| Golden Retriever with Mast Cell Tumors - CLICK HERE for the Pet Manual Forum Home Page |
| Rhett Starr |
I'm struggling over what to do with my 3-year old Golden. He has a
mast cell tumor on his abdomen (about the size of a penny, perhaps
larger), small ones on both ears, plus a fourth larger one on one ear.
Everything I've read tells me tumors on the abdomen, plus the
incidence of several tumors represents a poor prognosis. There is no
way to get the 2-3 cm margins they recommend for those on his ears.
He seems to feel ok at present, other than some soft stool, and some
chewing his tail. (Which indicate probably systemic involvement
already.) Also has an ear infection which I'm treating. He has had
seizures since he was a puppy - focal seizures during his sleep, not
gran mal. His hind quarters already show some evidence of
deterioration in his gait & probably just a matter of time until that
develops. I've had him to two different vets, both want to do the
surgery. That will involve a lot of cutting, a lot of discomfort to
him, and putting him through pain & misery that probably doesn't have
a very high probability of extending his life, at least not with
quality. I would do anything to keep him with me, but I have ruled
out putting him on chemotherapy, because it's just too cruel. So I
would be relying on the surgery to "cure" him.
My dilemma is whether to opt for the surgery, take a dog who, at least
for the time being, has a good quality of life, and put him into a
state of pain & misery that may fill up the end of his life, for odds
that I don't think are much better than 20%, give or take. Or
should I enjoy him & make his life as much fun for him as possible for
whatever time is left? To the vets, my dog is just another project &
although they're both good professionals, I don't think they see this
decision in the way that I want to view it. I just don't believe in
going to great lengths to keep a pet alive, suffering, because we
don't want to face losing him.
Does anyone else have any experience or thoughts on this?
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| kanekim271 |
Hi, I am a veterinarian and when I was in vet school my german shepherd got hemangiosarcoma. Due to my lack of knowledge in the oncology world at the time and devastation I elected to remove his spleen only to extend his life 2 months. I like you thought that chemo was cruel and did not do it. But really wish that I had. I know now that animals actually do very well with chemotherapy and don't respond the way humans do. Im sure you've done your homework on this already though. Honestly, because your dog is so young I would just go for it. Animals have such a high threshold for pain. Additionally, prior to anesthesia we take care of what is known as wind -up pain. Administering pain meds before the actual surgery decreases the pain experienced to basically none at all. We also give go home pain meds!! You see, we don't feel your pet is a project and we certainly didn't get into this business for the $. We make sure your animal feels no pain and we do make recommendations in the best interest of both parties(you and your dog) So, If you are going to do the surgery I would think about doing chemo as well. Talk with an oncologist. If you need a good recommendation let me know I can give you a number. Kim
Additionally, obviously they cant take wide margins, but that doesn't necessarly mean the margins will come back "dirty" per the histopath. (THINK ABOUT THE CHEMO IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO THE SURGERY!) I would've gotten alot more time with my guy. |
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| kanekim271 |
| I just re-read your letter. Please get that word pain and misery out of your head. Pain meds have come along way (ie) Fentanyl patches are a beautiful thing! Good luck finding a vet that will let any animal be in or walk away in pain....its just not our thing. I can almost guarantee the next day he'll be himself! |
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