Our dog is approx 9 (French Bulldog, so good age). We rescued him just over 5 years ago.
He has always been very fit and healthy for a frenchie, loved to walk for miles, run around etc.
Earlier this year we noticed a lump, started as as what appeared to be a skin tag so didn’t do anything straight away, but then it grew. Turned out to be a Mass Cell Tumour. We had it removed, but it was grade 3 and hard to get to all the margins. Dog gets very anxious at the vets and has to have medication for any form of tests. We keep him sleepy after his op to stop him busting the stitches. After a few days he had a reaction, he was shaking, eyes rolling and really wobbly. We reduced the medication and he was ok. Vet has offered CT scans etc to see how much it’s spread but we’ve all agreed no more ops, and to let him enjoy his time he has left so feels pointless if we are not going to treat anyway?
A few months later, he started to get wobbly on his back legs, this has slowly got worse. He now needs carrying upstairs 80% of the time (living room on middle floor). Vet started him on a high dose of steroids, this improved for a little bit but then stopped improving any further. Since this he is drinking and weeing constantly. We’ve started weaning him off the steroids and are half way there, but it’s getting worse not better. When posting elsewhere someone mentioned steroid triggered Cushing disease which sounds likely but yet to discuss with the vet.
Amongst this time we found another lump, this may or may or may not be further cancer but as we’ve been dealing with his back legs as a priority we’ve not had it tested. Vet doesn’t think the tumours and back legs are related.
He can no longer go out for walks, has to be carried upstairs for company, currently sleeps in my sons bed but has wee’d for last few nights so will now have to sleep in the kitchen, he doesn’t seem to be in pain since the steroids generally but is when we lift him.
I’m constantly cleaning wee up and worry this is clouding my judgement of when is the right time for him, but he looks tired and sad a lot of the time, then cuddles up on our knee and I feel bad for even thinking about it again.