tdierikx Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Huge hugs to you and Sniper... please give him a cuddle and kiss on the nose from me... I've just recently had one of my dogs diagnosed with and inoperable tumour of the toungue/larynx... I can truly sympathise... T. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDobes Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 Sorry to hear that tdierikx, I had never heard of these cancers before but apparently they are very common. Awful stuff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 (edited) DesertDobes regarding putting something on the lump ..... I know you said that Sniper didn’t seem to mind the aspirin, but if there was something stronger the vet advised and tasted awful you could mix it in Nutrigel. These cancers ARE common as you say. My Jeune (6kgs and 17 years) has a tumour under her spine at the base of her tail, but it isn’t causing her any discomfort. Not nearly as fast growing as Sniper’s or Trouble’s, but she is on Meloxicam to slow the growth rate down. Her demeanour, activity rate (like a snail) and other habits haven’t changed except she has started demanding a meal at 11pm which I am more than happy to give her as her weight started to fall dramatically a couple of months ago. Not Meloxicam .... Piroxicam. Edited March 5, 2018 by Dame Danny's Darling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Trouble's is most likely an haemangiosarcoma... and also most likely a secondary metastasis... and we are reluctant to upset it by doing biopsies or the like, as that willl only speed up the already rapid growth... *sigh* So far she's not being troubled by it much except when she lies on that side and it pushes on her throat making her gag/cough - she's still wolfing down chicken carcasses like a pro... gotta love a Lab's appetite at times like this... lol! T. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDobes Posted March 5, 2018 Author Share Posted March 5, 2018 On 3/3/2018 at 5:55 AM, tdierikx said: we are reluctant to upset it by doing biopsies or the like, as that willl only speed up the already rapid growth.. Yep, it definitely seemed like Snipers tumor got much, much bigger after biopsy. The growth finally seems to have slowed down a bit this week, maybe the Apocaps starting to have an effect but last night he was running in his sleep nearly all night. I don't know what that means, I though he was having seizures because it just went on an on, but every time I touched him he woke up and looked at me like "what do you want?" I took him to the vet just to get weighed and he has put on five kg since we were on holidays. Probably all the extra goodies he's getting now, like slow cooked chicken, lamb necks and liver haha Thanks @Dame Danny's Darling, that's a good idea. Wow 17 years is fantastic, go Jeune! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Hang in there Sniper... and don't mind mummy being a little helicopterish at the moment, OK? She loves you so much... T. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDobes Posted April 13, 2018 Author Share Posted April 13, 2018 Here we are in April now, 4 months with this thing in Snipers mouth. It has gotten a lot bigger but has kept growing up and out and doesn't appear to be spreading into his gums or jaw elsewhere, he doesn't have anything else wrong with him and also the ulcers on the growth seem to have abated. He is still eating well, playful and enjoying his walks. He does drool a lot though, I think his jowls aren't as good as holding everything in as they used to be. My feeling is the growth is some sort of benign growth, he has had a lot of other random lumps pop up in other places. So if it's benign, that is good and also makes him a good candidate to have it removed as it probably won't spread anywhere else. I'm still uncertain about this as there isn't any vets with lots of surgical experience with mandibulectomys where I am.... my regular vet offered to de bulk it but I think that would be a waste of time as it would just grow back I think. I'm not sure I could have him put down just because of this thing in his mouth, and probably the longer I let it go on without making a decision, the more difficult any surgery will be, but I don't want to put him through extreme surgery and ruin his quality of life. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 Hugs and thoughts. Is there anywhere you can send photos/videos to who may give an opinion? When I saw you had updated I thought the news would be bad , and am happy to read that Sniper's still enjoying life 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 I'm with perse... surely there must be a vet surgeon who can do something? I'm in a similar position with my girl... her lumps are inoperable, but she's perfectly fine and healthy in every other respect, and would have gone on to live a long life if it weren't for the damned lumps... grrr! The reality is that I'm going to have to say goodbye to her when the lumps compromise her ability to swallow... and it won't be years from now. T. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDobes Posted April 16, 2018 Author Share Posted April 16, 2018 It started bleeding a little bit last night and doesn't seem to be stopping so this may force me to make a decision sooner rather than later it's not much blood (just seeping out a bit) but a sign perhaps that things are changing. I have trust issues with the larger vet surgeries in Alice Springs, but major surgery is one situation where I feel that they are at least set up very well and have staff on round the clock which my regular vet doesn't. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDobes Posted April 16, 2018 Author Share Posted April 16, 2018 On 4/14/2018 at 7:32 AM, tdierikx said: I'm with perse... surely there must be a vet surgeon who can do something? I'm in a similar position with my girl... her lumps are inoperable, but she's perfectly fine and healthy in every other respect, and would have gone on to live a long life if it weren't for the damned lumps... grrr! The reality is that I'm going to have to say goodbye to her when the lumps compromise her ability to swallow... and it won't be years from now. T. Yes you think it would be better to have some illness or disease that isn't making them feel terrible, but then it makes the decision on when to say goodbye so much harder. I've never had to decide on when is the right time to PTS, my two previous dogs- one died in his sleep at fifteen years of age and the other died from a snake bite very suddenly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDobes Posted April 16, 2018 Author Share Posted April 16, 2018 On 4/13/2018 at 4:12 PM, persephone said: Hugs and thoughts. Is there anywhere you can send photos/videos to who may give an opinion? When I saw you had updated I thought the news would be bad , and am happy to read that Sniper's still enjoying life There is a specialist in Darwin but I think referrals have to go through my vet, is that kind of what you mean? If there was somewhere I could ask for advice that would probably help me decide what to do. I'm happy he's happy too This whole thing has definitely made me a better dog owner because I get off my butt to do things with him and Savannah more often and I really prioritise going for walks and playing with them more than I used to. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 You know your boy best... and whatever you decide, I am right behind you with all my support @DesertDobes... I've had to make the decision more often than most... during my years in dog rescue where we took on a lot of special needs dogs, some just couldn't be fixed... It's hard to do, but when you know it's the right thing, that certainly takes a bit of the sting away. T. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDobes Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 Sniper is off to have his lump removed today, keep your fingers crossed for him 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 fingers & toes crossed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 2 hours ago, DesertDobes said: Sniper is off to have his lump removed today, keep your fingers crossed for him All crossed and sending cyber get well thoughts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boronia Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 What Perse and DDD said xx B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDobes Posted May 15, 2018 Author Share Posted May 15, 2018 Thanks for the well wishes, he is still at the vets (he spent the night on IV pain relief) but hopefully he will be discharged soon. The vets have sent me a few photos of him, everyone loves him and has been giving him lots of cuddles there. For anyone who might go through the same thing, we ended up getting a third opinion on Snipers lump and vet no 3 thought that it is a ossifying epulis (benign) and that removal would probably be curative- so I hope that is the case. The surgery was to remove the lump, all of the affected bone, which was mainly tooth sockets, a few teeth around where the lump was including his lower canine on that side, and two pre-molars. The tumor is going to be sent off to pathology to find out exactly what it was. Can't wait to get him home 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 aww.. he will be so pleased to be home 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 That sounds encouraging. Fingers crossed for good report on the path. And jow lovely to get that feedback on how he was coping at the vet. They sound really caring. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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