Schnauzer..really bad news .

[Bellasophia]

I took my little mini girl in last week to have a full check up…she’s six,never been ill to date,but in the last weeks has been slowing down on walks a bit,weeing more, even panting atnight( we’ve had 30c outside in august as Italian summer comes into autumn,so I wasn’t over worried)
Last week we went to the vets .
I did bloods,urine check,and a ecogram..
The ecography vet did a double take,her first words were “ oh no” as she saw a large tumor on the base of her bladder.
Her words were repeated when she moved to the large colon..” oh no”…the wall of the gut has lost its striated appearance..the cancer has invaded here too.
The third expletive was to comment on the abdominal spaces filling with fluid..
I was told that the tumour would be inoperable,given it’s size and location.
Same for the colon..and I was sent away with a bottle of cannabis oil for her pain relief.

I am getting up every two or three hours in the night ,or she wets the bed.
The c. oil takes her pain off for an hour..she sleeps,then wakes up panting ,needing a drink and to be taken out for a wee…..
I have an appointment tomorrow with my head vet,to discuss the blood and eco results etc..the junior vet phoned to say her liver results were also high,so I’m bracing myself.She would not send me the results by email,insisting a see the head vet…maybe I would consider putting my dog under an an anaesthetic she suggested to take a liver biopsy….(wtf?)
I want to euth ,rather than subject my little girl to chemo,and more invasive tests,which junior vet has pushed me to consider..this bladder cancer has no cure,is aggressive,painful and fast progressing…
tomorrow I will see the vet and want to ask for complete pain relief for my girl…or euth…Iwant to give her at least a few more painless weeks as around the house she still can chase a lizard or two in the garden and have multiple cuddles from me..then I think we will both be ready to face the music.


All thoughts appreciated…..

 

[asmp]

So sorry

 

[silv]

That’s awful, I am so sorry. completely agree with you re liver biopsy and chemo, that’s just ridiculous in my opinion and not d her or yourself any favours. Take care xx

 

[millikins]

Oh that's so sad, I'm very sorry, she's beautiful.

 

[meleeka]

I’m so sorry it was such awful news

Sorry, but if she were mine I’d pts now. To put it bluntly, what are you waiting for? For her pain to get intolerable, or she collapses? I’m sure you don’t want to put her through that if you don’t have to, so i’d take her to the vet and prevent any further suffering. That’s your right, you have a diagnosis. Any further diagnostics is just pointless.

When my old dog was diagnosed with a large tumour on her spleen, she still acted normally. I took her home and gave her a lovely few months, until the morning she refused breakfast. That was my cue that she wasn’t feeling fine anymore (she always loved her food) and she was pts that day.

I can’t see any benefit to either of you by dragging out the inevitable.

 

[Baywonder]

I am so, so sorry.

 

[paddy555]

I'm so sorry. I was in a similar position with cancer and my dog. Enjoy the time you have.

 

[Bellasophia]

Meleeka.. I got the diagnosis four days ago..so I’m determined not to let this drag on. The vet visit tomorrow will be crucial..knows me well,I will put the dog first,I don’t believe in letting a dog suffer for the owners emotional reluctance to let go.I can’t believe the young vets are all so in favor of pushing on ,knowing this is one of the worst cancer diagnosis (no cure,fast,aggressive etc).
thanks.

 

[planete]

Edited out as cross posted. xx

 

[skinnydipper]

All thoughts appreciated…..

I can't tell you what you should do, but I will tell you what I did.

One of my dogs was unwell, her bloods were normal but she was off her food which was unknown. I suspected something sinister. I requested imaging and asked for the vet to ring me with the findings while she was still sedated. She had liver cancer with spread to her bladder. I did not want to prolong her suffering and asked for her to be PTS. When I went to say goodbye she was still warm.

 

[Bellasophia]

My thoughts exactly..sooner is a kindness to the dog.
Im grateful to hear these affirmations..my catholic husband is not so supportive..he sleeps through the night,only sees her more cheerful moments when she comes to the food bowl,she’s still got a hearty appetite….but I’m seeing smaller poos,more wees,more thirst,the night panting,the slowing down etc..
he won’t come to the vet with me..he asserts I’m going to kill the dog,not him..apparently padre pio will intervene.
My timeline is weeks not months.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We had our 6 yr old Rottie pts on the operating table when they found that the splenetic tumour had wrapped itself round the bowel and couldn't be removed (I guess a person would have been given a colostomy bag). Her now 8 yr old sister has a bladder cancer diagnosis, she is taking Metacam to control the pain and apparently it can shrink the tumour somewhat. She is definitely living on borrowed time but her QOL is good, she plays with the Labs, eats well and other bodily functions seem more or less unchanged. We will pts as soon as her QOL is compromised, or she appears to be in pain at all.
Young vets do seem to want to 'do something', we were offered chemo for the 2nd dog, despite the fact that the more experienced vet who saw the 1st one said that she wouldn't give her dog chemo. Tbh we are surprised that she is still here.
I'm sorry, OP, it's a difficult position to be in.

 

[bonny]

Just want to say how sorry I am, she looks like she’s a lovely dog and this must be so hard for you all x

 

[Bellasophia]

Thanks pearl..you are actively going through this so you know the complications…all the best to your rottie.
…I think a bigger dog may well support metacam better than a small breed,with an already compromised liver.

The chemo could prolong things for two months or so..but there is,as you know,no cure for this type of cancer,so it’s down to us,and how well we know our dog…I will choose not to do chemo.
.I see subtle changes already,she was always a step behind me but now ,she will stay on the sofa and watches where I go.
I will ask the vet tomorrow if she will support my wishes for euth.I see no need for my girl to go through any pain at all given the future prognosis of either a burst bladder or bowel.

