My lovely dog has cancer...don't know what to do

[BillStickersIsInnocent]

Our lovely, daft 9 year old cocker has anal gland cancer. I've been reading up on it plus with vet advice and it's aggressive with a poor outlook.

We can opt for surgery to remove the tumour and investigate whether it has spread, then further monitoring, maybe radiotherapy. Part of me thinks we should try to prolong his life if at all possible. But I don't want to put him through the pain and distress of treatment. And who knows what pain he is in now. Although he seems pretty ok in himself.

Then there's the cost. I know I'll be flamed for this probably but the op will cost at least 2k. We have basic insurance which will pay towards some of that, but all treatment after that won't be covered. I hate it that money is part of the decision but that's just the way it is

Gosh I feel so upset. He's a wonderful, gentle dog. I can't cope with the thought of him being in pain.
Any advice very welcome, I have never had to make a decision like this before.

I'm so sorry to hear this :(

Could you ask your vet to realistically talk you through the pain and distress that the op and investigations would cause?

I would also ask for a breakdown of how much they would expect it to cost, then find out how much you will be insured for.

Find those things out then take it from there.

Personally (and I know that it's easier to make a plan in a theoretical situation), I wouldn't want my dog to go through the distress, as there's no way they would understand what was going on. A much younger dog with a good outlook yes, but older with a poor outlook, I'm not sure I could put the dog through that.

Heartbreaking decision to have to make. I hope you're ok x

Hi there. Sorry that you have a poorly dog. It's not easy.

My mum's dog was poorly and sadly he was pts for similar reasons. Diagnosed with cancer. Vet unsure as to the severity. Dog was 14 and mum decided that surgery and radiotherapy etc was just too much for the old boy and would just ride it out until he was time. Mum knew when it was time and so did the dog. Mum felt guilty (and still does) about the fact that she made the final decision but knows that it would have been totally unfair to prolong his life so that she didn't get upset.

It's never easy but as a dog owner, you live your animals unconditionally but need to remember that you have to make the decisions regarding care and quality of life even if it makes you sad ??

Thank you for your replies and sorry for not getting back sooner.

Spoke to the vet today and discussed options. We've said we can afford about 1k on our insurance and he kindly said he would operate and remove the tumour for this amount plus assess whether the cancer has spread. He said as the tumour is small at the moment there is a very good chance it can be removed entirely and ddog will have perhaps another 3-4 years. I think we're going to go for it, of course if the cancer has spread we'll have to consider other options.

Poor thing, he seems so well I can't quite get my head around it.

Vet sounds good..
Glad you have made a decision. What were the symptoms? Will the op be soon?

No symptoms at all, the vet found a lump during his annual check. Ddog is still very much himself. Appetite, energy etc all as normal.

Op will be first week of October hopefully.

Has the dog had a biopsy to see what the lump actually is ?

Yes, sorry didn't explain that very well. Lump was detected during an annual check, we brought him in next day for a biopsy under GA. The vet was hopeful as the lump appeared infected rather than cancerous but analysis proved it was cancer.

Hope the operation is successful x

I would think about your dogs usual health and personality. Is he a breed likely to live til 12 or 16?

I wouldn't want to put a dog through heavy treatment if the outcome would be a poor quality of life.

You know your dog and its loves, from the dogs perspective, there is no regret or if only, they live in the moment and don't wish for another few years as we do. No affairs to put in order.

Its a hard call deciding if treating cancer or palliative care is better.

That's a really good point LovestheSea. The vet seems confident that if they can remove the tumour, and it hasn't spread, his quality of life will be back to normal for his age, and we can expect another 3-4 years ish, which is about right I think for a cocker. I feel much happier having spoken to the vet. I guess we'll go for the op and then take it from there.

If the vet had thought that he'd need ongoing treatment, and/or his quality of life would be poor, we'd think differently. As it stands he won't need any radiotherapy which is a whole different ball game.

Of course if they open him up and discover it has spread extensively, I'm assuming from what others have said that they won't bring him back round. We'd find that devastating, but at least he won't have been in any pain.

Sounds a kind plan.

A happy update from me - he had the op yesterday. All went very well, she removed the tumour and as far as she can tell it hasn't spread.

So assuming he makes a good recovery we'll have his chaotic messy presence for another few years!

Thanks for all your advice and support

Aw that's a good update. Pleased to hear ddog is ok

Great news, happy for you.