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 Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
  
| My son's 11 year old dog had a cracked tooth surgically removed last week. I took her back in for a post surgical check up. I asked the vet tech to express her anal glands. Long story short, the vet came in and told me they discovered lumps while trying to express. He believes that based upon their location, they are cancerous and is referring us to a Veterinary Oncologist but did tell me the prognosis is not great given where he found the lumps. He said the cancer vet could decide what treatment options are available, if any. We've had the dog since my son was 4 and he's 15 now. Needless to say the family is sad but my son is heartbroken. I know I should wait to see what the cancer vet says, but i'm struggling internally with how aggressive we should be in deciding treatment, especially given her age. Has anyone had any experience with this that can give me advice.
Edited by azsun 2018-02-24 11:56 AM
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Go Get Em!
Posts: 13503
 
Location: OH. IO | My rotti Izzabella had cancer.It was in her tonsils.i found out and a week later if that we had to put her down.My girl was only 6 years old.There was no treating hers . My boy jax who was a pit,was found on the road and brought to me.He threw up bright red blood and straight to vet he went.I tried to save him,they we're doing surgery on him and called while he was still on the table to say he was full of cancer,so we put him down right then.I was sure I was gonna die when I lost Izzabella,and when we lost Jax I thought I was gonna loose my husband.I can't give you any ideas or help,I just know when they say Cancer,it's only been a short time and they were gone.I wouldn't let them suffer but in both cases they were so far along before we knew they were sick that is was too late. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 560
Location: Where the buffalo roam | Cancer sucks and a majority of dogs die from it. Survival rate depends on the type and location of the cancer. Mine had Mast Cell and after amputation did chemo follow-up. We had him another 8 months, but the cancer had spread. With some lymphomas and osteosarcoma some dogs have made it 2-5 years more depending on how early it was found. Wish I had more pawsitive things to say, but always remember that he doesn't know he's sick so do what's best and give him lots of love whatever you decide to do. So sorry you have to deal with this. |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | I had a Siberian Husky who was a little over 13. I found a sore right at his booty. I had two vets look at it, and it was definitely cancer. I had never lost a dog before, and I prepared myself to put him to sleep the day the second vet saw him because I couldn't stand the thought of Pookie suffering. He was my first Christmas gift from Chandler's father, and I was devastated--I had him from Christmas Eve when he was only 3 weeks old (1989) and this was around Feb 2003. When we got to the vet and she confirmed cancer, I asked her about letting him go. She said it was up to me but she didn't think it was time. Her words were "he will tell you when he's ready". And he did, about 3 months later. Because it was so close to his tail end, there was no way to remove it or do surgery---just not enough skin back there. I am so so sorry your family is going thru this, but my heart breaks for you son. I thought I'd die the day we buried him. . . . . I am saying a prayer for her and your son now. |
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Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
| Thank you. Today I witnessed my 6'0 tall 185 son return to a little boy when I sat him down to tell him. It's been a tough day. I told my son we would get that second opinion from the veterinary oncologist and go from there. Thank you for your stories and prayers. |
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Go Get Em!
Posts: 13503
Location: OH. IO | azsun - 2018-02-03 11:23 PM
Thank you. Today I witnessed my 6'0 tall 185 son return to a little boy when I sat him down to tell him. It's been a tough day. I told my son we would get that second opinion from the veterinary oncologist and go from there. Thank you for your stories and prayers.
It definitely takes the wind out of you.Be thankful your pup is 15 WOW years old!!you have obviously been a good momma!!! Im sure he has lived a good life,love him all you can.prayers to you all. |
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 More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | I lost my 8 yr old best friend and protector this past August 11. It was through her body and what ended it for her was a broken leg from literally just walking to the barn. She had bone cancer also that we didn't know but explained years of hip issues that we thought was arthritis. My heart is broke and still have breakdowns quite often. She was my constant companion. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
| I’m sorry! I had a 12yo heeled that had cancer on her muzzle and she was in good enough shape they okay’d the surgery. Last summer she developed a tiny sore on her hip and after taking her in they confirmed it was again cancer and in her bones and surgery was not an option. She was comfortable for about another week and then started to go down hill. The drive to the vet I gave her a full can of whipped cream, her favorite! Sorry for your son!! Hugs! |
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| Our 9 year old Vizsla started having seizures and it took a couple months to figure out what was causing them because they were pretty sporadic; my husband’s colleagues didn’t find anything out of the ordinary with routine labs. We thought maybe a brain tumor, so we took him in for an MRI and when they ran blood work, they didn’t feel comfortable putting him under anesthesia because he was so hypoglycemic due to what we soon found out was pancreatic cancer. When his blood sugar levels would drop, he would start seizing, and it was awful to witness. We were contemplating doing exploratory surgery to see if the tumors could be removed from his pancreas, but too much handling and jostling of the pancreas can cause pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), which can be fatal, so we were trying to weigh the pros and cons and possible outcomes. Within a week of his diagnosis, he was declining so rapidly we were ready to cancel a major overseas trip and veterinary conference so we could stay with him, but we ended up having to put him down even sooner than expected because he was suffering so much. He was my husband’s baby, took on the role of my protector, and it was absolutely devastating.
