My boy had just been diagnosed with stomach cancer :(

olop

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My 22 old had been having off behaviour for a couple of weeks so vet decided to scope him this morning and found a huge stomach tumour with secondary stomach ulcers.

I haven’t stopped crying since and I’m in complete shock as we just thought we’d find ulcers.

she wants to treat the ulcers to see if it improves his odd behaviour and she says if it does we can keep him “ticking” along with steroids until the obvious happens.

Am I mad to go along with this? I’m too upset to even think straight at the moment and writing this post in tears. She could see I was distressed and didn’t want me to make any hash decisions there and then.

having had a quick google the prognosis is very poor but vet didn’t seem to think it was.

has anyone got any experience of it, it seems it’s not a common cancer for horses to get.

heartbroken.
 

ycbm

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I'm really sorry you've had such a horrible shock.

I'm afraid since he probably can't be covered by insurance for ulcers at his age, that I would not be spending the huge amount of money that treating the ulcers will cost for a horse with stomach cancer.

In any case, surely it's likely that the stomach cancer has caused the ulcers and they will simply come back again? It's not a journey I would start on, because sadly there is no good ending whatever you do.
.
 

poiuytrewq

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I'm really sorry you've had such a horrible shock.

I'm afraid since he probably can't be covered by insurance for ulcers at his age, that I would not be spending the huge amount of money that treating the ulcers will cost for a horse with stomach cancer.

In any case, surely it's likely that the stomach cancer has caused the ulcers and they will simply come back again? It's not a journey I would start on.
I’d really have to agree. So sorry op. What an awful shock..
 

eggs

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Very sorry to hear this. I had a lovely three year old filly who died of a massive tumour in her abdomen. She had been ‘off’ for a couple of weeks and vets were trying to get to the bottom of it. The tumour was found in her post mortem and I was told that nothing could have been done to save her.
 

Pearlsasinger

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I'm so sorry but I wouldn't risk the possibility of the tumour rupturing and the poor lad dying in agony of internal bleeding. Of course it is a terrible shock for youand you will need a few days to process the info but unless the vet can tell you of a way to get rid of the tumour, whichI very much doubt, I would pts before long. I guess that the pain from the tumour is causing the ulcers, has the vet given him anytihing for the pain?
I have had a dog and a horse die of internal bleeding after an unsuspected tumour ruptured and certainly wouldn't want that to happen again. At 22 your horse has had a good life.
 

jkitten

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I'm so sorry. :(

I agree with everyone else, there sadly is no good outcome here. The fact that he's acting off means he's already pretty uncomfortable. I personally would not want to draw that out without the possibility of at least a few more happy pain-free years for him, which it doesn't sound like there's any prospect of here. Again I'm so sorry, I can't imagine how devastated you must be.
 

Antw23uk

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Im so sorry to hear this OP. I have to agree with the others and i wouldn't be going further with the vets advise and i am surprised (or not to be honest) that they have mentioned this as a route forward!

Out of interest, what was the odd behaviour change you called the vet in for?

BIG HUGS XXX
 

Trouper

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So very sorry to read this - such a terrible shock for you. Take a few days to process the news but then just put the horse first - as I am sure you have always done.
I am always of the opinion that if there is no way back from something then it is always better to face the ending sooner rather than later - the living with the knowledge is always agony. I, too, have lost a dog with bleeding from a tumour and it is not something I ever want to witness again.
 

Equi

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Im really sorry youre going through this. As you know already cancer is quite rare in horses and once they have it its not a very good outcome. Take a few days to come to terms with it and then have a chat with your vet..cancer can be very painful and having watched my little dog go through it i massively regret not having her put to sleep a lot sooner than i did. As said, living with the knowledge and waiting everyday for it to happen is sometimes worse than grieving. This is so unfair to you i know. Big hugs to you x
 

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Oh so sorry, what a terrible shock

it’s easy for us to say let him go peacefully now because we are that step removed. But horses are such stoic creatures, and the fact that he is not right means that he is asking for help.

