Staffyluv

How did he go Jules??? I hope all is well and he is home, warm and recovering well. Ollie had a MCT removed from his eyelid a few years ago with the wedge incision - it is amazing what they can do for them, isn't it. He also had a big molar removed - it never stopped him eating though (I think he was a labrador in a previous life, he loves food so much).

I am so very sorry BB ..

All dogs are different - not sure about Kelpies, maybe give the local vet a call they can tell you over the phone when the best time is. I don't think spaying has anything to do with temperament (although there are those that do think it changes them). I believe a dog is a product of how it is raised and trained...

I am so sorry, I wish I had words that could ease what you are going through.

So glad this has a happy ending - I have been watching with baited breath but did not have any advice to offer.. Congrats on getting you boy well again

I googled it and came up with heaps of info but have no personal experience with the disease. I agree with CnR, ask your vet to refer you to a specialist for further treatment. All the best

The best way to tell is by using a thermometer. When Ollie was having chemo, I had to take his temp twice a day. His ears are always warm, so I could not use that as an indication of elevated temperature ever. Hope the dog is OK...

Words just don't seem enough, so sorry...

I am so very sorry ILDD

That is great Nekhbet... I will register and post a bit about Ollie when I have some more time. He too comes from a BYB and has had many health issues over the years with allergies and MCT (MCT can be related to allergies, especially skin allergies). We use half doses of Rimadyl for Ollie when needed with maxalon - makes a big difference using the maxalon with the rimadyl and the half dose seems to give him relief. We use polaramine for histamine release (one of the side effects of MCT). But I agree with the warmth for him - I gave an old single bed electric blanket to a friend who had an older GSD with hip issues and she said it made a huge difference to him. Thinking of you and the gorgeous Diesel.

Nekhbet I am so sorry to hear about Diesel... I love the idea of a website in memory of him to educate others... What a wonderful legacy. CnR a year already, I can't believe it... I bet she is having a ball at the bridge.

Jules it is one day at a time in this house too. It really is a dilemma when they are older and unwell. Wishing you and Fern all the best

I agree with GM here... Chemo is not given in the doses to dogs that doctors give it to humans due to the fact that we can't give dogs bone marrow transplants (well actually I did see a story on the first dog bone marrow transplant last week somehwere but hey, it would be very expensive). So chemo is given to dogs in much lower doses and is wholly for prolonging life and putting the dog into remission (hopefully). Ollie had chemo for 6 months and it was not what I expected at all.

I have a 12 year old dog here with MCT and to be honest what the vet said is wrong IMO.. It all depends on what grade the tumour is and if it has become systemic. Also 12 is old but not to old for surgery if the dog is otherwise well. My boy just had a toe removed due to another type of cancer. MCT is not a death sentence either - if treated then the outlook can be very good. Our lad had surgery, then chemo and has been treated holistically and was originally given 12-18 months. It is nearly 4 years now since he was dxd... Peronally I would be having a needle aspirate to confirm what the vet believes it is and then I would have it removed - if the dog is otherwise well. If the dog is not that well, then I would be looking at some holistic therapy to keep it as well as can be until the time comes. Also MCT releases histamine into the system - it is a good idea to at least treat the poor dog with some antihistamines every day. We just buy polaramine from the chemist and he has one each night. If the dog is no commercial dog food, change it (slowly over a week or two) to fresh food to remove the cereals, starches and grains from the diet (these types of carbs actually feed cancer). Best of luck - I am more than happy to offer more advice if needed (we have been fighting this disease for 4 years). Ollie actually has a thread in the palliative care section at the top here in the health forum - it is our whole journey so far.

Ollie has MCT (Mast Cell Cancer) grade 2, no clear margins on excision of multiple tumour sites - it is systemic as it is in his lymph system as well... Removal of tumours with a good margin to make sure they are clear is important. Chances of tumours recurring in MCT 2 are medium to high (in MCT 3, very high and MCT 1, the most curable, low)... MCT can act like a grade 1 or a grade 3, it just depends on the tumour. MCT release histamine into the system and it makes the dog look like it is having an allergic reaction - we use antihistamines to limit this and it is very effective. MCT is initially dxd with a needle aspirate, then they go for the removal. They cannot tell what grade it is until the removal and it is sent to pathology for examination. There is a variety of treatments available - Ollie has a thread in the palliative care section here in the health forum if your friend wants to read about our journey... Best of luck Edited to add: it could be a round cell tumour - these can be good or bad... We had one removed (actually it was his whole toe) not long ago.