I am so sorry you and your family are having to go through this, a dog is truly a boy’s best friend. Take comfort in knowing you had 11 years with the best friend, protector, pillow, alarm clock and greeter that you all could have asked for. I believe animals serve a purpose in our lives, and I truly think they know how special they are to us.
When they aren’t happy being a dog anymore, that’s when you’ll know.
Edited by madredepeanut 2018-02-05 12:29 AM
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Our 13 year old Aussie had a malignant tumor. At her age we choose to not treat and let her go when she startd to really go down hill. Her age made it an easier choice not to treat but I do no think I would have opted for treatment even if she were young. I asked the vet to be honest and she sadi she saw a very low, if any success rate treating cancers in dogs, she had treated her own dog and would never put one of her dogs thru that again. So sorry, cancer sucks |
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 Dog Rescue Hero
Posts: 1660
Location: Oklahoma City OK | madredepeanut - 2018-02-05 12:23 AM Our 9 year old Vizsla started having seizures and it took a couple months to figure out what was causing them because they were pretty sporadic; my husband’s colleagues didn’t find anything out of the ordinary with routine labs. We thought maybe a brain tumor, so we took him in for an MRI and when they ran blood work, they didn’t feel comfortable putting him under anesthesia because he was so hypoglycemic due to what we soon found out was pancreatic cancer. When his blood sugar levels would drop, he would start seizing, and it was awful to witness. We were contemplating doing exploratory surgery to see if the tumors could be removed from his pancreas, but too much handling and jostling of the pancreas can cause pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), which can be fatal, so we were trying to weigh the pros and cons and possible outcomes. Within a week of his diagnosis, he was declining so rapidly we were ready to cancel a major overseas trip and veterinary conference so we could stay with him, but we ended up having to put him down even sooner than expected because he was suffering so much. He was my husband’s baby, took on the role of my protector, and it was absolutely devastating. I am so sorry you and your family are having to go through this, a dog is truly a boy’s best friend. Take comfort in knowing you had 11 years with the best friend, protector, pillow, alarm clock and greeter that you all could have asked for. I believe animals serve a purpose in our lives, and I truly think they know how special they are to us. When they aren’t happy being a dog anymore, that’s when you’ll know.
One of the best pieces of information I've read...and well put. I had a dog dying of cardiomyopathy and decided that when he quit wagging his tail on a regular basis, then it was time to let him go. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | First of all I am so sorry for the diagnosis.
Second of all please take into account your dogs diet. She will need all the extra help her immune system can get while going through treatment. Here is a link to get you started. I've never used the product but I like the way they explain the diet. Hugs to you.
https://www.k9medicinals.com/dog-cancer-diet/
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| We had a 6yo July coyote hound that got skin cancer. The tumor grew and we had it removed. The vet said there was a chance it would come back. It grew twice as fast the 2nd time, and we found other lumps in his body. He had to be put down because it was growing faster than we could contain it. |
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Expert
Posts: 2678
Location: Mi | My Aussie was 6 when we found our she had mammary cancer. We decided to treat, 5 rounds of chemo and 2 years later we lost her anyways. We did get 2 more years with her but if I had it to do all over again I wouldn't have done it. We only gained 2 years, and made her suffer through 5 treatments etc just to gain 2 more years for ourselves. It's so HARD to say good bye them, they become so much like family!! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1074
| I've lost two corgis to cancer. They both had large tumors in their abdomens. When the tumors were discovered, I lost each dog within 5 days. It's still hard, and I miss them dearly. I pray for yall during this time. I strongly believe there needs to be more research. When I looked into it, there are many dogs that die from cancer. I did have a friend that was able to keep her dog comfortable fro 2-3 years on chemo meds. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
| barrelrider - 2018-02-05 1:22 PM
I've lost two corgis to cancer. They both had large tumors in their abdomens. When the tumors were discovered, I lost each dog within 5 days. It's still hard, and I miss them dearly. I pray for yall during this time. I strongly believe there needs to be more research. When I looked into it, there are many dogs that die from cancer. I did have a friend that was able to keep her dog comfortable fro 2-3 years on chemo meds.
