Ddog has cancer :'(

[Cuntingcancer]

Our darling darling darling dog was diagnosed with cancer last week.
I'm literally heartbroken 😞
She has been the most loving affectionate dog I have ever known.
Vet has said we have to take a wait and see approach now as to when the time is right to say goodbye.
I'm just not ready!
She seems so perfectly fine it's just not fair!
The only sign there was anything wrong is a visible lump on her side

[BiteyShark]

I am so sorry. Other than her lump is she suffering any other symptoms? Let's hope the wait and see is a long wait

[LaGattaNera]

so very sorry to hear this I hope she will stay as well as possible for as long as possible x

[Idrinkandiknowstuff]

I'm sorry to hear this, our dog has cancer too. We gave him chemo, but if came back at Christmas. Its heartbreaking.

[Cuntingcancer]

No she's been completely fine. Took her to the vet expecting them to say it was a fatty lump, they sent a sample for biopsy that showed possible cancerous cells. Booked her for an operation last week, sedated her took an X-ray which shows it has spread to other areas and then just said there was nothing they could do. She's eating well, playing, going to the toilet etc just so honestly honestly heartbroken she's been my best friend for 10 years. I think the waiting is the worst part now. It's like a ticking time bomb with no idea when it could go bang. I hate the idea of her suffering and wish I could just make all of this go away

[BiteyShark]

It's good that she appears well at the moment and it must be a horrible shock and will take some time to sink in.

[SparePantsAndLego]

I'm so sorry. Have you discussed chemotherapy? It may offer more time if she's otherwise fit and well. We did it with out beloved cat, she was 15 and did extremely well, she died of old age at 19. We went to a specialty referral centre in the SE. They were amazing.

[SparePantsAndLego]

Specialist not speciality.

[Cuntingcancer]

I did ask the vet about chemo and he said it wouldn't improve her prognosis and the most he could offer would be pain management as and when she requires it

[Sugarpiehoneyeye]

Don't worry about her suffering OP, she won't, as she is fortunate to be loved by you. ❤️
I know it's hard, but she's happy at the moment, take lots of pics, have lots of snuggles and treats.
Sending you a very big hug, and your darling girl, a gentle belly rub and a biscuit.

[Rallyaddict]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Is it worth asking your vet for a referral to a specialist oncologist? Might give you a chance to at least have a better understanding of their approach to it, and what will be coming.

[Cuntingcancer]

They are sending her X-rays to a specialist oncologist to assess her lungs but apparently there is no treatment or even a medication to extend her enjoyment of life. Basically all they can do is make a decision to PTS when she starts showing signs of struggling. Every time she moves or coughs or makes any kind of noise I'm expecting the worst even though she looks no more unwell now than she has the entire time we have had her. I can't stop crying at the thought that she is literally dying in front of me and I can't stop it. We have the most expensive pet plan insurance possible yet it isn't going to make a single difference to her atall.

[Cuntingcancer]

To make it worse now I know that it's on her lungs DH and I have noticed that actually she does have a cough and has had for quite some time but not the kind of cough I expected of that makes sense. She kind of makes a gagging noise then a throaty clearing noise. I always thought it was just something she did as is quite sporadic and normally just after eating or drinking like people do if something 'goes down the wrong hole'
Feel terrible that we didn't take her sooner but it just never bothered her and I don't even know now if that noise is because of her lungs or is just how she is

[LaGattaNera]

It's not your fault. Dogs have all sorts of funny coughs and noises that mean nothing and because she has been so well and happy there is just no way you could have known.
I work at a dog rescue as a volunteer. I also lost my dog to kidney failure in January. You have given your dog such a happy life. Many of the dogs I see have had none of that and some never will. Both you and your dog have enriched each others' lives and I am so sad for the pain you are going through but having lost 3 dogs in 4 years myself, I would still rather have all the joy of my dogs for as long as they have than never have a pet to avoid the heartache. the pain is heartbreaking but the way they complete your life is something that I would not trade. Thinking of you xx

[Cuntingcancer]

That's the only comfort at the moment m, that she has a fantastic life with us. I just wish it wasn't nearly the end. I have no idea how long she will be with us now, days weeks or months it all depends on her and is making the decision at the right time. We got her a new bed one of the ridiculously thick comfy look ones to try and make the last part of her life as luxurious as I physically can.

[musicposy]

I so sorry.

Our dog was diagnosed with a bladder tumour in November. He's on medication and the vet said he might have a couple of months if he was lucky as he's old (nearly 15) and the tumour is quite large.

It's now 4 months on and he's had a bit of a new lease of life on the medication until fairly recently. Hes on a human medication which is anti inflammatory but has a slight chemotherapy effect - we had to sign a disclaimer because it's not licenced for dogs but he's been great on it. He's had a good, happy life since and it hasn't been as awful as we feared. We're getting to the point now where we are considering a discussion with the vet re end of life, but if we go down that route he will have gone through it with very litttle suffering.

It was a shock at first but we have coped. The shock will wear off gradually - enjoy what time you have left. Like you, we've treated our old boy to anything we can think of. He gets scraps of our food which he fancies, lots of attention and is generally and spoilt rotten. Make your dogs last months as lovely as you can and think of everything you've given each other over the years.

