lawrencefamily Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Our 12 year old shih tzu dog Benson was having trouble eating and barking without yelping with pain. I noticed at the start of May that our little fella was letting out yelps when eating and he was leaving his food not eaten. He also just wasn’t himself he seemed to have pain when we lifted him so off to see the vet. The vet did extensive tests and came back saying everything looked good other than an enlarged prostate which they could look at later and that his jaw wouldn’t open fully even under general anaesthetic. So the diagnosis ended up being for MMM(Masticatory muscle myositis) and the treatment with cortisones started. As the weeks went on we kept taking him back to the vet and he was not getting better in fact he had lost 1.5kg even tho he was eating more than usual after we changed his diet and mushed up his food. Last week he started to limp badly so I took him back to the vet again and he said that dog must have fallen down the stairs or something I said we live in a lowset house so the vet then said he might have the start of arthritis. I was given diff meds to try which seemed to help some with his pain. As the week went on my poor dog was barely able to walk and started to sway lopsided… again I took him back to the vet. I asked could they do blood tests or something more for him, as he wasn’t getting any better. I told the vet I feel like I am going to lose him and I think he is very sick, I think there is more to it than what they diagnosed. I also asked the vet to look at his eye that was red and protruding from his face (very obvious) and she said she would give him some cream for it. The vet then took him away to collect some blood and came back and said she would like to do another x-ray of his skull. My dogs head was out of shape and had a lopsided bulge on the top and the vet said that was from the muscle being eaten away with the mmm(the bulge has been there since the start but more obvious now). Xray comes back and the vet says sorry my poor little darling has a brain tumor and another in his leg and has maybe 1 or 2 weeks to live. The vet showed me the original xray compared to the new one and said in hindsight now she could see the start of the tumor but thought it was MMM. The vet advises that we get him put to sleep straight away but I just couldn’t, I took him home for the weekend to think it over. I don’t want my darling dog to suffer any longer but what if they are wrong again. We have spent 10 weeks and approx $2000 and all the while they told me it was MMM and he would get better. Its just a shock and I am very disappointed with the vets treatment, I don’t know if I should take him elsewhere at this stage. I don’t want to do the wrong thing by my darling dog I love so much and he is by my side 24/7, our kids even refer to him as their brother lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Perhaps for peace of mind, you should take the xrays to another vet/specialist and get a second opinion. That way you can make the best decision for your boy without wondering 'what if...'. I can't imagine what a terrible shock it must be, and horribly sad for your family as well. Our lovely dogs are never with us long enough... We need to do the best thing for them, and if he is suffering perhaps getting a second opinion will put your mind at ease and help you to see what will need to be done. Hugs to Benson and to your family at such a sad and confusing time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Sorry to hear of your dilemma - it is so hard when they are very ill... I would be getting a second or even a third opinion - after what you have been through, I would not trust the opinion of this current vet (just my opinion on it).. Best of luck but if he is that ill, the best thing you can do for him is free him from his pain. Sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 How can you be upset with your vet ? To me it looked like the vet worked through the most obvious possibilites one at a time and was pretty conservative with testing and treatment. If in doubt, seek a second opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I thought Cortisone accelerated the growth of tumours ... If he is a member of the AVA write a letter NOW or get on the phone with them. If he is not try the registering body for veterinarians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrencefamily Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 How can you be upset with your vet ? To me it looked like the vet worked through the most obvious possibilites one at a time and was pretty conservative with testing and treatment.If in doubt, seek a second opinion I am upset because the vet did a diagnosis and treatment for MMM and continued treating for that even tho his health was not improving and did not look any further. On Fridays visit they still werent going to do any more tests and were sending me home with more pills until I said no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 (edited) I'm sorry to hear about the diagnosis of your boy Unfortunately though, vets aren't super hero's and can often only really go with what they are presented with to begin with. It's not until things develop further that they are able to get a better idea of what is going on. Blood tests would not have necessarily shown that your boy had cancer either. In fact, often those with cancer have relatively normal blood results. In the early stages, probably the only way your vet would have been able to make a correct diagnosis would have been if she'd referred you to a specialist for a CT scan, which can be very expensive, and I can only imagine that in those early stages, she didn't feel it was necessary just yet is the symptoms looked typical of MMM. It