Advice needed re:dog with cancer.

patmac · 31-03-2009 2:43pm #1

Hi, about 6 years ago we rescued a shihtsu/cross dog from the pound in Mullingar. Cheri is her name and she was in a bit of a state blind in 1 eye and very nervous of everything especially men, it took her a long time to take to me. She is very happy sitting in her basket all day long with the odd sojourn outside for toilet breaks etc, but she is so quiet you would hardly know she is there.
Anyway 3 years ago we went on holidays leaving the dogs in kennels and when we came back a massive lump was seen on her back leg, which turned out to be cancerous. She had it removed after a tough operation, but last year it returned. The vet removed it again but said she couldn’t get all of the cancer and that it would return in about a year and that it would be unfair on Cheri to have another operation. Unfortunately in the last couple of weeks the lump seems to be returning. My wife thinks that if we bring her in now before it gets too big that she might prolong her life by another year, but I’m not sure.
She seems in good form, although very lethargic, what to do? I don’t want to put her down or if we keep her what signs should we look out for to see if she is in pain? Any advice would be welcome.

Munster Gal · 31-03-2009 2:52pm

I'm so sorry to hear Cheri has to go through all this. Some types of cancers just keep returning and there's only so much the vet can take away. You could get a second opinion, maybe another vet might have other treatment options. A vet in Cork does a new form of chemotherapy which works on certain types of cancers so there could be someone near you doing the same.
Nobody, not even the vet will know Cheri like you do and believe me you'll know if she's suffering. The general signs that she's OK is that she's eating, drinking and responds well to you. Her appetite might be decreased if she's not as active as she used to be. You'll know if she seems uncomfortable or is whimpering or even finds it hard to settle herself.
My mum's dog was diagnosed with cancer last year, her vet wanted to PTS immediately. Mum got a second opinion - no change in prognosis but the new vet changed the medication which gave the dog a great quality of life for several weeks. Mum knew when the time had come and made the decision to PTS herself.

anniehoo · 31-03-2009 3:54pm

The simple answer is it depends on what type of cancer it is. Some are treatable and can be kept at bay for awhile with chemo (e.g.lymphoma) others are more aggressive and can spread to other organs over time (e.g carcinoma).

The fact that the tumour is returning means the source hasnt been found so will always return but the vet needs to do biopsies and ultrasounds to check for metastases (spreading) to other parts of her body before a decision can be made. Has she suggested any form of chemo and/or medication maintenace for the dog?

Im in the same predicament with my dog. Shes 13 and has lymphoma. Diagnosed at 11 yrs old she got chemo (which is tolerated very well by dogs) for 18 weeks (very long protocol) and she was in remission for a yr and a half with absoutely no side effects. Its now returned and we're giving her one more but final go of chemo as it responded so well the last time. But, unfortunately this type of cancer cant be cured,will always return and she will eventually succumb to it. The hard part is knowing when enough is enough. Your dog is only 6 and is already lethargic which is obviously not healthy. Ask your vet what she thinks is fair and trust their judgement. They will only put an animal to sleep or not recommend treatment if they think its not worthwhile.Good luck!

patmac · 31-03-2009 4:04pm

anniehoo wrote: »

The hard part is knowing when enough is enough. Your dog is only 6 and is already lethargic which is obviously not healthy. Ask your vet what she thinks is fair and trust their judgement. They will only put an animal to sleep or not recommend treatment if they think its not worthwhile.Good luck!

Thanks for the replies. Sorry to hear that you are in the same situation as well Annie. I'm not sure of her age I'd say she's about 8, also we have to clean her eyes everyday as scum appears on them. She refuses to walk with us for the last 3 years, I wonder now is that related. She will potter around the garden for a while but then it's back into the house and she lies down for most of the day, but she was always very quiet and I imagine badly abused before we got her. It's off to the vets then I will suggest the chemo and let you know how I get on.

anniehoo · 31-03-2009 8:28pm

One thing to be aware of is chemo is an incredibly expensive and time consuming process. Most dogs tolerate it really well i.e not like humans with hair loss, vomiting etc and live grand lives while getting it.

I suppose you have to decide if you think shes having a good quality of life or is she in pain. Questions you should ask the vet are:

Do they know what type of cancer it is
Have they done biopsies
Do they think shes in pain
Is chemo an option and how much will it cost
Why isnt another operation viable if shes only 8 (thats not old)
Do they think its spread
Can they give you a mild analgesic if shes in discomfort
Have they done a full haemogram (blood panel looking at red and white cell function)

Advice needed re:dog with cancer.

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