Adrenal Gland Tumor

[Ci]

Hi,

Have not been on here for quite awhile and have no idea who is still here that I would know but am needing some advice/experience on Adrenal Gland Tumors.

One of mine older dogs has been found to have a tumor on his adrenal gland. He collapsed about two weeks ago and after vets and Specialist - it was discovered. Apparently it haemorridged which has stopped.

Specialist is not sure whether it is malignant or not as there is apparently no point doing a biopsy as its in a tricky position and if they go in there, then they are not mucking around and going to remove the gland at the same time, which is what they recommend be the next step. It is a complicated surgery but they think he will be OK as he is strong and otherwise healthy. If it stays there, they do not know what will happen as they do not know what it is and can't confidentially comment on what it may or may not do.

They want him stronger before the surgery as it knocked him around quite a bit as you can imagine. He is getting there. Having trouble with food which who is to say whether that is the tutor or the antibotics upsetting everything, but otherwise he is doing OK.

He is back at Specialist on Friday for a check over.

Has anyone had their dog go through this or experience with this kind of thing?

Any help would be so greatly appreciated.

Edited June 17, 2015 by Ci

[SchnauzerMax]

Hi,

Have not been on here for quite awhile and have no idea who is still here that I would know but am needing some advice/experience on Adrenal Gland Tumors.

One of mine older dogs has been found to have a tumor on his adrenal gland. He collapsed about two weeks ago and after vets and Specialist - it was discovered. Apparently it haemorridged which has stopped.

Specialist is not sure whether it is malignant or not as there is apparently no point doing a biopsy as its in a tricky position and if they go in there, then they are not mucking around and going to remove the gland at the same time, which is what they recommend be the next step. It is a complicated surgery but they think he will be OK as he is strong and otherwise healthy. If it stays there, they do not know what will happen as they do not know what it is and can't confidentially comment on what it may or may not do.

They want him stronger before the surgery as it knocked him around quite a bit as you can imagine. He is getting there. Having trouble with food which who is to say whether that is the tutor or the antibotics upsetting everything, but otherwise he is doing OK.

He is back at Specialist on Friday for a check over.

Has anyone had their dog go through this or experience with this kind of thing?

Any help would be so greatly appreciated.

My standard schnauzer Lui had this. His symptoms started after he turned 12. We were able to test to discover what type of tumour it was and that it was located in only one of the glands which meant that it could be removed and the other gland would take over the function entirely.

The tumour was adrenalin producing which meant that we needed an anaesthetics specialist as well as the surgeon to undertake the surgery.

This is because that sort of tumour spikes adrenalin randomly and that can cause high blood pressure and stroke. Apart from that, the surgery is still major surgery.

Lui recovered well and lived until he was 16 without problems.

[Ci]

Thanks so much for your reply. Its great to hear that Lui did so well and lived so long.

The tumor is only on one gland and it is removable which is why they are pushing for surgery. As I mentioned, have no idea what type of tumor it is. They did mention a CT scan but said that it wouldn't change their opinion the gland needs to be removed.

He is 14 now and his symptoms would have started a few years ago too. He has pancreatitis about two years ago and they noticed then that this gland looked slightly swollen but weren't sure if the pancreatitis caused it and now think that it actually caused the pancreatitis.

I just want to do the right thing by him and if I can give him a few extra years of healthy living then I want to be able to do that for him. But I know its a tough surgery.

He is still alert and interested in everything but he gets so tired. He is eating better but I have to be careful as his tummy is quite sensitive. I can't muck around with his diet or give him too many things like supplements. He is on antibotics and he has started on Digestive Enzymes to try and help his tummy so that he can eat and get his strength up.

How long did Lui take to recover for the surgery? What was involved?

Edited June 17, 2015 by Ci

[SchnauzerMax]

Thanks so much for your reply. Its great to hear that Lui did so well and lived so long.

The tumor is only on one gland and it is removable which is why they are pushing for surgery. As I mentioned, have no idea what type of tumor it is. They did mention a CT scan but said that it wouldn't change their opinion the gland needs to be removed.