is unfortunate though, that you had to be the one to point out issues and insist that your boy wasn't right. I'm all for conservative treatment, but I think that once a client returns because the problem hasn't resolved, then further work up should be done. But remember, they are just normal people too, who can and do make mistakes, as I'm sure everyone has done in their job at one time or another. Edited July 13, 2009 by stormie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Lots of vibes for Benson. Sometimes vets have to rule out everything before they get to the real problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I thought Cortisone accelerated the growth of tumours ...If he is a member of the AVA write a letter NOW or get on the phone with them. If he is not try the registering body for veterinarians. Not always - cortisone is a type of chemo and is used in some cancer patients to slow progression. That's a bit harsh though isn't it? We're only hearing one side of the story here. I'm not saying it's the case in this situation, but it's not uncommon for owners to turn down big expensive work-ups in the first consult, and to just give drugs etc a chance and see if they get some improvement. It sounds like the vet made the initial diagnosis based on what she was presented with, and sounds very typical of MMM. Conditions like MMM can take a long long time to resolve too, so it might not be too concerning for the vet that there wasn't much improvement so soon. Unless we are in the consult room at the time, listening to everything that's been said, I think it's a bit unfair to insist the vet be hauled before the board, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I thought Cortisone accelerated the growth of tumours ... Cortisone can be used as an alternative to chemo with some cancers to slow the growth and to help with the pain. A pug boy I looked after was on prednisalone as part of his palative care treatment for stomach lymphoma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrencefamily Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 I thought Cortisone accelerated the growth of tumours ...If he is a member of the AVA write a letter NOW or get on the phone with them. If he is not try the registering body for veterinarians. The vet is a well respected professional and I have always been happy with him, I guess this just didnt turn out how anyone would hope. Also when you get bad news I think we go through the what ifs and wish we knew earlier so something might be able to be done. I have lost faith in the two vets I saw now tho and wouldnt return with any of our other animals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 The problem with using cortisone as an alternative to chemo (only with some cancers as suggested) is that it causes more stomach problems and can cause stomach ulcers in cancer patients... Hope you get to the bottom of it - get a second opinion and ask for a referral to a specialist if need be... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I'm very sorry to hear about your boy, Lawrencefamily. I too would suggest a second opinion if there is any doubt in your mind - not that I think the vet is wrong with the diagnosis, just so you never have any lingering doubts when it's too late to check them out. As to whether the vet was wrong or right, who can say? Perhaps the vet "should" have discovered the tumour earlier, but it's also possible that the best vet in the world would have made the same (unfortunately incorrect) call of MMM from the initial information available. I don't think anyone on the forum has the inside knowledge (and few have the qualifications) to make the call on whether the vet was right or wrong to diagnose MMM initially. I guess you could complain to the AVA if you wanted. I don't see anything wrong with that - if the vet acted reasonably then they will be easily able to defend their actions to their fellow vets, and they won't get in trouble with the AVA. In either case, I hope the vet has expressed their sorrow to you, Lawrencefamily. They did make a mistake, even though it may have been an unavoidable one, and if they're a good vet they will probably be feeling rather stink about both the misdiagnosis and the very sad outcome of your dog's illness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrencefamily Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 I thought Cortisone accelerated the growth of tumours ...If he is a member of the AVA write a letter NOW or get on the phone with them. If he is not try the registering body for veterinarians. Not always - cortisone is a type of chemo and is used in some cancer patients to slow progression. That's a bit harsh though isn't it? We're only hearing one side of the story here. I'm not saying it's the case in this situation, but it's not uncommon for owners to turn down big expensive work-ups in the first consult, and to just give drugs etc a chance and see if they get some improvement. It sounds like the vet made the initial diagnosis based on what she was presented with, and sounds very typical of MMM. Conditions like MMM can take a long long time to resolve too, so it might not be too concerning for the vet that there wasn't much improvement so soon. Unless we are in the consult room at the time, listening to everything that's been said, I think it's a bit unfair to insist the vet be hauled before the board, etc. I am not interested in reporting the vet, I only care about our little fella. Money is not an issue, he is like one of our children and we would pay anything to have them in good health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wazzat Xolo Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Lawrencefamily I am sending hugs and warm wishes for whatever the L family decides upon for their little man. