Need some advice regarding our Dog

[masseyrider]

I know a few people that have had their dogs cancer treated and other than spending small fortunes it didn't do them much good.
If it's a person you can tell them what to expect and give them the option of what to do.
Take a dog in and terrorize it with strangers, operating rooms, needles, being sick from the radiation...
I seriously think that it's more humane to put them down.
For my dogs I took them out, had a nice visit, relaxed them...
Shattered me, but they never knew what happened.
Older dog had a good life, why ruin it at the end. Just ask the question, who are you doing it for, the dog or you?

 

[ponytug]

Need some advice TBN:

We have three dogs, two Maltese and one rescue Chihuahua. My wife and I don't have kids and these little guys are our family. The dog in question is our male 11 year old Maltese and my wife's bestie, Vinny. We recently took him in to see the vet because he was peeing a lot and drinking a ton of water. He has lost some weight too. As it turns out he has diabetes which I guess is not uncommon in older dogs. During the visit, they found a mass in his scent glands, took a biopsy and it is malignant.

We have been referred to a board certified surgeon, but the consult is not for another 2 weeks (5/17). Our vet also stated that we need to get his blood sugar under control (we have just recently started insulin injections) before we can do surgery. But even getting the biopsy results have been slow. I feel like we don't have time to screw around.

So I'm wondering what you guys think we should do. Wait for the consult and see? I want to do what is right by our dog. He has been the best little friend we could ever hope for, and I don't want him to suffer. But I feel like sitting on our hands waiting for an appointment is going to make any treatment too little and too late. The other thing on my mind is that my uncle died of pancreatic cancer last fall. Even with rapid fire appointments and pretty quick action, he went quickly. I'm not comparing the two, but I'm scarred by the loss. My uncle was very important to me.

Obviously, Vinny is important to both of us and my wife will be devastated. The TBN group here is both highly knowledgeable and keenly practical. I value your opinions on this.
Thanks,
Leo

Sorry about your uncle. That is hard.

Ok, not a vet, and not an MD.

However, in general, pancreatic and **** gland cancer tend to have extremely different trajectories. (For a variety of reasons)
Here is a brief overview that covers the common **** gland cancer (malignancy) in dogs;

Anal Gland Cancer in Dogs: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and FAQs | PetMD

Dr. Virginia LaMon shares how to identify, diagnose, and treat **** gland cancer in dogs, including the prognosis for dogs with this condition.

www.petmd.com

More anatomy here;​

https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/****-glands-dogs

I would suggest that you focus on getting Vinny's blood sugar under control, because if there is surgery in his future, he stands a much better chance of recovering well if his blood sugar is normal. High blood sugars tends to both make infections more likely, and more severe, besides the the fact that high blood sugars tend to increase the general level of inflammation that slows healing.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

All the best,

Peter

 

[2manyrocks]

Perhaps you could find another vet to do the surgery more quickly. Had a lab mix go through surgery to remove tumors on her chest. She lived another year.

 

[dmccarty]

Seems like you need more information before you can make decisions about surgery. One needs to know the odds of a successful operation and how long the dog will have after the procedure. The Vet may not want to give an answer, and nobody knows for certain, but the information is there. If the odds of success are 10% and the dog will only live a month, the answer on what to do is different than the odds are 90% and the dog will live for years....

We had a dog with a mass and opted for surgery. The Vet opened up the dog and found cancer all over the place. We had to decide if we wanted to put her down right then, or sew the dog up, and buy her more time. The Vet set she only had a few months but I think the dog lived another six due to my wife's care. The dog did not suffer during that time but we knew when it was time for the Vet to come to the house.

YOU will know what to do when it is time to put the dog down.

We able to put two dogs to sleep while they were at home. The vet came in both cases since the dogs were really too ill to travel. We did this with two different vets so maybe your vet can do this if it is needed.

 

[ArlyA]

Just here to see how this turns out. Its a hard, hard choice. We feel for ya man.

 

[tradosaurus]

Eventually you will have to put your dog down. It sucks a big one but prolonging the agony may not be the best choice.

 

[dodge man]

We had a cat with heart problems and kept him going for several months but then one day it was time to let him go. It was very emotional for me and the wife to have him put down. The vet explained to us some people don’t take extreme measures with their pets while others do. She said there is no right or wrong answer. Her opinion was though it’s time to let them go when the quality of life isn’t there. Good luck, it’s never easy.

 

[Torvy]

While I understand the comparison to children, there are huge differences. Not the least of which is the typical lifespan. An 11 year old Maltese is like about a 70 year old human in terms of % of average life completed. Few of us will have to deal with our kids cancer diagnosis when they are 70.

I've had to put a few dogs down and as hard as that was, it was easier to handle than ones that were killed unexpectedly.

Personally, I would not put a lot of money into it. The animal is more likely to endure needless suffering to assuage the pain of you and your wife. Sometimes the most humane decision is the hardest to make.

I am truly sorry for the pain y'all are feeling.

 

[check]

Need some advice TBN:

We have three dogs, two Maltese and one rescue Chihuahua. My wife and I don't have kids and these little guys are our family. The dog in question is our male 11 year old Maltese and my wife's bestie, Vinny. We recently took him in to see the vet because he was peeing a lot and drinking a ton of water. He has lost some weight too. As it turns out he has diabetes which I guess is not uncommon in older dogs. During the visit, they found a mass in his scent glands, took a biopsy and it is malignant.

We have been referred to a board certified surgeon, but the consult is not for another 2 weeks (5/17). Our vet also stated that we need to get his blood sugar under control (we have just recently started insulin injections) before we can do surgery. But even getting the biopsy results have been slow. I feel like we don't have time to screw around.

So I'm wondering what you guys think we should do. Wait for the consult and see? I want to do what is right by our dog. He has been the best little friend we could ever hope for, and I don't want him to suffer. But I feel like sitting on our hands waiting for an appointment is going to make any treatment too little and too late. The other thing on my mind is that my uncle died of pancreatic cancer last fall. Even with rapid fire appointments and pretty quick action, he went quickly. I'm not comparing the two, but I'm scarred by the loss. My uncle was very important to me.

Obviously, Vinny is important to both of us and my wife will be devastated. The TBN group here is both highly knowledgeable and keenly practical. I value your opinions on this.
Thanks,
Leo

Very, very sad situation, Leo. Whatever you do, you will eventually have to decide when the dog is suffering too much. Not an easy decision at all, because you also have your own feelings of not wanting the dog to go.

We had to put down two dogs who had cancer, and we did it at the vet. In each case, I held them while the vet did the injection. Strangely, it was comforting to feel him slowly relax in my arms as the life and the pain went out of him. Sad but at the same time peaceful.

Both Airedales, and what has been very calming, is the fact that we now have a third one that is the second one’s grand nephew, on one side and great grand nephew on the other side. I swear to God, I cannot picture Jake when I look at our current Jasper. It’s as if Jake never left , because the two are almost carbon copies of each other.

Good luck with your decisions, Leo.

 

[tacticalturnip]

That's terrible, I'm sorry to hear your pup is going down such a rough road, and I'm sorry that you and your wife are having this heartache.

Personally I'd try to keep the diabetes under control, and keep the doggo comfortable until it was time for him to go. It's not the best answer, but it's the best I have. It'll come down to what you and your wife are willing to do or spend, and whatever you choose, it's the right answer.

Take care of yourself, the missus, and the rest of the clan. The forum is here for you, so much as we can be.