I totally agree with you... Enjoy him for the rest of his life - it is the best thing for both of you (they pick up on our stress so much and this worries them too). All the best with the holistic side of things - I believe it is why my boy is still here more than 2 years longer than they said he would be.

My heart just breaks for what you and Molly are going through - there really are no words that will ease it, only time... I hope you both had a peaceful night. Jodie

Sorry to hear of your news - wishing you all the best. Now onto chemo - dogs are not treated with chemo like people are. My boy had chemo for 6 months and he was not sick, did not lose all his fur etc... Dogs don't get sick on chemo like people do because they are not given the massive doses that people are given - their doses are controlled because vets cannot do bone marrow transplants like they have to do with people because chemo kills off good and bad fast growing cells. Chemo is expensive - ours cost in the range of $8000+ all up. Depending on the chemo protocol used, it can have other side effects. Our lad has to take thyroid medication for the rest of his life. There is always the holistic route - we use this as well when he was having chemo. The chinese herbs and other supplements like high doses of vitamin C, fish oil, lymphodran and a couple of others really helped and he still takes the vit. C and fish oil... Our lad has a totally different cancer to yours but I am happy to explain what we went through with Ollie. He was originally dxd in 2005 and given 12-18 months. He is still here nearly 4 years later and as well as can be. Yes he still has tumours but the chemo has put him in remission and it seems to be long lasting.

Dear Nina and Miss Molly - I'm really sorry for the cause of your thread .... I can feel your pain through your words. That your girl obviously has had a good life to be able to make the innings she has is of no comfort to you. It is hard to lose them at any time regardless of age. I don't wish to give you false hope. But someone I was speaking to yesterday (also a DOL member) was telling me of one of her girls whom suddenly showed enlarged lymph glands and so she rushed her to the Vet specialist. All indicators seemed to point towards lymphoma - the Vets were fairly certain of it - but none of the test results proved this nor did tests reveal a virus as the culprit. As a consequence the Vet specialists are baffled but her dog's lymph glands have receded and is/has returned to normal health. I wish for you and for Miss Molly the same outcome as the above, even though you do need to be prepared for news worse than this. My fingers and toes are all crossed for you both. Write here any time you need. It's a hard thing to face and a load shared is a load halved. I totally agree with Erny... I have everything crossed for you and Molly that it is just an infection and with a dose of anti-b's she will be eating like a good lab again soon. To be honest I can't believe that a vet suggested cancer with just enlarged lymph nodes - that could be many things. I am not saying I don't believe you, just that most vets would not say that to worry someone unless they were sure it was cancer and you can't know that without the correct testing. I think it is irresponsible of vets to mention cancer without confirmation as it worries us so much and puts so much stress on us that our dogs pick up on and that does not help them when they are unwell either. Even before Ollie was dxd with Mast Cell Cancer the vet did not say 'cancer', all he said was that the lump was suspicious and he wanted to test it - when I asked what he meant he said that he just wanted to be sure. Fingers crossed

Sending good wishes to Ruby for a speedy recovery - it is always hard to see them have an operation

We opted to not have surgery too. Ollie has had partial tears (now they are minor) in both left and right. We rested him and did not allow him any jumping or big walks. His movement was limited but not to a crate, we just encouraged him to take it easy (not too hard with a lazy old staffy, he sleeps most of the day away anyway). After about 4 weeks, we started taking short walks and have built it back to up half an hour a day. We take little hills to work them more and I discourage running (even now) because he is 12 years old and as his legs are OK now, I don't want to have him end up in surgery again. He has had more than his fair share of surgery - two big ops for MCT removals, one op for lipoma removal due to how big it was and it was interfering with the way he walked, another big op to remove bladder stones that could not be passed, a recent surgery to remove a toe due to another type of cancer (not MCT), and a couple of other minor ones (remove a cracked tooth and one to remove a small tumour from his eye)... Good lord when I type it all out, it is horrible - all that and chemo to boot... No, definitely no more surgery for my boy if I can get away with it... We also use ester C for tissue repair...