[Cuntingcancer]

So sorry you are in a similar position posy. It's horrible isn't it. She seems a bit dozy today but still getting up and walking around and coming over for attention. I just feel so sad for her! As horrible as it sounds I'm erring on the side of having her PTS sooner rather than later as feel we are dragging out the inevitable and just extending the pain we are all feeling. She's got the bump with DH at the moment for taking her to the vet. I had to wait outside as had dc with me and they kept waking her up whilst the vet was waiting for sedation to kick in. Need to wait for them to 'make up' before any decisions are made just don't know how long I can love like this. Have slept no more than an hour a night for the last week worrying about her being alone

[Tootyfilou]

So sorry to here this, it is such a massive shock when an apparently healthy dog is found to be so unwell. We had this happen to us 2 years ago. I know that there is nothing that can take the pain away, I consoled myself with the fact that he was so very very loved and had a brilliant life. be kind to yourself . thinking of you and your family [flower]

[Cuntingcancer]

Thank you tooty! It's so so hard. DC are going to be devastated. As are DH and I. If I hadnt seen the lump i would never know anything was wrong and almost wish that was the case. I know it's supposed to ease the pain having time to say goodbye but I think in this case it's making it worse just watching and waiting for her to start feeling unwell.

[BiteyShark]

To try and move the focus from watching and waiting for her to get worse could you make as list of things you want to do with her (a doggie bucket list) such as a favourite walk, a special treat etc and then you can try and turn your focus on something nice rather than thinking about the inevitable.

[stephenisjustcoming]

OP, I'm so sorry to read this - I lost both my dogs to cancer in the space of four months last year. In both cases, it came out of the blue and it absolutely broke my heart.

One crumb of comfort I can offer you is that for both my Ddogs, the end came very quickly, and up until then, both were almost as normal. I had no idea the older dog even had cancer - she went downhill in the space of one weekend and the tumours were only diagnosed pretty much at the last minute.

The vets told us that the most common cancer in dogs is very aggressive, hence they don't really recommend chemotherapy unless the dog is young - the treatment's not as stressful as it is for humans, but it only gives an additional few months of life. But they also stressed that they weren't oncologists, and were happy to have a consultation with an expert if I wanted. I decided not to.

As soon as we made the decision not to put my younger DDog through chemo (ffs, I have tears in my eyes even typing this) I spoiled him rotten. Let him sleep on the bed, fed him mince and healthy treats, took endless photos of him, spent hours just cuddling him. He died three weeks after the op to remove his cancerous spleen, very suddenly on a holiday that we were going to cancel until the vet said, Oh no, take him away and let him play on the beach and give him a nice time. So we did. He romped in the garden, chased his mate, lay in the sun. The next morning he wasn't quite himself, and when the local vets x-rayed him, they found another tumour, this time inoperable and spreading fast. We let him go, in our arms, and the thought of the happy, loved days he enjoyed right up to the end were a big comfort in the sadness that followed.

Sorry, that was an essay! The TL:DR version: you'll know when the time's come, but your DDog has no idea. Until then, spoil the heck of your DDog and take lots of pics.

[dudsville]

I'm crying here for you OP, and me a bit! How sad. I think the situation you're in is so hard. Our little pup was fine until she went swiftly downhill over the course of a weekend, and tests showed extensive cancer. It was a whirlwind of a day in which we got the news and made the decision as she hadn't eaten, eliminated or held her weight for a while already. It's obviously tough to go from well to brokenhearted in a handful of days, but I think getting the news in advance when your lovely pup still seems so well can be tougher. I hope the upcoming time gives you a chance to get your head around it. However, if I could I would have done all those wonderful things with her that she so loved and that you can only do when you know time is limited, and I regret we didn't have that chance. I guess it's just so hard either way.

[Cuntingcancer]

Ddog is on the verge of over taking the DC on the photo front this week. And has had so many treats and walks I've lost count. It's so hard knowing what's coming when to look at her you would have no idea. There's no easy way to lose her just I'm finding this so hard knowing the inevitable. Every breath every noise every movement I'm straight up and checking on her. Life's just so so cruel. I think the worst part is mil already commenting on how we can now give a new dog a home etc as if that's even something I'm contemplating whilst ddog is still sat next to me on the sofa!

[Cuntingcancer]

Thank you so much for all your messages! And I'm so so sorry to hear of all the horrible experiences you have all been through with your ddogs!
However, we had a call from the specialist oncologist today to inform us that ddogs lungs are cancer free!! The shadows they thought they had seen were from her crushing her lungs slightly after the sedation!!!! They can remove her mammory glands and should hopefully fully recover! Obviously we always have the risk that the cancer could return to her mammory glands and there's no guarantee it won't spread at a later date but for now I have my beautiful girl back!!!!!

We have spent the last week absolutely devastated and now I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders!!! I honestly cannot contain the happiness!!!!!

[BiteyShark]

That's really good news and I hope the op goes well. Will that be done soon?

[Cuntingcancer]

Towards the end of next week they will do the operation. Keep going from overly happy to slightly cross with the vet for all the worry and stress. I've truly never felt as helpless as I did this last week.