He is 14 now and his symptoms would have started a few years ago too. He has pancreatitis about two years ago and they noticed then that this gland looked slightly swollen but weren't sure if the pancreatitis caused it and now think that it actually caused the pancreatitis.

I just want to do the right thing by him and if I can give him a few extra years of healthy living then I want to be able to do that for him. But I know its a tough surgery.

He is still alert and interested in everything but he gets so tired. He is eating better but I have to be careful as his tummy is quite sensitive. I can't muck around with his diet or give him too many things like supplements. He is on antibotics and he has started on Digestive Enzymes to try and help his tummy so that he can eat and get his strength up.

How long did Lui take to recover for the surgery? What was involved?

It was major abdominal surgery. He had to have a pre-operation drug regime over 2 days immediately before the operation because it was an adrenalin-producing tumour.

He had a couple of weeks of antibiotics and tapering off pain medication afterwards. As I remember it, he spent a few days in the vet hospital, mainly because he got so excited when he saw us that we were afraid he would tear his stitches and do himself an injury. His symptoms ceased the moment the surgery was done and once he was home, everything was pretty much ok.

Lui suffered from attacks of pancreatitis but this seems to have been caused by long-term use of anti-inflammatories for arthritis (at different times we used rimadyl or previcoxx or another one that I can't remember the name of ). As soon as we would stop giving him the drug, he would get better. We ended up alternating the anti-inflams with opiate pain meds, one day on anti-inflams, next day on opiates etc.

Not being able to tolerate long-term use of anti-inflams is common in older dogs (and people too!!). Anti-inflammatories are good for short-term use but as we get older, our livers don't process them well and constant daily doses can cause problems. It's just something to be aware of in older dogs as pain relief options are limited if they can't tolerate them.

[Ci]

Thanks so much Max. Am feeling little more confident about the surgery now. Guess we will see how he is next Specialist visit!

[SchnauzerMax]

:crossfingers: .

I hope all goes well.

Edited June 20, 2015 by SchnauzerMax

[karly101]

Good luck with the specialist. One thing I'd also check is whether to do a chest x-ray to make sure it hasn't spread ....

If he wasn't fit for surgery ... in ferrets where adrenal disease is very common they have been using suprelorin implants (normally used to temporarily sterilize male dogs). It doesn't stop the tumors from growing - but it makes the ferret a lot more comfortable symptoms wise.

[cavNrott]

Good luck with your boy Ci and it's great to see you on here again after such a long time.

[Ci]

Hi Anne,

How are you? How are your two little Carvs going??

I wasn't sure if you were still here or not!

We were at specialist on Friday as he developed pneumonia from all the vomiting so they wanted to do a quick check up on his chest. He is not quite there yet and they are not convinced its anything else just yet so giving him another two weeks to see how he goes as they said sometime they just need little more time to get over it, before they go poking things around in there. Other than that, they were really happy with him. He was bright and alert and talking non stop!

So I have some more time to strengthen him and try and keep his weight at a good spot. They are still pushing for surgery if its an opinion for him and I said I was open to it. Speaking to them twice a week to check in. They are being really great! So is our vet. Everyone has been so supportive.

Unfortunately I am bit stuck with Tex as his tummy is too sensitive at the moment to give too many supplements etc. Have started him on digestive enzymes once a day and changed his diet around, feeding him smaller meal three/four times a day and he seems to be settling. Plus the Specialist doesn't want me screwing around too much with supplements when I suggested it as it can complicate things so still looking into it all.

He is doing OK. Picking up and almost back to his usual self, not quite still getting very tired and can't really go for walks, just little ones, but he is more and more himself everyday. He was yelling at me for dinner tonite! Had to tell him to shut up, then kissed him because he was so hungry!!

Edited June 22, 2015 by Ci

[cavNrott]

Hi Lucia, I pop in here every few days. Now I'm wasting my time on Facebook. It's so good to hear from you after such a long time.

Poor Tex. I hope he recovers well. How is Sammi?

I lost my little Cav boy to congestive heart failure last month. He had been on medication for a long time but eventually it fails to work. He was 3 days past his 11th birthday. I miss that little boy so much.

