Paging those who had animals with cancer...

[mizzou]

Took my cat in for a dental checkup because her drool was getting out of control and I could see bleeding. I couldn't get her mouth to open but I knew she had bad teeth.

Vet opens her mouth, and there is a gigantic fucking tumor underneath her tongue

She's around 15 years old, maybe even older...the person we adopted her from said she was a stray and had her for several years.

I can't remember the last time I cried so much. I've had many family pets die before, but this is the first pet I've owned all on my own.

Vet said I could pay thousands of dollars to have the tumor removed, but even then they can't guarantee they get it all. The tumor may be in the jaw and other very important areas. Chances are, this type of cancer will return.

Vet said I could pay a smaller amount and remove part of the mass to make her more comfortable.

Vet said I could pay to give her a steroid shot to decrease inflammation and anti-bacterial meds to stop an infection. This could stop the bleeding as well.

Or I could do nothing and just try to keep her comfortable.

At her age, I don't think she'd recover from any mouth surgery. If she loses her health, I don't think she has the energy anymore to rebound.

Has anyone here had any pets that suffered from an aggressive cancer? I feel like I need to do something, I'm leaning more towards the medicated route to just keep her current condition from developing necrotic tissue.

We've had a few "my pet has xxxxxx" threads before, and it's always been an interesting conversation since it is a moral and ethical decision when you are faced with a scenario that says, "Your loved one is dying, how much are you willing to pay to help them."

 

[RadiclDreamer]

You are fighting a losing battle, put her down. Shes at the end of her expected lifespan and shouldnt be forced to suffer.

 

[PingviN]

Put the cat down. It's old and dying of cancer is not the way to go, don't prolong it.

 

[mizzou]

You are fighting a losing battle, put her down. Shes at the end of her expected lifespan and shouldnt be forced to suffer.

I'm going to have to have a chat with my wife when she gets home...I think we are both going to be on the same page. We have vaguely talked about it before, but I think we are both in denial.

I don't want to put her down unless her quality of life has substantially decreased...which will probably happen fairly soon. Apparently the mouth cancer is one of the worst ones cats can get.

Right now, other then the drooling, I actually thought she has been in a better mood then ever. She's been on a new food diet and everything

 

[Fatdog]

Do the right thing and let it go humanely. She's suffering.

 

[IronWing]

We've lost two cats to lymphoma. We put them down when they showed signs of suffering. With both, it was very obviously time to go. With lymphoma there was no localized tumor to remove so sugery was not an option.

 

[Markbnj]

I have to agree with the other posters. This is not a case for medical intervention, I'm afraid.

 

[JManInPhoenix]

Gruesome. Sorry to hear about your pet.

 

[vi edit]

My dog has had a nasty tumor removed from her mouth three times now. It grows between her front two teeth and has gotten as big as a grape the first time.

She had it done when she was 8, 10, and 13 years old. She's 14 now, it's growing back, her hips are going, she's deaf as a post, her hair is falling out, and she's got bowel incontinence. We're going to be facing a similar decision soon too.

Sad part is that she's still a very active, happy, and loving dog. Her brain and heart want to keep going, but most of everything is starting to go.



Not sure about your pet, vet or the location or invasiveness of the tumor. I never paid more than $300 each time to have our removed from between her teeth. May be worth getting a second opinion, maybe from a vet outside of town that does more farm based visits for more reasonable costs.

 

[Daverino]

If your cat isn't suffering then there's no reason to put him or her down. In the same way that if someone has terminal cancer but is relatively pain free, they can live pretty normally. But you know the writing is on the wall and it's hard to judge what constitutes 'suffering' for an animal that can't tell you outright.

If she can't eat, is bleeding, and otherwise looks like she's in pain, you should consider euthanasia. If she is still the normal cat you love with an extra tumor and drool, consider some of the non-invasive or less invasive treatments and know that you only have some time left. Enjoy that time, but be aware that there will come a time, maybe soon, where your cat really is suffering.

 

[nageov3t]

it's hard, but honestly... unless the chances for a full recovery are outstanding and the recovery-time itself low, it's just not worth making an animal go through the suffering, especially at that age and expense to yourself.

I wouldn't necessarily put an animal down if they're not suffering, but I wouldn't make them go through the trauma of surgery either.

 

[Zenmervolt]

About a year and a half ago my 7-year-old cat developed lymphoma. The survival rates were incredibly poor, even with very expensive treatment, and I made the difficult decision to let him go comfortably. It sucked and I still miss him, but it would have been awful to put him through treatment that was likely to only prolong his life by 3-6 months.

ZV

 

[mizzou]

My dog has had a nasty tumor removed from her mouth three times now. It grows between her front two teeth and has gotten as big as a grape the first time.

She had it done when she was 8, 10, and 13 years old. She's 14 now, it's growing back, her hips are going, she's deaf as a post, her hair is falling out, and she's got bowel incontinence. We're going to be facing a similar decision soon too.

Sad part is that she's still a very active, happy, and loving dog. Her brain and heart want to keep going, but most of everything is starting to go.



Not sure about your pet, vet or the location or invasiveness of the tumor. I never paid more than $300 each time to have our removed from between her teeth. May be worth getting a second opinion, maybe from a vet outside of town that does more farm based visits for more reasonable costs.

