the equivalent of the elbow joint.  They're essentially lumps of fluid triggered by either rough play or hitting a hard surface abruptly.  Ideally, large breed puppies should rest on soft surfaces to avoid developing these hygroma.  They usually go away by themselves; however, it often takes many weeks to months.