Hi everyone,
My Cocker Spaniel is 11 years and 8 months. He has ear cancer and we now face a dilemma as to whether to opt for further surgery.
He has had a tough year so far. In January he had an operation on his bladder for polyploid cystitis. This was a successful operation to remove benign growths, but there’s no guarantee that they won’t reappear and could cause problems by blocking the urethra.
Since then he has had recurring ear infections. A 2cm malignant lump was removed from the ear and then it grew back within 4 weeks. Total ear ablation (removing the ear canal etc.) would remove the cancer as it is localised. However it is a big operation.
Our dog is currently eating well, playing and enjoying his walks. The lump doesn’t seem to be bothering him too much either although it is growing quite rapidly. We are torn between doing all that we can to extend his life or just letting him live with the lump. I’m not sure I want to put him through another even bigger operation.
I’ve consulted a couple of vets and they have said it is a tricky decision to make. One suggested possibly a 60/40 bias in favour of going ahead with more surgery.
I would love to hear if anyone else has gone through a similar experience or has any advice. If our dog was younger/older/with no other health problems the decision would be easier to make.
Thank you!