Just my own personal thoughts, I wonder if it’s linked to their food. :( |
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My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | madredepeanut - 2018-02-05 12:23 AM
Our 9 year old Vizsla started having seizures and it took a couple months to figure out what was causing them because they were pretty sporadic; my husband’s colleagues didn’t find anything out of the ordinary with routine labs. We thought maybe a brain tumor, so we took him in for an MRI and when they ran blood work, they didn’t feel comfortable putting him under anesthesia because he was so hypoglycemic due to what we soon found out was pancreatic cancer. When his blood sugar levels would drop, he would start seizing, and it was awful to witness. We were contemplating doing exploratory surgery to see if the tumors could be removed from his pancreas, but too much handling and jostling of the pancreas can cause pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), which can be fatal, so we were trying to weigh the pros and cons and possible outcomes. Within a week of his diagnosis, he was declining so rapidly we were ready to cancel a major overseas trip and veterinary conference so we could stay with him, but we ended up having to put him down even sooner than expected because he was suffering so much. He was my husband’s baby, took on the role of my protector, and it was absolutely devastating.
I am so sorry you and your family are having to go through this, a dog is truly a boy’s best friend. Take comfort in knowing you had 11 years with the best friend, protector, pillow, alarm clock and greeter that you all could have asked for. I believe animals serve a purpose in our lives, and I truly think they know how special they are to us.
When they aren’t happy being a dog anymore, that’s when you’ll know.
Exactly---the day I walked out and Pookie looked at me, walked away, and laid down without ever "smiling" or even wagging his tail, I knew. He didn't want a treat, just for me to sit by him and talk to him. I walked into the house and started squalling. Momma asked if it was time, and I told her yes, he had told me he had no more to give and was tired. He was a pure white Husky with ice blue eyes---and the lights had gone out of those beautiful eyes. . . . . |
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Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
| veintiocho - 2018-02-05 2:31 PM
barrelrider - 2018-02-05 1:22 PM
I've lost two corgis to cancer. They both had large tumors in their abdomens. When the tumors were discovered, I lost each dog within 5 days. It's still hard, and I miss them dearly. I pray for yall during this time. I strongly believe there needs to be more research. When I looked into it, there are many dogs that die from cancer. I did have a friend that was able to keep her dog comfortable fro 2-3 years on chemo meds.
Just my own personal thoughts, I wonder if it’s linked to their food. : (
I was wondering this same thing as I was reading the new responses. |
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Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
| Update: We now have an appointment next week with the Veterinary Oncologist. I told my son we need to be prepare for whatever news the vet has. I also told him what you all said, Maisy will let us know when she's ready to go. I also mentioned the quality vs. quantity of life concept. He understands on an intellectual level, but not on an emotional one. He's having a hard time with accepting that she might not enjoy life with him anymore. I think he thinks Maisy is rejecting him, like she doesn't love him anymore. I told him we just need to be patient and enjoy her, love her, to understand that emotionally she wants to stay with us forever and spiritually she will, but our bodies are only designed to last for so long and wait to see what the vet says. I think this is also magnified by the fact that one of the kids on his football team was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, has had two surgeries and a stroke in trying to get the tumor removed but is done with football.
You all are so kind in sharing your stories. Thank you. |
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Go Get Em!
Posts: 13503
Location: OH. IO | azsun - 2018-02-06 12:16 PM
Update: We now have an appointment next week with the Veterinary Oncologist. I told my son we need to be prepare for whatever news the vet has. I also told him what you all said, Maisy will let us know when she's ready to go. I also mentioned the quality vs. quantity of life concept. He understands on an intellectual level, but not on an emotional one. He's having a hard time with accepting that she might not enjoy life with him anymore. I think he thinks Maisy is rejecting him, like she doesn't love him anymore. I told him we just need to be patient and enjoy her, love her, to understand that emotionally she wants to stay with us forever and spiritually she will, but our bodies are only designed to last for so long and wait to see what the vet says. I think this is also magnified by the fact that one of the kids on his football team was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, has had two surgeries and a stroke in trying to get the tumor removed but is done with football.
You all are so kind in sharing your stories. Thank you.
im so sorry about his team player.that is so very sad.prayers to him.and to your son.The way I found out my Izzy had cancer was she kept hiding or going to a corner in the living room,and she got growly at everyone.I just knew she didn't feel good for some reason and cancer was it.Will be keeping all you in prayer. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1035
Location: TN | I am so sorry about your sweet dog. I have had two dogs diagnosed with cancer in the past few years.
