Please help me think this through

lostinrates · 18 December 2013 at 9:57AM

Yep, we'll know what we are dealing with, and there is small hope that its contained inthe lump and no spread. As you say though, its not my experience with cancer in big dogs.

. But one day surgery seems a reasonable ask of her. My vet was reassuring and seemed to agree my concerns that entering an aggressive treatment plan would not be in HER best interests.

So there won't be any news for a while now.

Thank you all for being such a good sounding board. I have to do it for my clients, but there is noone to do it for me often! My husband is surprising me by being more pragmatic about big dog than he has been before with any of the animals but I know he finds it almost unbearable.

lostinrates · 18 December 2013 at 4:17PM

Ok, there is news.

On grooming she has very small areas of sore red skin over her back.

They almost look like flea bites, but are not.

I think that's probably the answer to 'has it spread'. They certainly weren't there four weeks ago at her last big groom.

Ironically, though her skin is not great, it often isn't, her coat is shining and brilliant.

Gold_Dust_2 · 18 December 2013 at 5:02PM

Woaaah pessimist alert! Don't go assuming that it has spread just from that, that's just gonna bring you down and might not be at all true. Don't do that to yourself, you don't deserve it. How is she doing?

lostinrates · 18 December 2013 at 5:17PM

Gold_Dust wrote: »

Woaaah pessimist alert! Don't go assuming that it has spread just from that, that's just gonna bring you down and might not be at all true. Don't do that to yourself, you don't deserve it. How is she doing?

Heeeheee....a friend and I were discussing whether I was a pessimist the other day. I said I thought I might describe myself as one

Um, well, she's happy enough. They said at the groomers that she was noticeably figity and on comfortable though, not herself. They normally do her a side at a time, letting her lay on one side while they groom the other side, but this time she didn't want to do that, she wanted to fidget.

I'd warned them that I'd had more coat off her than normal between visits, and indeed, they had a pile the size of a collie dog and were quite shocked.

She loves the groomers (she used to really dislike being groomed, I love them because they have turned into an experience she enjoys:)) but she was unusually impatient to leave when I collected her. And then she found it hard to get in the car.

I don't think she's a dramatically different dog from yesterday. I do think that we are on a decline that its easy not to notice. I wouldn't bathe her at home because we don't have hot water or central heating (long story, but don't worry, she is warm, she has a heater).

She's normally quite cocky after going to the groomers, tonight she's not. This afternoon, for the first time I can remember ever I think, she didn't want to come and do the poultry with me, so I left her in the garden. That's normally the greyhound trick.

As I type I have just brought them into the sitting room to sit with me, and she is sitting by the woodburner, That is also VERY VERY out of character. She hates being too hot, and sits on the other side of the sofa from the wood burner to protect herself from the heat. Because the wood burner has been on all day the room is warm anyway and I wasn't sure she'd want to be in here and thought I might have to leave a door open to the next room.

Gold_Dust_2 · 18 December 2013 at 5:56PM

Hmmm... I see what you mean about her behaviour. Don't really know what to say, I just hope that you're wrong.

I wanted to say this in my first post, but didn't want to sound like a quack

have you ever heard of IP6? It's a supplement that a friend mentioned to me when my cat was diagnosed with cancer. I didn't do much research into it at the time, but you might want to do some, if you fancy trying something non-invasive. I'm considering supplements myself now for another cat, because at this point, I have nothing to lose.

lostinrates · 18 December 2013 at 6:10PM

Thanks.

Ip6 has a contraindications with some conditions. This includes 'weak bones'. Because big dog has degenerative issues with her sine and a history of osteochondritis I'd be wary of this tbh. My experience with her breed is that bone cancer is not uncommon sadly, and I'd be worried that if it limits absorption of calcium and further weakens bones any spread ( because we still don't really know what we are dealing with here beyond the mast cells) this could actually have the opposite impact, but that is likely putting two and two together and getting five.

Gold_Dust_2 · 18 December 2013 at 6:15PM

Oh dear, although that would be ironic if it cured the original cancer only to cause another. Shucks, I really feel for you! Until Christmas Eve, then.

lostinrates · 21 December 2013 at 4:47PM

No crying or moaning or anything, and a very social girl this morning, but in a shock move has left some of her Afternoon meal. A friend and client brought the dogs a Christmas gift each this morning, and she got a teddy, which she lay with her head on and licked sweetly. Then she took coffee with some visitors in a very social manner. We have a social evening too, but if she fades we'll put her to bed, and of she does get miserable our guests will have to understand her well being comes first. It always has, so won't surprise any one we know.

lostinrates · 24 December 2013 at 11:07AM

Just to let everyone know, having ummed and Ahhed right up until this morning we decided to go ahead with the op. she picked up through the week we think, and enjoyed a walk in the horrendous weather yesterday. So we feel if someone can enjoy THAT they have more oomph in them yet and removing the lump might extend her life.

Hopefully it will all go well.