$150-300 for a biopsy $500 to carve out part of it Thousands to try and remove the whole thing.


For thousands of dollars, I could help save the lives of other animals that need more immediate attention...that's sort of my outlook on it. We gave her 7 years of a wonderful life, that she never would have had.

Honestly though, if the vet could say 50/50 she could have a much better extended life by removing part of the tumor, I would do it. But since the mouth type is so aggressive, it's almost futile to try.

He really really didn't push the surgery...or any surgery at all for that matter. There was a lot of emphasis placed on "it will return"

 

[blackdogdeek]

My little sister had to put her dog down last year. He was probably around 13 or 14, a golden lab who had been fighting with cancer for several months and she was paying for chemotherapy for him but he had gotten to the point where he couldn't get up to go the bathroom on his own and was clearly suffering.

OP, I don't envy the decision you have to make, and I dread that I, too, will have to make a similar decision for our own little friend one day. But, for its relevance do I quote this poem (through my own tears):

The Last Battle

If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done,
For this — the last battle — can't be won.
You will be sad I understand,
But don't let grief then stay your hand,
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.

We have had so many happy years,
You wouldn't want me to suffer so.
When the time comes, please, let me go.
Take me to where to my needs they'll tend,
Only, stay with me till the end
And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do to me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I have been saved.
Don't grieve that it must be you
Who has to decide this thing to do;
We've been so close — we two — these years,
Don't let your heart hold any tears.

— Unknown

 

[tHa ShIzNiT]

dude, that poem. right in the feels. I hate these threads

 

[Insomniator]

Just get a new cat... 15 is a good run. Cancer sucks.

 

[Pantoot]

dude, that poem. right in the feels. I hate these threads

Yup, put my 13 year old lab down in november. sucks.

 

[tHa ShIzNiT]

I have a 3 year old shih tzu named keith and my life literally revolves around him. He's an extremely good looking little guy, so well behaved and loving. Someday...I just hope I'm a lot stronger than I am now.

 

[Hugo Drax]

We spent 8 grand in total on our dog. he is clear and doing real well. They said the odds were not too good. but I took the bet and said go.


he had a tumor in the gut. took him to the top oncologist/surgeon and got him fixed.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I recommend that you take your cat to see a veterinary oncologist. A biopsy or aspiration of cells from the tumor will give you more information on the tumor and guide you on your options.

One of my past dogs developed cancer at ten months. Surgery and after chemotherapy, she lived til she was 11 years.

My current dachshund who's 11 years was discovered to have colon cancer while he was being prepped for a dental. To remove the tumor completely, would require cutting thru his pelvis, removing the tumor(and part of his colon) then screwing him back together. Not an option at his age. Instead we decided to perform minor surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible via a rectal pullout. The majority of the tumor was removed. We decided not to perform chemotherapy based on the location of the tumor(far down in his colon which makes it less likely to spread).

Currently, he's back to normal 100% and I take him in every couple of months to monitor the remainder of the tumor for growth. If it regrows, we'll just remove as much as possible again.

Note, before taking my dachshund to the oncologist, we went to see a board certified surgeon who could only give us surgical options. It was the oncologist who recommended the least evasive surgery option due to her knowledge based on the tumor and location.

fwiw - total bill for xrays, ultrasound, evaluation and surgery was around $2k. Insurance covered $1.2k

Good luck!

 

[thedarkwolf]

My 10 year old super mutt had prostate cancer and got to the point he could barely pee. I had the option of spending a ton of money for surgery and most likely end up with an incontinent dog that couldn't be in the house any longer. He was a spoiled couch/bed dog and wouldn't have been happy staying outside if the surgery even worked so I put him down.

 

[Midwayman]

I had a couple dogs get cancer. Every time it would come back worse. Eventually it got to the point where it was obvious the dog had no energy anymore and difficulty just getting through its normal day. Animals don't complain. They can't tell us they feel horrible all the time. The human thing is to put them down once it gets to the point it affects their quality of life. No sense in prolonging the agony both for you and the animal.

 

[slag]

Had a dog die of cancer. It was my wife and my first animal together and it was hard to see her go from a healthy dog to one who wouldn't eat, couldn't go up and down stairs, and eventually died outside under our porch, even after she had surgery to remove the growth. I feel your pain.

 

[nickbits]

My cat had a nonmetastatic cancerous tumor (of nerve cells) on his paw when he was young. Surgery removed it and he has been going strong since. I think that was 10 years ago. He's 14 now.

 

[hanoverphist]

Sad part is that she's still a very active, happy, and loving dog. Her brain and heart want to keep going, but most of everything is starting to go.

this was the worst part of my ordeal. my dog was about 10, last september he started getting a swollen buttcheek. it ballooned up in about 2 weeks, was the size of a large orange. took to vet, found another the same size under his rear thigh. no real way to recover from that, the doc said it was too fast moving and intrusive where they were. we made him comfy and gave him all the attention and treats he wanted, and some mild pain relievers the vet gave us for him. we put him down in january, one of the hardest things ive ever done. his mind was all there, he was still trying to play and love on us as well. his body just didnt allow him to anymore.