Now I have just one dog, Dana, my blk/tan Cavalier. She is stone deaf but is a happy little 10yo girl.

Please keep us posted about Tex.

[Starkehre]

Hi Ci. My now 12 year old Rotti bitch was diagnosed with an adrenal gland tumour late last year at 11years olf.

Dyzney had a melanoma pop up literally over night near her eye. We decided to have her CT scanned all over while she was under GA. If she had loads of other malignant tumours we may have reconsidered doing the procedure to remove the melanoma as it may have also involve removal of the eye and it was quite invasive with no much room for margins.

Dyzney had not shown any symptoms relating to her adrenal gland tumour. We found it because of this CT scan.

The specialist called us to advise of the adrenal gland tumour while Dyz was on the table and we decided to have the adrenal gland removed as well as the melanoma.

Dyzney is in stage 3 renal failure, yet she breezed through the surgery and recovery was pretty easy for her.

We didn't have any warning like you, so unfortunately Dyz had been NSAIDs owing to her elbow issue. This caused a problem with the adrenal gland removal, risk of stomach ulcers, getting the remaining gland to work, but we managed it all with drugs pretty easily. she was bouncing around within 3-4 days. The pain was never an issue, only the nausea.

Turns out the adrenal gland tumour was benign but it would have become an issue very quickly regardless.

she also kept her eye, which was not an issue in itself for me, just a bigger procedure than it remaining.

We were very lucky.

After treatment we were given an approx. 6 months prognosis for our gorgeous girl and she is still with us at 8 months with no signs of other tumours... yet.

Best wishes with whatever you decide.

[Ci]

So sorry to hear about your little Man, Anne. I remember both him and Dana as puppies! Good to hear Dana is happy.

Thanks so much Stark. So good to hear she is still going so strong! Timing is spot on as I was coming on to post an update and a question about CT scans.

Took Tex to our vet yesterday for his weekly check. Vet is very happy with him. He is picking up. Going for small walks. He gets very tired quickly but he wants to go and shows such enthusiasm. Even took him to the park today to get him out in sunshine. His weight is alittle concerning as he is abit skinny but still good weight for a Staffie. Yesterday he looked do thin and we had a quiet day and today he looked much better. So any exercise is using up energy. I am feeding 3 or 4 times a day now.

Anyway, our vet was concerned about how long everything is taking given that the tumor is unpredictable and he keeps pushing for a CT scan as it will definitely determine what is on his chest.

Specialist is erring about CT scans because they can show things that are not real. Something may look like something it isn't. Plus they would have to refer me elsewhere.

So my vet rang and spoke to South Paws and they have a CT scanner there and can do it plus the surgery if he can have it. He said he understand why Specialist is doing what she is doing but he said it's the slow way around and what if the tumor bleeds again.

Has anyone had anything to do with South Paws? Vet highly recommends them and it was where he was going to send us before Emergency put Tex under Medvet.

Either way next he is either having Xray or CT scan next week.

I am thinking CT scan.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Ci

[Starkehre]

Glad OK and the vet seems happy with him.

Dyzney had the tumours excised plus a subtotal coronoidectomy of the coronoid process done at south Paws. They are pretty amazing there. I am confident recommending them and I do not recommend lightly.

I agree, I would go with the CT and have the removal done whilst he is under if it is deemed necessary.

Prior to this recent rumour removal, my own local vet looked at Dyzney's tumour. They are terrific vets and felt it may have been been benign, but we took an aspirate and sent it off to cytology. Cytology report said it was (or most likely was) a histiocytic sarcoma so we didn't have time to muck around. We booked in the next morning for surgery.

It wasn't until I got to the vet that morning that they sat me down and said they were still happy to go ahead with the excision, however, they wanted me to be comfortable doing so without knowing what else might be going on inside her. Yes, they could xray, but as we know this may not necessary help or be conclusive.

