nhg
Junior Member
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Post by nhg on Jun 13, 2016 2:20:40 GMT
If I have you on Facebook then you've probably already read what we're dealing with. Our dog Chloe has had bumps on her tummy for a couple of years. In November when they had their shots I had the vet take a look at a couple of them and she did a test where they take out some cells and have a look at them under a microscope. Nothing of concern showed up, just normal cells. So now Chloe has been off her food a bit for about a month. I have to add something yummy or she won't eat it. But she's a bit of a princess and can be funny about things like not eating because the carpet shampooer was left beside where she eats or things like that.
Yesterday morning she didn't want to get up. I decided to let her hang around in bed if she wanted but then Bella went upstairs and I could hear her crying. I went to see what was going on and Bella was quite agitated and was licking Chloe's head and circling her and crying and then snuggling up against her. I checked Chloe out and realized she was bleeding. One of the lumps- they're about the size of a pea- had come off and the spot was dripping blood. I stuffed some Kleenexes between her legs and called the vet.
We got in an hour later and he thinks she has mammary tumours because the areas where the two biggest bumps are seems to have something on the inside. So she had blood tests and x-rays done. I feel bad that I haven't noticed the swelling but Chloe was a rescue and has an extreme fear of being on her back so we never make her do that. And the vet had said the bumps weren't a concern. The x-rays showed almost like snowflakes in her lungs and they're supposed to be gray, not have white areas so he's concerned that it's cancer and has spread to her lungs. The plan at this point is to wait and see what an x-ray expert thinks of the white spots in the lungs. If he doesn't think it's cancer then we'll go ahead and have the surgery but if he thinks it is then we'll let her live as long as she's comfortable and then make a decision when we have to. According to what I've read, mammary tumours are benign about 50% of the time so if they are removed she'll have a good chance of survival and even if they're cancerous it will buy her time. That's all well do, though. I won't put my dog through pain she doesn't understand just to have her be around longer so anything beyond just removing the tumours will not be ab option. As a person it was hard to go through the surgery and I knew it would help me. She won't understand why she's in so much pain and to do that to her would be selfish, in my opinion.
Anyway, has anyone else experienced having a dog with mammary tumours? It's something that spayed dogs are less likely to get so the vet was surprised. All I know is that I want her with us as long as possible and happy and healthy. I will not allow her to suffer.
Thanks!
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Post by horselady on Jun 13, 2016 11:45:23 GMT
Sorry you are going thru all this.. in the end think of the great life she has had. love. food. and a warm place to live. i have had tumors on dogs. that were spayed and not spayed. one in particular a corgi i adopted at 8 months old had them.. my vet said to leave them alone. as in her stage in life the surgery would do more harm than good. she lived until she was 9 and when she decided she no longer wanted to walk and eat i made the decision to end her pain. we do what we think is best. that is all we can do.  |
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mistersmom
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Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749
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Post by mistersmom on Jun 13, 2016 13:48:55 GMT
I'm so sorry you are having to go through this nhg. I don't have any experience with tumors in dogs but just wanted to send some love to both you and Chloe. I think it is admirable what you are doing for her despite how hard I know it is on you. But then again, I would expect no less from you. <3
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Post by carshon on Jun 13, 2016 13:56:22 GMT
NHG- My Mom used to raise yellow labs and has some experience with these types of tumors. And the outcome varies. She said they had an older female that was diagnosed with mammary tumors and the vet made a poor prognosis and she lived a couple more years. They gave her something for the pain when she had a bad day and stopped breeding her. Tootsie was happy pretty much until her last day when she just crashed. They took her to the vet and had her PTS. They had another female that they had PTS within a couple of weeks of diagnosis - Chunkie just did not feel good ever and they made the decision not to prolong her pain.
Only you know your dog and can help her transition to being pain free. It is a hard decision to make but you will do it out of love.
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nhg
Junior Member
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Post by nhg on Jun 14, 2016 0:28:57 GMT
Thanks fir the support you guys. She seems fine. She's lethargic but her thyroid is low. And she's always been a couch potato. She didn't eat her breakfast again but did happily eat her dinner. Bella was crying about her again this morning. I worry that she knows something we don't.
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mistersmom
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Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749
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Post by mistersmom on Jun 14, 2016 0:47:11 GMT
I'm certain that Bella is feeding off the fact that Chloe isn't feeling well. I think it is great that you are listening to the behaviors of both of them, you are so in tune with your animals.
