General Chat

my lovely 10yr old black lab has developed a large tumour on his head,our vet has taken three biopsys,and they have all come back negative for cancer,we have been told just to take him home and enjoy what time we have left with him,but i cant let him die without doing everything i can to save him,the awful thing is that hes still doing his everyday things as if nothings wrong,i have decided to consult a specialist vet in frodham(i live in wales)to see if they will remove the tumour,but i dont know if im doing the right thing or being selfish?hes not in pain as far as i know as hes taking painkillers twice a day,but someone told me that dogs dont cry when they are in pain?any ideas?

I'd get a second opinion. The vet here removed a tumor from one of our guinea pigs last year and that was large...he's fine now too

So what did the biopsy say the tumour consisted of? I ask because if it is a fatty tumour it is probably not doing any harm even though it can grow bigger. It is a good idea to have a second opinion though, and maybe worthwhile consulting a homoeopathic vet who would no doubt be able to improve his general constitution and perhaps slow down the growth rate. Let us know how you get on.

Chica xxxx

i think the proplem is that tumours either have there own blood supply or they are attached to anouther source ie vein ,they wont know until they go in and see whats going on,because my dogs tumour is so large(its almost the size of his head now)the local vet wont touch it,i know its going to cost me a lot of money but i feel that i must do something,our dog has been a faithful pet for over 10yrs,he protected my children when they were young and i feel we owe it to him to do as much as we can.

chica,
the tumour is not your normal run of the mill fatty lump,its much worse than that,but the biopsys came back neg for cancer,but as it is growing at an aggressive rate i think maybe the vet didnt go deep enough into the tissue to find the malignant cells.

I would consult a specialist vet. Have you asked your vet why they are not going to attempt to remove it? If it is non cancerous than would have thought they would try.

If a dog is is pain, they do normally wince (in my experience anyway)...

Good luck anyway. I lost my dog last year and I know how special they are to us, part of the family...xx

Why not try contacting the "Royal Veterenary College" in Cambridge,They mey be able to give you an answer.**M**.

hi merlin,
ive contacted the liverpool uni vet centre and also a specialist vet in chesire,im waiting for a referal from my vets(they are phoning me later)but i dont know if im doing the right thing or if ive left it to late.

Well I hope you get a good result,if not, as long as your dog is not it pain,enjoy him for whatever time is left. **M**.xx.

Suzanne
Dont put yourself under too much pressure..get the 2nd opinion and then decide whats best

thanksx

Suzanne I've just read your thread & I wonfer if your vet has mentioned refering your dog to The Animal Health Trust in Newmarket.

My dog was refered there a couple of years ago as she was having fits & medication wasn't working.
My vet was wonderful. He reffered us for a brain scan to find out what was causing her fits. The AHT sent the results to my vet within two weeks, unfortunately there was nothing anyone could do for her & we lost her a few weeks later.

What I do know is the vets at the AHT are the most experienced in the country & one of the few places in the country where brain surgery is performed on dogs.

Maybe you could ask for a referal? It is very expensive, our scan cost £1500, luckily we had our dog insured.

I hope you manage to get a referal or second opinion. Knowing we had tried everything for our dog made it easier when we lost her.

Good luck x

chrisa,my dog hasnt got a brain tumour,the tumour he has got is attached to his skull,as i live in north wales i have got into with liverpool uni vets department and a specialist in frodham,just waiting for a referal,i know its going to be expensive and i could kick myself for being very stupid and cancelling his insurance two wks before he became ill,i did it in a fit of temper as the company had raised the fees three times during the year,

thanks everyone for your comments.x

just read your message keep on being determineded
cos if you dont keep on with it you always be thinking what if...have faith and what enjoy what time you have left
best wishes and fingers crossed

Just read your replies. Let us know how everything goes. What is his name? x

my 9 year old german shepard had a tumor on her stomach, she had a biopsy and we were told she should be okay for 12 months before it would come back,it came back in three, there are no words to describe how we felt, and still feel.

There are occasions like this when you have to really think whats best for him, try everything, but in the end know when not to be selfish, it is the hardest thing we ever had to do as parents, but in the end we though of her not us.

hi everyone,just to let you know that ive spoken to my vet and the specialist vet in frodham and ive decided not to go ahead with surgery,if tizer survives the surgery he will be in terrible pain,he will also need reconstructive surgery afterwards as the will have to take part of hios face away plus his right eye,and maybe part of his jaw ,its cruel to put a dog through all that pain,so we have all decided to make his remaining time with us as comfortable as we can,thanks everyone for your comments.x

Under the circumstances, I think you are right to let nature take its course, sad tho that will be.
I had my lovely old dog Daisy, operated on for mammary cancer, but altho she seemed to recover quickly, four days later she relapsed badly and after spending all day on a drip at the vets, I was called for permission to let her go. The vet said there wasn't time for me to get to say goodbye to her, which would have been half an hour. Ten years ago, this May, and I still miss her. Wish I hadn't put her through the op.
Lizx

hi everyone, just to let you know that tizer has become very poorly over the last 24hrs,and i think the end is very near now,we have decided to nurse him at home and are sure that he isnt in any pain(hes on very strong painkillers) ive never been through this before and an finding it very upsetting as is all of my familyx