TW dog terminal- Mammary cancer …

[Twoshoesnewshoes]

My lovely 15 year old had a mammary tumour removed two years ago, and bounced back.
she now has a new growth, fast growing, a large tumour and smaller ones all along both glands.
the vet suggested not operating, which I really agree with.
I asked how long, he said anything from a few months to a couple of years before it spreads to an important organ.
she’s otherwise fine for an old lady- still likes a good walk, sleeps a lot, appetite not quite what it was.
i know no one can say for her, but does anyone have any experience of this? How long ?

Anyone?

I don't have experience of this & I don't have a dog (cats only!) but am sending

Hi, firstly I'm so sorry you and your dog are going through this.

My dog is 5 years old and was diagnosed with mammary cancer just before she turned 3. She had a mammary strip operation done on one side and chemo. A lump was found a couple of months ago on her lung and removed. They think it wasn't actually related to the mammary cancer. Now having chemo again.

Sounds like a few months to a few years is probably about right, it's so hard to say. We said yes to mammary strip and lung lobe removal as ours is still so young. Bounced back both times and tolerates chemo well.

Did you get offered chemo as an option? Dogs generally tolerate it quite well. Depends if you want to put her through it.

@Twoshoesnewshoes I'm ever so sorry to read this. Not mammory but my first dog got to 15 and she had a tumour. It wasn't too bad for her to start, but unfortunately started to spread around. It's obviously very individual to the dog, but if I remember correctly we had a few months like this where she was pretty much ok. When it started to affect her she was put to sleep. That was over 20 years ago and I still think about her every day. I wish you all the very best for you and your dog.

Hi ,i'm a vet nurse ,i would be more concerned about ulceration / infection of the mass you can see rather than any secondary tumours internally.
Mammary tumors can sometimes increase in size quite quickly ,you need to keep an eye on any skin changes , it may become inflamed, tight and shiny and at this point it will often start to ulcerate and break down.
When this happens the dog will often relentlessly lick and chew around the ulcerated area because of pain and irritation making it much worse , in a long career i have sadly seen many get to this stage , i'm sure you won't let that happen you clearly love your dog.

Thank you all, really kind and helpful comments.
we’re not having chemo, mainly due to her age, also not keen to have a general anaesthetic as she has some signs of doggie dementia.
i guess it will happen as it happens..@Geoff0409 , how long was the bit from being okay to not being ok?
im sorry for your loss

@Twoshoesnewshoes I'm so sorry I can't quite remember. It was around 3 months because I remember her being generally ok at Christmas (we went to the vet close to then) and she was put to sleep at the end of March. Thank you very much for saying that and I really feel for you because it's horrible for you all. You know her better than anyone. Trust your judgement because you'll know what to do at the time.

My beloved spaniel had mammory cancer. In the first instance she had the tumour removed, she was 10 years old and she HATED every second.

The vets said we'd get 2-3 if not more years out of her

3 months later she had a huge tumour

We decided to let her live her best life, she ate all the foods, nothing was off limits, walked all the walks, the neighbours and postman treated her, then one day early hours she hopped on our bed and she was bleeding, the tumour had burst, so my husband took her.

I rest assured that she lived her absolute best life in the run up