ok so my dog is 12 years old and I've had her since I was 8 years old. She has gotten very aged over the last year or so, and we've been taking her to the vet very regularly to keep her in good shape. But we've recently found out that she has a huge tumor on her spleen that is *probably* malignant and agressive. (thats the thing they cant even tell us 100% if it's even cancerous) now we have to decided if we should put her through surgery to remove the tumor, or just let it go and see what happens. i dont know how long she would live if we leave it, but since it is putting so much pressure on her spleen, it could rupture at any time, and also it is putting so much pressure on her stomach that she can not eat much of anything without feeling over full. so shes not eating hardly anything. we all have to sit down today and decide what to do with her. I want to do what would be best for her, but I honestly don't know what to do. any advice?
I had this same issue with my old dog several years ago and decided to have the tumor removed for the sake of her quality of life. It was not an easy decision since it was major surgery and my veterinarian strongly suspected the tumor was cancerous too, but after it was removed and tested, it came back negative for cancer. The best part was that after it was removed, she was back to her old self within a couple of weeks. I will admit the surgery really scared the hell out of me, but it did give my pup a few more comfortable years to be with me and for that I will be eternally grateful. I hope your old dog is doing well this day and she and you will be in my thoughts and prayers.
I will give you this.....our vet always says, "do what you feel is right"....this came into play last year when our black lab was dying of lymphoma. We brought him in to be put down the day before Memorial Day weekend.....when we got there he perked up and started walking around wagging his tail, like he wasn't sick. My mom and I looked at each other and both felt that it was not the right time...our Doc checked him out and told us that we had to do what we felt was right and what was in our hearts.....we decided to take him home for the weekend so he could be part of the huge festivities of the Memorial Day weekend.....he spent the weekend playing with the other dogs, feasting on handouts and visiting with all our friends and family.....on Tuesday he went out to his favorite place in the horse pasture and passed away peacefully...... If the Doc thinks that the surgery will give your pup some good quality years....even if only one....and you can afford the procedure and the cost to care for an older dog with issues then I would try the surgery. You can let them go at anytime, but you cannot bring them back....meaning if the surgery is not successful, you have the option of putting them down.....but there is a chance that this can be taken care of...... Please keep us updated.....good luck and lots of love from me and my critters to you and yours.....we will be thinking about all of you....
we talked to the vet several times yesterday and she pretty much gave us two options - let it go and she'll have a week or two to live because of the pressure on her spleen, and she will be in a considerable amount of pain. or do an exploritory surgery to see if the tumor has spread to any other organs. if that is the case they will not wake her up from surgery. they will just put her down then. or if they open her up and the tumor has not spread they will remove it and she will have a 98% chance of a full recovery. - so we have decided to do the surgery. she's scheduled to go to a special facility tomorrow morning. I think it will be the best thing for her but its so hard thinking that today might be her last day with us. she still has some spunk to her. it really breaks my heart. but there would be no point in making her suffer the next week or so, especially since if it has not spread they can remove it and she has a good chance of recovering. I just don't understand why they have absolutely no idea if it's spread or not. like thay can't even give us a 50/50. or anything. so we have absolutely no idea if we'll be bringing her home again. i'm really upset and i feel like not many people understand. theyre just like "oh its just a dog" but she is very loved by all of us and will be very missed. I'm going to be a nervous wreck all day tomorrow worrying about her. and everytime ive seen her around the house today i tear up because it could be her last day here. *sigh* so thats the update. thanks for your replies. I'll let you know what happens. thanks for keeping her in your thoughts and prayers.
I'll be thinking about all of you today......has the vet talked to you about treatment options if it has in fact spread? It seems that the tumor on the spleen is the worst of it....they can take that whole organ out I'm pretty sure.....that seems to be the main issue....but have they discussed what treatments you could do if it has spread? And your right, it's not "just a dog" she is a member of the family : )
Waiting for your update, and wishing the pup and your family the very best of positive vibes. These things are just so hard...
she had the surgery on monday and came home today. they wanted to keep her there longer but she would not eat anything at all so they sent her home early bc she's so depressed. she did eat some for us right when she got home so thats good. it didnt look like the cancer had spread so they just took the mass off her spleen. it was 8 or 9 cm which i guess is huge for a dog her size. she has a few spots on her liver but theyre not sure if they're anything to worry about yet. so things look good. we've just got to get her feeling better. thanks everyone
hope things work out for you and your pooch; i wish i had some advice, but i don't. just some good vibes to help you with what's going on.
It is very good to know she made it through the toughest part which is the surgery and that she made it home safe and sound. I know she will continue to improve as the anesthesia wears off and I was told it can take several weeks for old dogs to get over all the grogginess after a long surgery. By the way, I would keep an eye on her sutures for any redness or swelling and you may notice that she will be drinking more water too. I and my dogs send her many healing thoughts...
im not to keen on the technical medical side. but a few things ive learned is that i think a dogs temp should be around 101 and its takin rectally (yay). and check there crap often. also check for any spider/bug bites. just a few things someone may need one day. oh and when my dogs were sick and not eating at all, we gave them chicken noodle soup frozen in ice cube trays. they always would lick it tillit was gone. so you can get some kinda nutrition in them. but obviously, the vet is never the wrong answer
