The days leading up to Messi’s surgery last Thursday were nerve-wracking to say the least. I think Messi knew where we going because he was pretty eager to get all the tumors out and decided to try to drive himself to the vet; no he did not actually drive. We didn’t know if everything would be okay, and we didn’t know what the recovery would look like afterward, but the surgery went as well as we could have hoped for.

The doctor was able to get out all of the tumors, but he did say they looked pretty nasty. They are currently getting a biopsy, and we are still waiting for the results. Messi did have to stay overnight so they could monitor his recovery for a little while, but we got him back later that afternoon, and when we did, the vet said he was wagging his tail and was in high spirits. He was happier than he was before, and that made all of us relieved.

Now something we weren’t really ready for was that the recovery wasn’t exactly how we pictured it to be.

They had to remove 50 percent of his bladder along with those tumors, and that resulted in him having an open-drip catheter. That meant we did more cleaning, and monitoring than usual. He also wasn’t eating as much and did not want to take the medication he was prescribed. It took a lot of hand feeding, sleepless nights, and patience, but he was doing okay and being more lively after that first night home.

He did have to wear a cone, which I don’t think he has ever worn before, so that was an experience in itself. There was a lot of bumping into doorways and a lot of maneuvering, but he slowly got the hang of it.

On Monday, he went in to get checked, and everything was taken off! No more big cone, bandages, or catheter; he was okay. All we have to make sure of is he starts eating and that nothing goes wrong until he gets his stitches off next week.

I know he is a strong guy and still has a lot of fight in him. My family isn’t giving up yet, and I know he isn’t either.

You are such an amazing dog, Messi, I love you.