Canine lymphoma

[kenDOL]

My mother's 9 year old corgi received pathology results today, stating 'probably lymphoma'. The first signs were a soft lump in her abdomen and bruising.

 

My mother is beside herself and was talking about euthanising the dog tomorrow. While I persuaded her to give the vet the go-ahead for the lab to run more tests, she thinks it's of no use. I'm just trying to ascertain what stage it's at, whether the dog is in pain and what quality of life can be expected.

 

Any suggestions/experiences welcomed. 

[persephone]

So sorry, kenDol...
Just popped in to send thoughts of whatever to help you & your poor Mum.   

[Rebanne]

so sorry to read this Ken. Hard on your Mum and hard on you trying to help her. The dog is most likely wondering what all the fuss is about. I've no experience so no help.

[Dogsfevr]

I have a dog riddled with cancer & other nasties ,we have opted for no further testing ,no poking & prodding or sitting at the vets on his own in his senior years .
He is on low dose  pain meds  & we are just going with quality which our vet is very supportive off .
We cant save him so doing "further" is not an option ,he is enjoying each day which is his normal .

[asal]

There is a vet at Lane Cove, they have been curing Non Hughson's Lymphoma for over a decade now using nano cells from Engeneic  

 

no idea the cost sorry.

 

 

[Deeds]

Small Animal Specialist Hospital @ North Ryde have a special vaccine for Lymphoma.  Whilst I was attending there for one of my dogs one of the other dog owners with an Afghan Hound told me he his dog had been receiving this treatment & was still going well 3 years later.

 

My old Giant Schnauzer had Melanoma in the mouth.  Local vet removed it & gave the dog 3 months to live.  We took her to SASH for the Melanoma vaccine she lived cancer free for another 4 plus years.  It was something entirely different that finished her.

 

If you are going to get treatment for the dog you have to act quickly before the cancer spreads to the lungs etc.  

[kenDOL]

Sincere thanks for your responses.

 

We're waiting for the additional test results and I want to organise a specialist appointment to really get our heads around her condition. SASH is on my shortlist.

 

Thanks again.

[Deeds]

The oncologists at SASH i.e. Veronica & Sandra are excellent .

[cannibalgoldfish]

I lost one of my dogs to lymphoma. He showed no signs at all except for a small fleeting wobble in his legs one day. Two days later the glands in his neck swelled up and he passed away at the vets several hours later  I'm not really any help, even the vet said he showed next to no signs until the swollen glands  At that stage the vet said there was nothing left to do.  Get the tests and then decide from there, that's all I can suggest. 

[giraffez]

Definitely get a second opinion and I agree SASH is a good start.  Ask your vet for a referral to a specialist at SASH, the doctors there are fantastic!  It may not be that bad.

 

I recently had a same thing happened to me (not lymphoma but an incident), my vet eluded to a doom and gloom situation and I was also warned to think about putting my boy down.  I asked for a referral to see a specialist at SASH and going into the appointment I had little hope for a turnaround.  But it turned out to be something that was fixable and didn't even require surgery!  He is back to normal now.

 

I'm glad I did because your vet really has a lot of persuasion power over what your next steps should be especially when you are frazzled and stressed.  If I had followed their diagnosis, my boy wouldn't be sitting next to me now.  A second opinion doesn't hurt.  It may cost a few hundred dollars but worth it if it could mean saving your pet's life without suffering.

[kenDOL]

Further tests indicate B cell lymphoma which is apparently more receptive to treatment. Vet has recommended possible clinical trial - fingers crossed she's eligible!