I’ve looked after a horse with cancer that the owner felt she couldn’t let him go. It didn’t end well.

Hugs - take a few days to process the news, and then make your decision based on your knowledge and care of him.
 
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So sorry to read this. I don’t have any experiences with this, I guess it would depend on how fast the tumour is growing though. There could well be many of us with horses with the tumours that we know nothing about as most won’t have ever been scoped. I would take Vets advice and treat the ulcers if you can afford to and see if the tumour continues growing and whether it is still causing him symptoms. A bit against the grain to most of the replies here but if Vet thinks there is a chance of a good outcome, it’s worth a try as they wouldn’t say that lightly. I would however look at quality of life and see if said horse can be happy and pain free. If not then the decision is made for you.
 

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When you've had a chance to process what the vet found then perhaps it would be a good idea to jot down your concerns to discuss with the vet. I have emailed in the past when I knew I couldn't handle a phone call.

I'd want more info about that tumour. Is it going to affect his eating, his digestion, increase risk of colic? Chances of it causing internal bleeding? I suspect the answer is that there is the potential to cause quite serious issues which would drive my decision making.

I'm so sorry you're in this position xx
 

olop

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Thank you for all the kind words, I’m completely devastated. I’ve owned him for almost 20 years since I was a child and I don’t know adult life without him :(

the odd behaviour was classic ulcers signs, he didn’t like me touching him and would squeal and try to kick me whenever I touched his tummy. No weight loss and still eating like a pig (he loves his food) so vet ran some bloods which showed low protein and decided to scope him. I saw it as soon as the tube went down it’s the size of a small football.

she said they can’t offer pain relief as it would make the ulcers worse so she has suggested gastroguard for a month with added steroids and sulfacurate (not sure how you spell it but the stuff that treats hind gut ulcers).

Im going to try and process it tonight and I’ve got to pick up the steroids from the surgery tomorrow and speak to her hopefully with a bit more sounded mind.

thanks again for all the messages, I just wanted some reassurance that what she has suggested is the best way forward as I couldn’t take it all in at the time xx
 

AmyMay

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So very sorry to read this - such a terrible shock for you. Take a few days to process the news but then just put the horse first - as I am sure you have always done.
I am always of the opinion that if there is no way back from something then it is always better to face the ending sooner rather than later - the living with the knowledge is always agony. I, too, have lost a dog with bleeding from a tumour and it is not something I ever want to witness again.

Beautifully put. So sorry OP.
 

Pearlsasinger

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Thank you for all the kind words, I’m completely devastated. I’ve owned him for almost 20 years since I was a child and I don’t know adult life without him :(

the odd behaviour was classic ulcers signs, he didn’t like me touching him and would squeal and try to kick me whenever I touched his tummy. No weight loss and still eating like a pig (he loves his food) so vet ran some bloods which showed low protein and decided to scope him. I saw it as soon as the tube went down it’s the size of a small football.

she said they can’t offer pain relief as it would make the ulcers worse so she has suggested gastroguard for a month with added steroids and sulfacurate (not sure how you spell it but the stuff that treats hind gut ulcers).

Im going to try and process it tonight and I’ve got to pick up the steroids from the surgery tomorrow and speak to her hopefully with a bit more sounded mind.

thanks again for all the messages, I just wanted some reassurance that what she has suggested is the best way forward as I couldn’t take it all in at the time xx


Perhaps one of your questions to the vet should be 'Why didn't she give him a painkilling injection?' Is she seriously suggesting that the ulcers are not secondary to the tumour? I think I would want a 2nd opinion. You have done your best for him for the last 20 yrs, he is a lucky lad. If only all horses could have such a good life.
 

ycbm

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thanks again for all the messages, I just wanted some reassurance that what she has suggested is the best way forward


I'm really sorry, and I know that this is not what you want to hear, but I am struggling to believe that your vet has suggested the best way forward, either for you or for your incurably ill horse.

Please make sure she explains to you what keeping him alive "until the obvious happens" means, because the obvious, according to other people with animals with similar issues, is not a good ending.
.
 
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