They suggested I go to South Paws for the CT directly prior to surgery. They know how thorough I am and felt uncomfortable just removing the tumour near her eye, plus they would have removed the eye. I agreed, my vet called through to SPs and booked us in. I had Dyz there within the hour and she was under the knife within 3 hours. We only found out the eye tumour was a melanoma after it was removed and a biopsy was performed.

I find South Paws excellent to deal with. The specialists are right on the ball. They are switched on and really know their stuff. Their equipment is state of the arts and their patient care is second to none. The bedside manner of 2 of the vets I have dealt with have left a little bit to be desired, but I don't go there for bedside manner. And honestly that is the only area I can fault and it really wasn't that big of a deal.

The nurses are all wonderful and you can call them right through the night. Each in patient is assigned its own nurse who stays with your dog and you can speak with them directly over the phone if you have concerns.

As far as I am concerned their prices seem very reasonable in compare to many other specialists but TBH I don't take much notice of price when it comes to the dogs.

Let us know how Tex goes Ci. All the very best.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Starkehre

[Ci]

Hi,

Thanks so much Stark for your post. It's made me feel better about it. They seem to have a good rep from what I can find.

Tex is booked into South Paws on Thrusday for a CT and possible surgery.

They were lovely on the phone. I started crying and lady I was speaking to was just so nice.

I am so worried about the whole thing. From hearing conflicting info about the usefulness of the CT scans and misdiagnosis to the surgery and whether I am making the right decisions for him.

Have left a msg with other Specialist but haven't spoken and hope they are OK with what I am doing. They don't have a CT there and would have to send me somewhere anyway and she knew I was thinking about it.

He in himself is doing OK. Every day he is that little bit better. But he still getting tired very quickly and fussy with food.

So the next few days will be trying to get weight on him as much as I can and just loving him and tell him how much he means to us.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Ci

[Ci]

Texas has made it through surgery and is in recovery doing well.

He still has to get through the night but his Surgeon said that he is good.

I am not allowed to go and see him til morning as they don't want him getting stressed but can ring whenever I want to and if he is doing well, tomorrow he can come home.

Surgery went well. Apparently it was one of trickiest surgeries they have done as the tumor didn't present the way they normally do or how it appeared on scan. And it was apparently quite large.

They found a few nodules on his liver and one on his colon which have been removed and sent for testing.

Surgeon is concerned that he may not have removed enough of the colon if lump is malignant but he said that is easy enough to fix later on.

The hardest bit is done.

The CT scan didn't actually show much more than the ultrasounds but it did show that the shadow on his lung is mostly like not pneomia like previously thought but a mass and he wants to let Texas recover from this before looking into it as it's isolated and there is nothing else around it. He said this is enough for Texas to deal with today.

So still a few things to figure out but adrenal gland surgery is over thank god!

Please positive thoughts he keeps recovering and gets through the night comfortable and is home soon.

I think I need a scotch.

Edited July 2, 2015 by Ci

[Tassie]

Good news so far at least as far as the adrenal gland tumour is concerned. Positive healing thoughts comings to Texas from the Apple Isle. Hope you enjoyed that Scotch. :D

[Ci]

He is home! Got some healing to do but so far he is doing well!!!

[Tassie]

That's a great start.

[SchnauzerMax]

Glad he's feeling better! Edited July 3, 2015 by SchnauzerMax

[Ci]

Thanks so much!!!

We have survived the first 48hrs relatively intact. There has been one or two little issues but that's to be expected after such major surgery. And we saw Specialist yesterday for blood work. The drugs are working but his red and white cells are a little off which could simply be because surgery was only two days before so back tomorrow for more bloods. I don't think his pain patch is agreeing with him. They got me to cut it in half the other night as he was quite anxious and he definitely settled down over the next few hours but he didn't get much sleep. Sleeping much better now though.

He is a lot better today. More alert. Walking a lot better even with a spring in his step. I have had to put him in a playpen because he was walking around too much. He is not impressed. Tried the crate the other day and he freaked out in it. So got a playpen yesterday, and he is much better in that. Not that it will hold a Stafford but at least while he is still so sore it will keep him contained!!

He is so bruised. Poor Bub.

Edited July 5, 2015 by Ci