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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Bladder cancer - devastated

24 replies

Messyhair321 · 06/07/2023 22:49

Does anyone have any experience of bladder cancer in dogs?

Very upsetting day. Yesterday our dog started peeing blood, took her to the vet thinking it was a UTI, turned out it's bladder cancer, our poor little dog. Vet seemed to be saying that the prognosis isn't good at all, a very bleak picture.
She's an ex breeding rescue dog, we had very little history on her when we got her, vets thinks she's about 7 now.
We're seeing a specialist on Monday.
In my heart I don't believe that there's much hope for her. I feel it's going to be keeping her as comfortable as possible until we can't.

Another thing, vet fees are astronomical. Luckily she's insured but even so, just a consultation & blood test today cost £600 at our vet. We're not even been to the vet hospital yet. How do people afford pets without insurance?

OP posts:
Unluckycat1 · 06/07/2023 23:08

I'm so sorry, that seems terribly unfair to your poor dog after her rough start in life, especially as she's not very old :( I hope it goes as well as it can on Monday

Original poster
Messyhair321 · 07/07/2023 05:37

Yes life seems to have dealt her a particularly hard hand. She's a beautiful soul not a bad bone in her

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Loverofoxbowlakes · 07/07/2023 05:49

So sorry OP. It's a grim treatment regime in humans (chemo, radical surgery, life-long reliance on medical apiances), I'm really not sure how that transfers to dogs, but certainly v v expensive and life-changing.

Extra big cuddles for your pooch x

HerMammy · 07/07/2023 06:10

Chemo isn't as gruelling for dogs, pease get all the information available before any decisions are made, best of luck to your wee girl.

Blanketpolicy · 07/07/2023 17:05

Sorry you are going through this, we have just been through the same with our beautiful senior boy yesterday, he had been unwell we had to make the decision to PTS while he was under GA during the endoscopy and they found stomach cancer.

It is such a difficult time trying to weigh up the invasiveness of the procedures vs giving them the best chance vs cost vs is it time to let them go.

You can only do what you think is best, different owners will have different ways of approaching it but all can only do what they think they can and what they think is best.

Our boy was insured for £4k. The local vets ate up £2.5k over the space of a few weeks and it was (in-hindsight) a waste of precious time and money as they found nothing so, cost wise and for your dog's best interests whatever happens, it is really good you are seeing a specialist so quickly. Hospital costs we are waiting for the final bill for what is over the insurance limit but expecting it to be somewhere between £1,500-£2,000 we will need to pay ourselves.

Before you go have a good idea on how far you are willing to go with invasive procedures, who are you doing them for, and how much you can/are willing to spend on treatment as they will start throwing big numbers at you - ours said £2k for endoscopy, £3k-£5k for chemo alone etc.

Sending you what little strength I have left for the coming days.

Original poster
Messyhair321 · 08/07/2023 19:53

Blanketpolicy · 07/07/2023 17:05

Sorry you are going through this, we have just been through the same with our beautiful senior boy yesterday, he had been unwell we had to make the decision to PTS while he was under GA during the endoscopy and they found stomach cancer.

It is such a difficult time trying to weigh up the invasiveness of the procedures vs giving them the best chance vs cost vs is it time to let them go.

You can only do what you think is best, different owners will have different ways of approaching it but all can only do what they think they can and what they think is best.

Our boy was insured for £4k. The local vets ate up £2.5k over the space of a few weeks and it was (in-hindsight) a waste of precious time and money as they found nothing so, cost wise and for your dog's best interests whatever happens, it is really good you are seeing a specialist so quickly. Hospital costs we are waiting for the final bill for what is over the insurance limit but expecting it to be somewhere between £1,500-£2,000 we will need to pay ourselves.

Before you go have a good idea on how far you are willing to go with invasive procedures, who are you doing them for, and how much you can/are willing to spend on treatment as they will start throwing big numbers at you - ours said £2k for endoscopy, £3k-£5k for chemo alone etc.

Sending you what little strength I have left for the coming days.

Thank you for your kind words. Our dog isn't acting any differently, the only sign we had was that she was peeing blood.
I am very upset at the moment because I feel like the vet has completely fleeced us, I don't know whether I am seeing things clearly because I am already upset but I have just looked at the bill for one blood test and pain meds. They charged £480 for a blood test and (for some reason i am really really outraged about this!) £17 for a box of 15 paracetamol, just the same as I can buy for £1 in lidl. I don't see how they can inflate the prices like this and not having given us a choice of buying this ourselves.
She is well insured and I wonder whether this is the reason they are charging us for everything, they know we will get the money back but I just don't feel right about them not letting us know about the painkillers.

OP posts:
Original poster
Messyhair321 · 08/07/2023 20:52

Blanketpolicy · 07/07/2023 17:05

Sorry you are going through this, we have just been through the same with our beautiful senior boy yesterday, he had been unwell we had to make the decision to PTS while he was under GA during the endoscopy and they found stomach cancer.

It is such a difficult time trying to weigh up the invasiveness of the procedures vs giving them the best chance vs cost vs is it time to let them go.

You can only do what you think is best, different owners will have different ways of approaching it but all can only do what they think they can and what they think is best.

Our boy was insured for £4k. The local vets ate up £2.5k over the space of a few weeks and it was (in-hindsight) a waste of precious time and money as they found nothing so, cost wise and for your dog's best interests whatever happens, it is really good you are seeing a specialist so quickly. Hospital costs we are waiting for the final bill for what is over the insurance limit but expecting it to be somewhere between £1,500-£2,000 we will need to pay ourselves.