Our catahoula had bladder cancer. He didn't show signs of it until it was far advanced. The vet suggested doing a biopsy to see if it was in fact bladder cancer. He lost so much blood in surgery that he never fully woke up and passed away. It was heartbreaking. Less than a week from the first signs of something being wrong to when he was gone.
Our beagle has breast cancer that has spread tumors throughout her body. The vet expected her to last a few months at diagnosis time, but it's been 1 year and 11 months lol. She's a tough cookie! We put her on steroid pills at diagnosis time to keep the tumors from growing as quickly and now that she's in the final stages we took her off of steroids and have her on rimadyl for pain. She was abused prior to us getting her and is terrified of anyone but my husband and I so we are hoping to have her on "hospice" until she passes on her own.
Sending prayers for you all. |
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My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | azsun - 2018-02-06 11:16 AM
Update: We now have an appointment next week with the Veterinary Oncologist. I told my son we need to be prepare for whatever news the vet has. I also told him what you all said, Maisy will let us know when she's ready to go. I also mentioned the quality vs. quantity of life concept. He understands on an intellectual level, but not on an emotional one. He's having a hard time with accepting that she might not enjoy life with him anymore. I think he thinks Maisy is rejecting him, like she doesn't love him anymore. I told him we just need to be patient and enjoy her, love her, to understand that emotionally she wants to stay with us forever and spiritually she will, but our bodies are only designed to last for so long and wait to see what the vet says. I think this is also magnified by the fact that one of the kids on his football team was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, has had two surgeries and a stroke in trying to get the tumor removed but is done with football.
You all are so kind in sharing your stories. Thank you.
I think your explanation was spot on, Momma. Praying for all of you; it's so tough when we love them so much. |
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My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | Been thinking of your son and his baby girl. . . . Praying you have a good update for us  |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1035
Location: TN | Yes, hoping you have good news. We had to put our beagle to sleep on Monday. Her largest tumor had a sore on it and we could no longer keep her comfortable with pain meds. It was so hard to make that decision and lose her, but she's in a better place now. |
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Regular
Posts: 58
Location: Texas | I just let my 12 year old corgi go yesterday. She was diagnosed with lung cancer a little over a month ago. I had an appointment scheduled with an oncologist but ended up cancelling after doing a lot of research and thinking. I went back to see her regular vet and we decided to treat her symptoms and keep her as comfortable as possible for as long as possible since there was realistically no reasonable option for dealing with the disease. It worked pretty well for a few weeks, her symptoms improved drastically, she had energy and wanted to play again so I hoped she might stay around for a while longer. Unfortunately about a week ago, she started to deteriorate pretty quickly and I needed to give her peace. Absolutely broke my heart to watch her go through this but I tried my best to always make decisions based on what was best for her. I may not have always made the right call, but I believe that we are obligated to put their comfort and quality of life over our emotional attachment. I hope things work out for you, your family and your pup. |
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Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| So sorry, when our 12 year old Aussie was diagnosed with a malignant tumor I asked my vet what she would do. She sad she had treated her own dog and would never do it again, success rate is very low and quality of life is low. W kept her comfortable till it was time. Vet come to our house and she went quick and peacefully laying in her own bed. Hugs
Edited by rodeomom3 2018-02-24 5:42 AM
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Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
| UPDATE (sorry it's long): Thank you all for the prayers and honest opinions and advice. Maisy was seen by the veterinary oncologist and a surgeon on February 15. She has tumors in her colon and rectal areas. He was able to feel a cluster of 3 small tumors in her colon in an area that where tumors are more often then not cancerous. She has another tumor closer to her rectum. He said we had a few options. First, he recommended a CT scan to determine how many tumors there were and their exact location. If there were tumors in areas where he couldn't feel, then we would know surgery wasn't an option. Second, he thought we could operate, pull the area of the intestines-colon out and cut out the tumors and then separate her hips to get to the tumor closer to her rectum. Alternatively, he could try a very focused form of radiation to get the cluster of tumors and surgically remove the tumor closer to the rectum by separating the hips. The radiologist was very candid with me and said she had been doing this work for about 12 years and she did not like the radiation for the intestine/colon as it was hard on the dogs. Basically burning out the tumor and the dogs usually went for about 2 weeks with side effects of bowel issues. The cost of the CT scan $1,600-1,800. The cost of surgery $3,600+. Our third option is to get her NSAIDS which have been shown to slow tumor growth and keep her comfortable for whatever time she had left. The vet felt like they could prolong Maisy's life, depending on what they found with the CT scan and surgery. However, he noted that with some cancers, they can surgically remove and if they don't get everything, the tumor will grow back at a very rapid rate. (We just went through this with my mom's rescue dog). So I talked with my son, showed him the vet report. His first reaction was to do the CT scan and see if there were tumors elsewhere. We discussed the quality of life versus quantity of life and I told him I would give him a few days to think about it. He discussed with a few of his close friends and he came back and said, given her age, he would rather have Maisy have good days even if they were fewer in number instead of a bunch of bad days so he is opting, with my full support, for the NSAIDS. She will tell us when she's ready and although she is having accidents now and then, she is full of spunk when she's awake and sleeps soundly and snores loudly when she is asleep.