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nhg
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Post by nhg on Jun 14, 2016 3:49:52 GMT
Thanks MM! These guys are our babies, that's for sure. My babies in particular. Brodie doesn't seem to give the slightest crap about Chloe. But she and Bella were buddies before we got Brodie and while Bella and Chloe will play together, Brodie and Chloe rarely do. I guess I'll get the news tomorrow. I'm scared for her.
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mistersmom
Junior Member
Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749
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Post by mistersmom on Jun 14, 2016 12:57:55 GMT
Praying for you and Chloe today. |
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nhg
Junior Member
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Post by nhg on Jun 16, 2016 0:17:25 GMT
So they don't think she has cancer in her lungs so we're going ahead with the surgery on Monday. There's a 50/50 chance either way that they're malignant or benign. The vet thinks the reason why she's off her food is because of the tumours pressing on her organs. I feel bad we didn't notice them sooner but she's so phobic about being on her back that we don't push it. I never noticed that she had bigger areas that were sticking out. I'd have noticed right away on Brodie or Bella because they love having their tummies rubbed.
Anyway, I hope this will give her a few more years.
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on Jun 18, 2016 16:06:37 GMT
So Chloe is still not wanting to eat. Dog food, anyway. We feed the dogs a really good dog food that smells like fruit, nice stuff. She won't touch it. The vet thinks the masses are pressing on her tummy and making her feel sick. But, she will eat goodies. I've been giving her whatever she'll eat to get her to eat something. So she's had bread with peanut butter on for protein, leftover meat, mashed potatoes, whatever we have. She will eat those things. Last night I tried dog food with pumpkin on it but she smelled it and turned away. I'm really concerned that she's now just getting spoiled and I'll have a hard time getting her back to eating dog food after the surgery. She's chubby so the last thing I want is to give her soft food. And when I tried topping her dog food with Little Ceasar to get her to eat it she still turned away from it. She also won't eat regular dog food with gravy on it. Any suggestions?
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mistersmom
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Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749
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Post by mistersmom on Jun 19, 2016 1:04:13 GMT
Since she is having surgery on Monday, I personally would just be giving her stuff she will eat. When she goes in Monday, tell the vet what is going on and your concerns. Hopefully they will be able to offer some advice.
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on Jun 19, 2016 3:46:21 GMT
He thinks the tumours are pressing on her stomach and making her feel nauseous. She's such a princess that I'm worried she'll figure that she doesn't need to eat dog food anymore.
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Post by horselady on Jun 19, 2016 11:34:43 GMT
I usually cook chicken or ground beef and mix it in the dry dog food. sometimes i just break up bread and let them eat that. as for a dog with a situation like your chloe. small amounts often during the day.. and yes she might be used to human food. but with her condition she needs all the nourishment she could get. good luck tomorrow. i will be thinking of her and you.
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on Jun 19, 2016 17:38:50 GMT
Aw, thank you HL. Yes, tomorrow's the surgery. I let her eat a container of soft dog food this morning just to get something into her. Maybe I'll get some hamburger when I'm out so she can have dinner. She won't have breakfast before the surgery. She's somewhat tubby so eating less isn't going to kill her but I think she needs protein to keep her strength up. I'm scared for her. I'm scared the tumours will turn out to be malignant and I'm scared that something will happen and she won't survive the surgery. She's been very clingy lately. More so than usual. My poor little BooBoo.
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mistersmom
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Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749
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Post by mistersmom on Jun 20, 2016 13:13:17 GMT
Thinking about you and Chloe today and praying that all goes well with the surgery. Do they need to send the tumors out for testing or can they do it in-house?
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Post by horselady on Jun 20, 2016 18:36:12 GMT
any update on the surgery,,??  |
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on Jun 21, 2016 1:57:40 GMT
Thank you for the support! It turns out it wasn't mammary tumours. It was probably just an abcess. The lump is gone. So the vet took off all the little skin tags and a couple of bigger bumps she had on her tummy and chest and the bumps will be biopsied. But it looks like it was a false alarm. This is the second time this particular vet at the practice has let us down. He's been a vet for a number of years but I'm not impressed.
For the record, spayed dogs get mammary tumours very rarely while unsprayed dogs, particularly who have had puppies, are a much higher rate.
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Post by horselady on Jun 21, 2016 11:15:31 GMT
Thankfully she will be ok. now back to feeding her. and making her happy. lol
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