Auto immune… cancer

[Clodagh]

Fingers crossed for Scout today

Postponed until Monday. But thank you.

Any suggestions for relaxing entertainment for a stressy dog on cage rest who will have had a lump cut off from under his tongue? Which is kind of ruling out Kongs or cows ears (my two go tos).

 

[I'm Dun]

mild sedation?

 

[leflynn]

Ask the vets they can prescibe tradazone I think it is (used for broken/fractures limbs usually)

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Vet just rang. He’s low on folate which suggests a malabsorption issue. Still going in on Thursday morning.
We are hoping they’ll find an old lump of sock in his gut somewhere.

Malabsorption explains the skinniness. Are they going to open him up for an exploratory?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Vet just rang. He’s low on folate which suggests a malabsorption issue. Still going in on Thursday morning.
We are hoping they’ll find an old lump of sock in his gut somewhere.

That wouldn't surprise me!

I was chatting with the senior small animal vet at the local practice the other day, she was telling me all the things they have had to remove from dogs over the Christmas/NY period. All sorts of stuff that they shouldn't have, including weirdly, hot cross buns(!). A lot of it included packaging that was just collateral damage.

She said that if the miscreant wasn't a Lab, it was most likely to be a Beagle or a Spaniel.

Fingers crossed that's all it is.

 

[Clodagh]

Malabsorption explains the skinniness. Are they going to open him up for an exploratory?

Not unless something shows on the scans

 

[poiuytrewq]

Hope all goes well today

 

[Clodagh]

Hope all goes well today

Thank you. Well, they found nothing.
He had the lump in his mouth drained (and is consequently looking like he’s forgotten to put his teeth in). He had a biopsy of a scabby bit and that sent off. More bloods to look for rarer things.
His gut looks fine, his heart is slightly enlarged but she said that can happen with extreme weight loss. He’s lost 8kg since August. So it’s looking like auto immune.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Thank you. Well, they found nothing.
He had the lump in his mouth drained (and is consequently looking like he’s forgotten to put his teeth in). He had a biopsy of a scabby bit and that sent off. More bloods to look for rarer things.
His gut looks fine, his heart is slightly enlarged but she said that can happen with extreme weight loss. He’s lost 8kg since August. So it’s looking like auto immune.

8kg?! Crumbs.

Did they say what that means, as in the future? Like life long meds? How is he generally?

 

[Clodagh]

8kg?! Crumbs.

Did they say what that means, as in the future? Like life long meds? How is he generally?

No, as they are still diagnosing atm.

 

[KEK]

If it’s IBD, they often go well on a hydrolysed diet (eg royal canin Anallergenic) +/- steroids (you can get steroids that just act on the GIT called budnisone that avoid a lot of the steroid side effects). They can look normal on abdo u/s and require gut biopsies to diagnose. And can cause low folate and cobalamin

 

[Clodagh]

If it’s IBD, they often go well on a hydrolysed diet (eg royal canin Anallergenic) +/- steroids (you can get steroids that just act on the GIT called budnisone that avoid a lot of the steroid side effects). They can look normal on abdo u/s and require gut biopsies to diagnose. And can cause low folate and cobalamin

Thank you. If it was IBD would he not be squitty?

 

[KEK]

Thank you. If it was IBD would he not be squitty?

Not necessarily depends if upper GI or lower. My BC had upper and her only clinical sign was anorexia and burping.
Hope you get a diagnosis soon.

 

[Clodagh]

Scout had a check up today. We have been pleased with how he’s doing, he’s put on 1kg and his coat and skin look better. He doesn’t smell like he’s rotting any more.
He’s got another week of antibiotics just to be sure all his scabs are cleared up and she hopes that he won’t always need the folate sups, after this month have finished he will just be monitored.
He’s much brighter and in fact I’d forgotten how much of a PITA he is when he’s well… but that’s ok! He might even get a day or two’s shooting before the end of the season. Will see.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

That's great to read that things have improved a bit for him. I'm keeping everything crossed he keeps going in the right direction.

Have things become any clearer with diagnosis or will it be an ongoing monitoring situation to work it out?

 

[Clodagh]

That's great to read that things have improved a bit for him. I'm keeping everything crossed he keeps going in the right direction.

Have things become any clearer with diagnosis or will it be an ongoing monitoring situation to work it out?

I think the vet is hopeful that it was an all over skin thing (there was a long word with derma in it ) but any vets reading this I probably missed stuff. I had puppy there as well and was dog wrangling. Malabsorption can’t be diagnosed, just ‘what’s left’.
Oh the lump in his mouth has come back, it’s just saliva apparently and monitor for now but ultimately he may need those glands removed.

 

[misst]

That sounds pretty positive for Scout. Keeping everything crossed for you xx

 

[AmyMay Again]

That sounds really positive x

 

[poiuytrewq]

That’s a fantastic update!

 

[druid]

That sounds positive.

If you do go down hydrolysed diets Peptide+ is by far my preferred option and comes in both GI and Skin Support varieties.

 

[Clodagh]

That sounds positive.

If you do go down hydrolysed diets Peptide+ is by far my preferred option and comes in both GI and Skin Support varieties.

Thank you. At the moment he’s on RC Gastro food. Vet said for a month. Should I be thinking long term?

 

[druid]

Thank you. At the moment he’s on RC Gastro food. Vet said for a month. Should I be thinking long term?

They can be fed long term and I have patients doing very well on them. They're a great option for hydrolysed diets that aren't the usual ingredients

 

[Cinnamontoast]

This sounds very positive. Skin clearing and putting on weight is great!

Is the lump a blocked salivary gland? Bear had this and the vet immediately said fatal cancer. Having just lost Zak, we were devastated. A week of ‘brufen (or equivalent) and it never reappeared. If it’s refilled, then yes to removal, mother had similar!