Eff Cancer

NavyBlue143

On Thursday we took my dog Rocky to a specialist to see what a lump in his neck was. My worst fears were confirmed. Pending the results of the biopsy, the specialist believes it is cancer. The tumor is 6 inches long, and covers his voicebox, carotid artery, thyroid and larynx on the right side. No surgeon will touch it. Chemo will do little good. We could try radiation, but he does not recommend it unless the growth isn't cancerous. In the meantime, he is on anti inflammatories that are known to slow tumor growths and I have put him on a cancer fighting diet.

I may have as little as a week, or perhaps two months with my sweet dog before I will have to put an end to his pain. Currently his discomfort can be managed with medication. He is not even 6 yet. I rescued him at 7 months, and he is my child. I am so devastated.

I know this board is a bit slow, but if anyone has suggestions on other things I can try, or just stories to help me cope, I would appreciate it. I have had dogs before, but this one is different. He is so special, and I cannot imagine my life without him. I will do what I must when it is no longer right to keep him alive, but for now his spirits are good, and I am doing my best to cherish the time I have left. Thank you.

Caz1221

I am so sorry you and your sweet pup are going through this. It feels like our pets are never with us long enough no matter how old they are when they cross the Bridge. I don't have any medical/treatment advice, but I recently went through a similar situation with one of my two pugs.

A little more than 2 months ago, our older pug collapsed while eating dinner 2 days before his 7th birthday. He had been healthy with no medical issues since we rescued him 3.5 years ago, and his prior vet records didn't show anything other than some skin issues that we had resolved by changing his diet.

We rushed him to the e-vet and found out he had a tumor on his heart that was bleeding into the pericardial space, causing his heart to be unable to beat normally (which is why he collapsed). He had never shown any symptoms of illness until the collapse and had been running and playing the day before. The tumor was inoperable, and even if the cancer hadn't spread to other parts of his body yet, chemo would have given him another 4 months at most. If the cancer had already spread, he would have less than 4 months even with chemo.

We knew it wasn't fair to him to put him through chemo just to get another few months (maybe) with him, and with the tumor continuing to bleed, he would have had to stay in the hospital to have the blood drained regularly or come home and eventually pass away. We decided neither of these things was a fair option for him, so we had to say goodbye less than 48 hours after he collapsed. It was devastating, and we miss him every day, but we know we did what was right for him - we couldn't let him continue to suffer for our own selfish desire to have just a few more months with him.

Ultimately, it's a personal decision, and there isn't a right or wrong path. You know your dog better than anyone else, and you will do what's right for him. Just know that as hard as it is to say goodbye (whenever that may be), he knows you love him and gave him the best possible life. It will get easier over time, and you will eventually be able to focus on the good times you had with him. We chose to get our pup's ashes so that he can always be with us. Do whatever feels right to you.

I'm sending lots of T&Ps to you and your sweet pup.

TarponMonoxide

There is acupuncture for dogs. Maybe you can look into it.

Wishing you the best.

chrisnjay05212010

i have no suggestions but i am so very sorry for the bad news.  Growing up our lab had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on her leg, we had it removed once and it came back. Like yours she was in very good spirits and we had some medication to help manage things.  She stayed with us about another year before we had to make the decision to put her down. Enjoy the time you have left and you will know when the time is right. Sending you some hugs and T&Ps!!!

LuckyAngel07

I'm so sorry you and your sweet boy are going through this. It is incredibly unfair.

My sweet kitty developed a tumor in his lung when he wasn't even 3 years old. My parents told me (I was away finishing my final semester of college and had left him with them rather than uproot him to a new place for just a few months) that he was collapsed upstairs gasping for breath. They were able to operate on it, and we did steroids and chemo treatments for 6 months before the tumor returned. At that point, I had to decide to say goodbye. It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. But it was the right choice for him, and I knew it.

I really hope you can enjoy the remaining time with your boy. Spoil him rotten. Give him whatever he wants. It's great that meds can help with his pain for now, and if he's otherwise acting normally, keep him with you. He'll let you know when he can't do it anymore.

Like, Caz, I chose to get my kitty's ashes after I put him to sleep. I keep him on my dresser at home under a little white porcelain cat figure. It's a beautiful reminder of the sweet boy I once had. I hope you're able to do something similar. Others have also gotten paw prints of their fur babies, either inked prints or prints in concrete like little kids do to make those stepping stones. I think that's a great option, too, especially when you have the time.