Elderly spaniel, not sure what to do?

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MyBoyChe

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Bear with me, this may turn into a bit of a waffle. Rosie spangle will be 13 in January, she seems well enough in herself, still managing 2 walks daily, albeit slower and not so far, and eating and drinking normally. She does not appear to be in any discomfort and can still jump up on to her favourite chair and my bed! However, she is riddled with lumps and bumps, Im sure most are fairly harmless fatty deposits and little warts but she has quite a hard mass which covers about a quarter of her tummy area. I can touch and press it and she does not flinch at all. But, it is worrying me. I have already decided that I am not having her poked, prodded and operated on, she has had a wonderful, active life and if she can no longer do the things she enjoys I will not prolong her life as a housebound, semi active dog (sorry if that sounds harsh but I know she will not be happy). My problem is, if I take her to the vet they will want to take biopsies etc, obviously I understand they need to do this, but I cant really see the point given my feelings. I guess what I am asking is do I trust my own judgment as to her happiness. Will I be able to tell if she is in pain, does anyone out there have experience of this type of thing and is there any way for a vet to tell what is going on inside without running all these invasive tests. Please understand money is not the issue here, I just dont want the old girl subjected to all manner of medical stuff at her age. She has been a very healthy dog all her life apart from one episode with a very, very dead rabbit and the resulting upset tummy!!!
 
My old boy has a large lump/bulge either side in the same place and the vet sais that it is most likely to be fat build up, he offered to take a biopsy but I declined as my boy is 14. I wouldn't worry too much this is quite a common thing even in much younger dogs.
 
to be honest - if she was mine i'd just go with my instincts and not take her to the vet until it was time - the jsut get her PTS - as you say - you don't want her poked and prodded so that's prob the best thing to do and you'll know far better than anyone when that will be.

my old spangle is similar - the day he doesn't take notice of a pheasant is the day he'll be PTS. i'm also not having him as a housebound dog - he's a working dog and it would not be fair
 
Our old lab had fatty lumps like this - the vet used a needle to take some of the cells out and checked them under a microscope there and then. It wasn't invasive, although he was a good boy for the vets and not scared as some dogs are. So if you did want to know, depending on how your girl reacts to vets etc, it wouldn't neccessarily involve lots of poking about and you would know.

Although that said I'd be inclined to do as you plan to, but wanted you to have this info so you can make up your own mind.
 
I'd say trust your instincts on this one. At this age, as you say, there seems little point subjecting her to a vet visit unless she is in obvious pain or discomfort in which case some short-term palliative care may be in order. If she seems happy, then I would do as you are doing and leave her be. I do hope she continues well for a long, long time!!
 
Our 14 year old dog has had a lump on his side for at least 3 years now. The vet has seen it several times and felt it. its not attached to anything and he thinks its just a fatty lump so nothing has been done. Hes good for his age and altho the lump has grown we think its too invasive to do anything about it.
 
Thanks everyone, I feel a bit more reassured now. I feel guilty for not taking her to the vet in case she is suffering although Im pretty sure she isn't. But if I take her and they say "we need to just do this and that" Ill feel bad if I do and worse if I don't. I do keep a careful eye on her and she is living the life of riley at home, very pampered as befits a lady of a certain age. I do have two other spangles, 11 and 9 years old but Rosie and I have been through a lot together and she has been my best friend for a long time now. I hate seeing her growing older and greyer but I do know she will not suffer if I have anything to do with it. Thanks again, your comments have helped.
 
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