It's been a rough few days and I can't thank you enough for your guidance going into the vet appointment. It really helped me understand some of the lingo and options. |
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| azsun - 2018-02-24 9:55 AM
UPDATE (sorry it's long): Thank you all for the prayers and honest opinions and advice. Maisy was seen by the veterinary oncologist and a surgeon on February 15. She has tumors in her colon and rectal areas. He was able to feel a cluster of 3 small tumors in her colon in an area that where tumors are more often then not cancerous. She has another tumor closer to her rectum. He said we had a few options. First, he recommended a CT scan to determine how many tumors there were and their exact location. If there were tumors in areas where he couldn't feel, then we would know surgery wasn't an option. Second, he thought we could operate, pull the area of the intestines-colon out and cut out the tumors and then separate her hips to get to the tumor closer to her rectum. Alternatively, he could try a very focused form of radiation to get the cluster of tumors and surgically remove the tumor closer to the rectum by separating the hips. The radiologist was very candid with me and said she had been doing this work for about 12 years and she did not like the radiation for the intestine/colon as it was hard on the dogs. Basically burning out the tumor and the dogs usually went for about 2 weeks with side effects of bowel issues. The cost of the CT scan $1,600-1,800. The cost of surgery $3,600+. Our third option is to get her NSAIDS which have been shown to slow tumor growth and keep her comfortable for whatever time she had left. The vet felt like they could prolong Maisy's life, depending on what they found with the CT scan and surgery. However, he noted that with some cancers, they can surgically remove and if they don't get everything, the tumor will grow back at a very rapid rate. (We just went through this with my mom's rescue dog). So I talked with my son, showed him the vet report. His first reaction was to do the CT scan and see if there were tumors elsewhere. We discussed the quality of life versus quantity of life and I told him I would give him a few days to think about it. He discussed with a few of his close friends and he came back and said, given her age, he would rather have Maisy have good days even if they were fewer in number instead of a bunch of bad days so he is opting, with my full support, for the NSAIDS. She will tell us when she's ready and although she is having accidents now and then, she is full of spunk when she's awake and sleeps soundly and snores loudly when she is asleep.
It's been a rough few days and I can't thank you enough for your guidance going into the vet appointment. It really helped me understand some of the lingo and options.
I am so glad you were given options and various courses of treatment, which you then allowed your son the time and space to think over and discuss with you. I pray that you enjoy these days with Maisy and keep her close to your heart. Letting her be a dog is sometimes the best you can do.
Sometimes I ask myself, who are we to play God? Who are we to dictate what is right and wrong for our animals? As humans, we need answers and results, which isn’t a bad thing. I think you are taking the wise approach in your situation, and she will let you know when she’s no longer happy being a dog.
Lots of prayers going your way, I hope there’s a ton of cuddle time and favorite things in Maisy’s future! |
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| TX4FR - 2018-02-24 12:04 AM
I just let my 12 year old corgi go yesterday. She was diagnosed with lung cancer a little over a month ago. I had an appointment scheduled with an oncologist but ended up cancelling after doing a lot of research and thinking. I went back to see her regular vet and we decided to treat her symptoms and keep her as comfortable as possible for as long as possible since there was realistically no reasonable option for dealing with the disease. It worked pretty well for a few weeks, her symptoms improved drastically, she had energy and wanted to play again so I hoped she might stay around for a while longer. Unfortunately about a week ago, she started to deteriorate pretty quickly and I needed to give her peace. Absolutely broke my heart to watch her go through this but I tried my best to always make decisions based on what was best for her. I may not have always made the right call, but I believe that we are obligated to put their comfort and quality of life over our emotional attachment. I hope things work out for you, your family and your pup.
My prayers and thoughts go out to you. Take comfort in knowing you did everything you could to provide the best care to the end, especially when you realized she wasn’t happy being a dog anymore and had to make that extremely tough decision. |
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Canine Cancer - UPDATE