Have a dog with cancer? What did you do?

J

just_another_jennifer

Cathlete
We recently took my 6 year old dog, Lenny, to the vet to be evaluated for sudden onset of difficulty breathing, bloodshot/leaky eyes and loss of appetite. The vet palpated a mass in his abdomen and ordered x-rays and bloodwork. The bloodwork revealed elevated white blood cell counts and very high liver enzyme levels. The vet suspects cancer/neoplasia. My DH and I are devestated. You always have in the back of your mind that you will lose your pet "eventually", "one day" due to natural causes.......but it is hard to deal with when it doesn't happen in the natural, quiet, old-age way that you hope for. Today, he is scheduled for an MRI, to determine whether there is organ involvement, torsion, vascular involvement, etc.

Just wondering if any of you have gone through this and could comment on what your treatment options were and what you ultimately decided to do. There aren't many studies about chemotherapy in canines and whether it is worth putting your pet through it or just prolonging the inevitable.

Thanks for reading-these posts are so difficult! My prayers go out to all the brave pet owners out there who continue to take the wonderful journey of pet ownership despite some potential sad endings to the story. I don't regret a moment with my pup and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Jen
 
Hi Jen,

so sorry to hear about Lenny! My 10-year-old Labrador, Jake was diagnosed with cancer last year. In my case, I opted for no chemo, due to his age. Had he been younger, I am sure I would have done the treatment, however, me personally, I probably would have gone with a naturopathic vet.

After the diagnosis, I just kept him as comfortable as possible, he was on a all natural, homemade diet, took vitamins and supplements and some pain medication. He did well for a few months but then suddenly took a turn for the worse, couldn't get up anymore, something in his demeanor had changed and we decided to put him down.

If the diagnosis is clear, I would talk to your vet about the options, what are the side effects and what his chances of recovery are. You may want to check out if there are any naturopathic vets in your area and see what your options are with them.

My thoughts are with you and Lenny at this difficult time. Keep us posted how he is doing.
 
So sorry to hear about your dog. I don't know if dogs are the same as cats as far as chemo goes, however, we had a cat with a sarcoma (very aggressive cancer). After surgery she had several radiation treatments and then chemo. She tolerated them very well. The vet said it was surprising how well they tolerate it - much better than humans. That was in 2003 and she is still doing fine and cancer free. She was solid black and the only thing is that the fur in that area grew back gray. We weren't sure it would grow back at all because it took several months. We are very happy we made the decision to go ahead and treat her aggressively. Good luck and my thoughts are with you. It's a difficult decision.
 
I am so sorry to hear about your dog...it was really hard for us when we found out that our beloved Hershey had a bone tumor in her hip. Because she was over 10 years old and a large dog (lab/shepherd mix) we opted against treatment. We kept her comfortable and took good care of her but when it spread and she was going downhill quickly (stopped eating, etc) then we had to make the choice to put her down. That was the day after Thanksgiving in 2005.

Our other dog, Hero, has several growths on him. We had some tested and they were just fatty deposits but it's just a matter of time before one is malignant. Because of his age (12), and his size (85 pounds so he's old for his size), we will put him down when it is time instead of seeking treatment.

Your dog is younger and so may respond well. No matter what choice you make, my thoughts will be with you.
 
I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. :( It's so very difficult when we get this kind of shocking news. I don't have any personal experience with dogs with cancer, but I lost a very special kitty to lung cancer a couple years ago. In cats, lung cancer is rare and basically untreatable (chemo and radiation do not help), so we didn't have much choice in terms of whether or not to treat it.

However, my understanding is that cats and dogs tolerate chemotherapy and radiation much better than humans do - it has fewer side effects on them. When treatment is an option, in many cases it can extend the pet's life while still maintaining quality of life. It depends on the type of cancer, the age of the pet, other health conditions the pet might have, etc.

Whatever you decide, I know it's not easy. Many ((((hugs)))) to you.
 
Hi Jen,

I'm so sorry to hear about Lenny. This is the worst part of being a pet owner:(

I had a 13 yr old Sheltie who was diagnosed with cancer. I chose not treat the cancer due to her age and had to put her down. Had she been younger, maybe I would have considered other options but her well being and quality of life had to come first.

I'll be thinking of you & Lenny. I came here when I had to put my Bailey down and received such an outpouring of sympathy and kindness. This forum is a wonderful place to reach out for help & support as it is filled with many caring people.

{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}

JJ
 
Jen, I am so sorry about Lenny. I know how much your dogs mean to you. I am praying for the best possible outcome and also for strength for you and your DH. Sending you big hugs.

T
 
I can only imagine how gut-wrenching this is for you and I'm so sorry you have to confront this. Of all the canines I've known to be diagnosed with cancer, they have all been pretty advanced in age - which makes the decision on treatment only slightly easier. I know if it were my dog (who is 9 and healthy, but I dread the day . . .) I would do anything possible for him. My prayers are headed your way.


Mo
 
Jen, let's not panic yet. Many vets (mine included) have a tendency to give the worst case scenario so the pet owner is prepared.

My beloved Cosmo, who passed away this January, had the same symptoms last summer & my vet automatically said she likely had cancer. I had to take her to a specialist & spent about $600 in testing to find out she had liver disease that was controllable by meds. The meds are pretty serious & have their own side effects, but she still had a good quality of life up until the very end.

If it had been cancer & she was 6 years old, I would've drained my bank account & taken a dozen mortgages on my house to keep her around as long as possible as long as she was comfortable.

I hope Lenny's problem is the same as Cosmo's (she ultimately passed away b/c her arthritis got so bad she couldn't stand up anymore). Truthfully those symptoms could be indicative of any number of illnesses. I'm sending good vibes your way, please keep us posted.
 