Before you go have a good idea on how far you are willing to go with invasive procedures, who are you doing them for, and how much you can/are willing to spend on treatment as they will start throwing big numbers at you - ours said £2k for endoscopy, £3k-£5k for chemo alone etc.

Sending you what little strength I have left for the coming days.

Very sorry for your loss, its so hard letting them go, and thank you for your advice, it does really feel like we are on a gravy train with these vets sadly

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Original poster
Messyhair321 · 08/07/2023 20:55

@Loverofoxbowlakes thank you for your words, I think it is going to be a rough ride, we will see what we are dealing with more fully on Monday

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Original poster
Messyhair321 · 10/07/2023 08:33

Wish me luck, our doggie goes into hospital for further tests and advice this morning

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Blanketpolicy · 11/07/2023 11:44

Was thinking about you, hope you are bearing up ok. How did you get on at the hospital yesterday?

Original poster
Messyhair321 · 11/07/2023 13:17

Blanketpolicy · 11/07/2023 11:44

Was thinking about you, hope you are bearing up ok. How did you get on at the hospital yesterday?

Thank you for asking that is really very thoughtful.

Well she spent most of the day at the hospital and although our vet said that there is no infection, turned out that there is, and there's also a mass, but they couldn't biopsy it because of the infection.
There is a slim chance from what I can gather that it is just a mass, but vet at hospital emphasised that cancer is a strong contender, but it might be other things, so that has given us a bit of hope.
Our vet who originally tested her is adamant that she definitely has cancer., but this vet said that some of the test results could be due to something else We can't really know for sure until they do a biopsy so they have given her antibiotics to treat the infection and she is booked for surgery to remove the mass (it is in an unusual place so they can take it out without upsetting her urinary passage apparently), and we will see then.
The positive thing is that all the other organs are ok. But I am not really getting my hopes up, I would like to think that our vet got it wrong, but I feel at this stage its a slim chance.
Our dog is still herself though, bouncing around, nothing to see here so again we have to be grateful for the positives!

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Original poster
Messyhair321 · 12/07/2023 19:34

Noo she's just also been diagnosed with ecoli. Poor girl

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Azaeleasinbloom · 12/07/2023 19:42

Thinking of you and your lovely girl. It is so hard when they are unwell. Going through a similar process , for a different illness, and had not actually realised how much the drip feed of tests, X-rays, second opinions and speculative drugs had cost.
We have to prepare ourselves to be our dogs’ best advocates as I am afraid that ( some) vets are too willing to go too far , against what is best for the dog.

Original poster
Messyhair321 · 13/07/2023 07:38

@Azaeleasinbloom oh yes I agree the vet will just keep the tests going. We had an issue with our dog having diarrhea earlier this year, we kept trying different diets etc, we should have asked for a poo test, we went with vet opinion on getting her a £500 blood test, which showed nothing untoward.
We have now discovered that it was ecoli & only because vet hospital ran a urine sample.
I'm definitely left feeling like our vet was, at best, stabbing in the dark. Would have been far better for her & our pockets if we'd just ran a foecal test.

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TurqoiseJasper · 18/07/2023 09:29

Have been thinking of you, how is your girly? How are you holding up? x

HerMammy · 18/07/2023 21:52

How is your girl doing? 🐶

Original poster
Messyhair321 · 21/07/2023 20:25

@TurquoiseJasper @HerMammy thank you for thinking of her, she went into hospital because she started running a temperature & just seemed really flat.
Sadly after 24 hours she deteriorated further & the vet still hadn't no idea what was wrong with her, we weren't clear about a plan but they kept asking for blood tests which showed nothing, then they wanted a scan which would have cost £4k.

So at this point we decided to go & see her, she had been in the hospital for 2 days at this stage. She was in such a bad state, I asked if she'd eaten that day - it was 8pm & they said she hadn't, she was on a drip & antibiotics but they weren't doing anything for her. Her eyes were stuck together with gunk. It was actually quite distressing to see.

Vet was talking about more tests, she was a bag of bones, couldn't stand up & kept going in & out of consciousness, I felt so furious & upset that they were still talking about tests. I asked why? Why would you put her through more tests she cannot stand up, she's barely aware of what's going on, & she's distressed.
Needless to say we had her PTS & brought her home. She was a shell, didn't recognise us properly & it was the right thing to do for her. There was no way I was going to let her go through more tests & scans.

She's left a huge hole in our lives, she was so beautiful, loving & just an all round sweetheart.

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TurqoiseJasper · 21/07/2023 21:17

Oh, my deepest deepest sympathies to you all xx
It's the hardest thing, but the best thing, to do.
I know the agony of it all, unfortunately.
I still weep for mine who have gone, nothing really ever eases the pain of it.
I'm so so sorry xxxxxxx

Babyroobs · 21/07/2023 21:21

So sorry for your loss xx

hockeysticks89 · 21/07/2023 22:03

So sorry to hear this, your little doggy was very lucky to have found you Flowers

Original poster
Messyhair321 · 21/07/2023 22:40

She was such a special girl, our world isn't the same without her

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HerMammy · 22/07/2023 17:36

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

HerMammy · 23/07/2023 11:22

I'm so sorry to read you've lost your lovely girl, take comfort that you gave her a life full of love 💕🐶

Original poster
Messyhair321 · 25/07/2023 07:46

HerMammy · 23/07/2023 11:22

I'm so sorry to read you've lost your lovely girl, take comfort that you gave her a life full of love 💕🐶

Yes thank you we just wish she was here longer

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