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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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