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyra20007 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Sending our love and best wishes for at least a little more time with your lad & we hope that you find a vet that may be able to offer options for some sort of treatment. I truly feel your pain and frustrations with the diagnosis from your vet. We went through a similiar misdiagnosis of a kelpieX rescue I had - his muscle seemed to be disappearing from his shoulder and I took him to our 'usual' vet who said it must be a nerve thing and her may have bumped it playing ball - given my boy was a certified ball addict that seemed possible - I asked if he could do an xray or further tests and the vet was adament that a few tablets would help. After 3months of the tablets the vet just wanted to give more pills even though the muscle was not improving, so I took my baby boy to another vet and stupidly told them the previous diagnosis - they took a moment and agreed and said continue with the tablets for a little while longer. After a month with the muscle almost gone and bone obvious I took him to a third vet who insisted on a full xray to see for sure - a couple of hours later she called to say that the shoulder problem was bone cancer and that the cancer had spread through lungs etc. She suggested putting my boy to sleep while he was under for the xray and I begged her not to - I explained that he had not shown any signs of having pain / just muscle wasting away - would still run and chase ball. I also explained that I would like to spend a few days saying thank you and feeding him all his favourite things. I came to pick him up from the vets and told her that money is no object and I wanted to pursue any treatment that could help - thankfully this vet was honest and told me that there was absolutely nothing that could help - perhaps if it had been caught on first visit to vet the leg may have been amputated but at this point she would just give him pain meds and to bring him back in 2 weeks to be PTS. He lasted well on the pain meds and in fact lived another 10months eating all his favourite foods (including chocolate - which he regularly stole whenever he could while young and healthy - even learned to open cupboards and fridge LOL) I quit work to spend time with my lad and we had an amazing 10months together with visits to the good vet every 2 weeks to make sure I wasn't being cruel keeping him on pain meds - the vet said she was surprised at how well he seemed and that he would probably let me know when the time was right to send him to the rainbow bridge - sure enough 10months went by and within days the boney shoulder turned into a lump and one morning he gave me the look and that afternoon we made the trip to the vets. The point of my very long reply is basically to say that you should get another opinion and see if there is anything they can do - if not to cure it, at least to possibly give you your fur baby and the kids brother for a small period of quality time so that you can say goodbye and mollycoddle him until it is time. I really hope that you get some good news after all you have been through - please keep us updated and know that our thoughts are with your family & Benson at this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakway Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Well I don't think your going to be happy with my answer. If you love the little fellow go and put him down, why leave him to suffer. Think of the dog not your self. I say this in the nicest possible way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I guess it depends on whether some agressive surgery would buy the little fella some more time but that decision would need to be made in consultation with a specialist so it certainly wont hurt to see one asap as they can tell you either way and hopefully help you through it. It's hard to know whether the initial vet was negligent, I do feel that some vets can be dismissive of owners instincts and this can make a correct diagnosis take longer than it otherwise should. It has happened to me more than once that is why I say this, thankfully my animals have been saved in time but there were costly and painful delays as a result. However as others have said it's not always practical to run the full gamut of tests in the early stages of diagnosis so it is hard to say without being there. I hope your boy has some pain free good times left with you though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redarachnid Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 You should ABSOLUTELY seek advice from a SPECIALIST. Ask your vet to send you to one. You should find out from a SPECIALIST what can and cannot be done for Benson. Specialists can do things that vets don't even know about. You will have lost NOTHING by seeing a specialist and will always know you did everything possible for him. Not enough vets refer their patients to specialists. They keep on giving meds and repeat consults and some owners don't even know specialists exist. Way too many animals are euthanised every year when a specialist could have been suggested and maybe a life prolonged. I have a friend who is a specialist vet (orthopaedics and oncology) and hear him complain of this all the time.l Wishing all the best for you and Benson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I was merely suggesting if the OP was not happy with the treatment they received then write to the body. A veterinarian should not turn down a client if they want a test AND if they're willing to pay. Just a suggestion no pitchforks here. I know it can be but I also know cortisone can accelerate some tumors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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