My 11 year old cat was put to sleep last week (July 31st). He had cancer in his kidneys. It was a really difficult decision, but I knew he was having problems with his kidneys for a long time, eventually he developed cancer (the vet found three tumors on one of his kidneys). I knew he was in a lot of pain, he lost his appetite which caused him to lose almost 4 pounds, he was severely dehydrated, and he just simply slept all day and all night. In his last few days, before I took him to the vet, he moved only to drink some water, or to use the litter box. He slept all curled up in the same spot near one of my windows. I remember I went to touch him and talk to him and I started crying and while he couldn't move he started caressing my arm with his tail. Awww it was just heartbreaking. I still miss him a lot, since he was the first one I saw when I woke up and the last one I hugged before I went to bed, but I know he must've been in terrible pain (the results of his bloodwork were off the charts; things were either extremely high or extremely low) and although difficult, putting him to sleep was the only option.

I'm sorry you're going through that with your dog (I also have two dogs and after what I went through with my cat I'm scared it might happen to them as well). When we have pets for a long time they become a part of our family. I definitely know what you're feeling right now. You're in my thoughts.
 
Hi everyone-

Thanks so much for your support and sharing your stories. No news yet. The MRI place said it will be a couple of days before the results are in, since they send it out to be read. I looked at his x-rays last night and the mass is large-bigger than a softball. :( His stomach is very distended. He has eaten more over the past few days and is still running to greet me at the door and trying to bring me something (he brings me whatever he can find-his toy, my dirty socks, etc. :)) when I come home from work.

We certainly plan to do whatever it takes finanically and otherwise to help him get through this, I was just wondering if anyone opted for chemo if it was presented as an option and whether the quality of life was still there while undergoing the treatment and/or after treatment. DH & I just don't want him to suffer.

Again, thanks so much for reading and responding, especially those of you who lost your pets. I really appreciate all your thoughts and prayers and will keep you posted.

Jen
 
Jen, I just saw your post. I wanted to say I am so sorry for what you are dealing with. I remember you talking about your pets in the yoga check-in and I know how much you love them. Hang in there.

Karin
 
Not a dog, but I had a cat with cancer. The vet operated to remove tumors, but the cancer had already spread. No chemo: in situations where the prognosis is terminal anyway (she was already 12 years old), I just think it makes them feel bad and doesn't necessarily add much in the way of good days. She lived about 2 more years (and the vet seemed surprised to see her every time we went in for her yearly check-up!)
 
i can't even express how terribly sorry i am for you. pets become members of the family so when they are ill it is heartbreaking. i had a boxer 1 year ago that had cancer. his name was barron. makes me want to cry just thinking about him. he was diagnosed with cancer. he was 9 years old when this happened. we put him through the surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible. we then decided to go with the chemo b/c we wanted to see if we could cure him. unfortunately the chemo was making him ill. he was very lethargic and would often curl in the corner of a room to be by himself. in a way i think he knew he was dying. we tried to take him for walks like we used to with the other dogs but he would sit down with in a couple of minutes b/c he was so tired. in the end we decided to stop the chemo and put him down. yes it was buying us time with him but it wasn't the same dog anymore. he was in pain and we decided to let him go. i would do the chemo again if my current dog had cancer as well. i believe that you need to exhaust all means possible of making them better. every dog will react differently to the treatments. i will say a prayer for your little one. i know what you are going throught. i'm so very sorry. please keep us posted on what happens.:(
 
Jen,

I'm so sorry to hear about your boy - that's SO young to deal with cancer, but I have seen it happen unfortunately. Just take some deep breaths and try not to let your mind run absolutely wild with "what to do"s until you get all the information (I'm one to talk, the least bit of bad news and my mind takes me places I don't want it to!)

If it is liver cancer and isolated to one liver lobe, it could be removed and chemotherapy considered. Pets do tolerate chemo surprisingly well, as one other poster stated. If it is diffuse disease, incorporating most of the liver/multiple lobes and surrounding organs, then that does change the outlook a bit (as well as pulmonary involvement) Just wait for all the info and discuss the options with your vet. If they aren't comfortable treating with chemo, referall clinics or vet schools should be able to help.

I have a shephered I saw on emerg. with fluid in her lungs/chest and full of cancer. They had the surgery and are doing every bit of chemo they can - and that's with only 4-8 months time left at best. They just told me that as long as she chases squirrels and has a spark to her, they will keep going. They told me that she was that special to them, and if she were a person, they knew she'd do the same for them. How sweet...

My thoughts are with you - please keep us informed as to how things go. Our pets are truly family members so I know what you must be going through.

Hang in there (for Lenny too!)

Heidi (DVM)
 
Last year, my 11 y/o German Shepherd was diagnosed with bone cancer. We took her in becasue she had been limping for awhile. I just thought it was arthritis. It never occured to me it could be anything worse. Because of her age, we had her put to sleep, which was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. We could've put her on pain meds but the dr couldn't say how well they would work or how much longer she had. I just couldn't put her through that for my own selfishness of wanting to keep her around. My heart goes out to you. My dogs are like my children.

Kim
 
My sister had a labrador retriever who was diagnosed with cancer at a young age. I can't remember how old he was at the time, but her family did have their dog go through chemo. If I remember correctly, I think he did pretty well with it most of the time, but the couple of days after treatments he wasn't himself. Unfortunately, I think the chemo only added about an extra year (maybe two) to his life.

My heart goes out to you. I have had more experience with cats and how heartbreaking it is to make the decision that is in the best interest of the pet (whom you have always treated as a child/family) and not yourself. Sending hugs your way.
 
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