Ziggy went to the vet last week where he underwent a thorough check-up and was neutered. The neutering was uneventful (well...perhaps not from Ziggy's point of view) but the vet did find a hematoma (blood filled space) in one of Ziggy's ears. Ziggy had fly bites on that ear, so the hematoma probably resulted from shaking his head and/or scratching that ear. The hematoma required minor surgery in which the vet made two incisions on the inside of the ear flap to drain the blood. The surgery went well, but the sutures will have to stay in until August 14. After that Ziggy will be good as new! He's been a really good sport about the ear stuff...he has to wear an e-collar until the sutures come out, but he's adapted pretty well. He even figured out how to hold his rawhide with one foot! Since his ear is now protected by the e-collar, I've given Ziggy the run of the house and yard so I can evaluate him better. He gets along great with all of the other dogs, even thought they're snickering at him about the silly collar. Ziggy is fine with our cats...he's curious but he doesn't chase or bark. He's also very good with our daughter who is 4. Ziggy is a happy, affectionate, well-adjusted dog who would make a wonderfully faithful companion.