Hi Helen, He is well and fighting fit at the moment. He just had a big weekend as we had lots of family and friends here for the youngest son's 18th birthday, so he loved having all the extra people around for his patting pleasure... I will have to get some updated photo's of him and post them up soon.. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts, I really believe all the positive thoughts he gets from all over the place is what keeps us going. Hope your lot are doing as well as can be expected. Take care Jodie

Hi The general consensus is that dogs around 7-9 years are most likely to get MCT, that is the age group it is mostly seen it - that is not to say it does not show up in younger or older dogs though. Yes I agree, vets use generalisations when discussing this sort of thing - they go off the text books an so many just don't go that extra bit to help out IMO - we have been very lucky with our vets (conventional, oncologist and our holistic vet). Home cooked is the very best you can do for Chopper right now - but personally I would not be adding the rice at all -dogs don't digest grains very well and it is not good for cancer patients (lots of trials have been done on the carbs feeds cancer theory and to be honest, I believe them). In saying that when they are sick (if they catch a tummy bug or something, chicken broth with a bit of rice in it does not hurt. Cooking all meat is important now too - raw meat can carry bacteria and this needs to be eliminated for cancer dogs. Ollie generally eats, chicken, turkey, beef and kidney, roo, with veges (carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, squash - whatever is in season and cheap). He gets fussy now and will go for ages only eating some veg and then change to another (I just keep trying)... He also had yoghurt and cottage cheese with some flaxseed oil (just a teaspoon) as a treat. He does get dentastix to chew on as a treat as well because he does not get raw bones and I want to keep his teeth healthy. He loves fresh fish like tuna and salmon - expensive I know but I always share mine with him when we have it and it is really good for them too. I used to buy a BBQ chicken each week to hide his tablets in when he was on more of them - just made life easy and he thought he was getting treats all the time. Now he just takes his tablets no worries. We supplement with vitamin C, fish oil and milk thistle tablets to support his liver as MCT can cause stomach and liver problems. Ollie has a tumour about the size of a large marble (about 3cm across above the skin - god only knows how much is below, they tend to spread under) and he has had this tumour for about 3 and a half years. His lymph nodes are always swollen but the cancer has been in remission from around 6 months after the chemo based on what the tests say, so around 3 years now - only one remisson yes... Choppers large tumour may not have to be removed - can they do anything with radiation to target that tumour in particular? Chemo tends to bomb the whole system and is very effective with MCT that is systemic. It is expensive but worth it IMO, but I think they need the holistic approach to help keep them well while they undergo the chemo. Wishing you all the best with Chopper

Did you have a look at Ollie's thread - he is MCT grade two, no clear margins and it had already spread to the lymph system. He was given 12-18 months..... Nearly 4 years ago. We did chemo and is was also treated holistically... Good diet is important - get rid of as many carbs as you can, as carbs feed cancer. Look up anti cancer diets for dogs via google, there are heaps of ideas. As for the vomiting and the tummy upset and the water drinking. Just make sure he has enough water to drink when he wants it, you can't change that at all. Ollie drinks heaps of water and regurgitates the water and sometimes food. He takes maxalon for the nausea and he also takes carafate for the stomach upset. Both of these you get the prescription from the vet and take it to the chemist (chemist sell it much cheaper than vets can)... Antihistamines are good for MCT dogs as MCT releases histamine and this causes a reaction (often the vomiting) - Ollie takes 2mg polaramine, available without script from the chemist. He has not had a histamine release in ages. Check out Ollie's thread if you get a chance, this is all in there and so far so good. His remission has been wonderful

I agree with you, just give her whatever she wants at this stage... I really feel for you, it is so hard to have a terminally ill dog - I think the knowing that the time is coming is horrible and you are right, it does take its toll on you... Big hugs, I am glad you have a vet you can count on - it makes a world of difference.