 

[ycbm]

Your care as an owner is exemplary BS, of course you are right to let her go and not subject her to aggressive treatments. I'm so sorry she is so young and you won't have more time with her, what a lovely little dog she is.
.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Thanks pearl..you are actively going through this so you know the complications…all the best to your rottie.
…I think a bigger dog may well support metacam better than a small breed,with an already compromised liver.

The chemo could prolong things for two months or so..but there is,as you know,no cure for this type of cancer,so it’s down to us,and how well we know our dog…I will choose not to do chemo.
.I see subtle changes already,she was always a step behind me but now ,she will stay on the sofa and watches where I go.
I will ask the vet tomorrow if she will support my wishes for euth.I see no need for my girl to go through any pain at all given the future prognosis of either a burst bladder or bowel.

I used to work with someone who had a small dog (can't remember the breed) with bladder cancer, she had insurance and opted for chemo. The dog who had been perfectly happy to get int he car and go anywhere, got so that she hated the car and trembled all the way to see colleagues' mum about 30 miles away. Apparently she was happy when not having to go to the vets (once a month?) and played with her bigger companions as usual but wee'd a lot more than usual. The prognosis was 6-8 months. We lost touch while she still had the dog so I don't know how long she actually got but it certainly made me resolve not to put one of mine through chemo.

 

[Quigleyandme]

So sorry to hear of your troubles X

 

[SAujla]

Very sorry to hear this, can't offer any advice as you know more about dogs than me but you have all my sympathy

 

[PapaverFollis]

I'm so sorry.

I will never understand vets who want to prolong life at any cost rather than put the comfort and dignity of the animal first. They make me cross.

 

[deb_l222]

So very sorry, this must have come as such a shock.

Take care of yourself xx

 

[Shady]

I am so sorry Bella and I know what a shock it is to get the worst possible news when you are not expecting it or prepared emotionally.
I would also never go for chemo personally and if your heart can stand it I would push for pts if that is what you want
Young vets have a different view to the older ones and always seem to want to try one more thing or assume the owner wants as much time as possible rather than say goodbye at the best time for the animal. Whenever I need to have a clear conversation regarding prospects and pts I always go with a senior vet.
She's a beautiful girl B . Thinking of you both. xxxxx

 

[Odyssey]

I'm so sorry, that's heartbreaking. Doing further tests and chemo wouldn't be in her best interests, I wonder if they're suggesting it for financial reasons. I know some vets do, which is appalling. I'd have thought she needs something more than CBD oil for pain relief, I'm surprised they haven't given her strong painkillers. Sending hugs. xx

 

[P3LH]

So sorry. When in the same situation with this dreadful disease I’ve let them both go straight away rather than wait and manage. You’ll know when should it be worse case scenario.

 

[Penny Less]

Im afraid a lot of vets practices will offer you various tests, treatment etc, and its more about money I think. Most vets now are part of a large group and they aren't in it for the animals in MHO (the Owning Company I mean).
Im sorry to hear your news, and am sure you will do the right thing by your dog

 

[Bellasophia]

thanks for the input everyone..it’s a rotten thing to face in such a young dog.She’s a real character,the feisty pup no one chose.The breeder warned me she was a growler and she was.She’s like a grumbly rottie,but it’s just her way of being.I’ve had nothing but love from her,she’s a great dog and faces each and every thing with trusting calm.I’ve never seen her panic over cattle,tractors,racing bikes flying a foot away from us,raw weather etc..nothing phases her.
shes slept on my bed from her first day here and is always just a step away.
Today I realized I’ve never really captured her in my pyro ramblings so this afternoon I had a go..black dogs are the hardest to capture for sure.
my Robin..born on my dads birthday I named her after his favorite bird.

 

[Clodagh]

It’s harder when your partner is not on board.
My mum’s collie before last had bladder cancer, they wanted a few last weeks but two days after diagnosis the tumour blocked the urethra and the dog could no longer wee. It was awful on that last day.
Thinking of you all.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I am so sorry, its so hard losing a young one.

 

[Nicnac]

So sorry but know exactly where you are having lost both my flatcoats to cancer this year - one was rising 8, t'other was only 6. The older one I didn't bring round from GA as the cancer had spread into organs and the younger one had Hemangiosarcoma which is painless but large risk of internal bleeding so as soon as it was confirmed I put him to sleep.

It is absolutely heartbreaking and so so unfair when they are so young. I don't believe in putting animals through expensive, invasive treatments which have such a tiny chance of success as they don't understand we are trying to help them. Hugs to you.

 

[olop]

I’m so sorry what a beautiful girl
My mum has just had hers put to sleep, he had lung cancer and unfortunately went downhill very very quickly after diagnosis (he started coughing blood). I know it’s not an easy decision but I don’t think I would wait as they tend to go downhill really quickly. Sending massive hugs xx

 

[fankino04]

So sorry to hear your news, I too wouldn't opt for chemo and would let her go with dignity instead. I think sometimes the young vets believe in science too much and until they have experienced an animal suffering because they wanted to try "just one more thing" they believe it's best to keep trying. Don't know what to say about your partner, it's horrible of him to make you suffer more ( mine was like this with Ashkii and I felt like I was arguing with him to kill my dog, he learned from it with noodle and I also called the vet and booked the PTS before I called him). Sending lots of virtual hugs, you are clearly a loving owner who will do whatever is best for your dog regardless of how hard xx