I took my little girl to the veterinarian on Monday. She had a small lump on her left side (pea size).
We cannot do a biopsy because the growths are too small. But vet would like to remove all mammary glands and spay her at same time. She is nine years old with allergies and Respiratory issues. I fear she will die from treatment before the disease ! Not unlike the way I felt about my treatment , ironic!
I am devastated. She is currently not indicating any illness or pain. What should I do ? Will oxygen make cancer spread ? Will she survive the surgery ?
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She could do a biopsy but that would require sedation , which is risky. So she feels it is better to just remove everything. But, I do not agree. I will be taking her to a holistic vet for second opinion.
Can they not do a fine needle aspirate? That usually doesn’t require sedation and if it’s something that can be felt then I’d imagine they could get some cells from it. They’re not always conclusive, but sometimes they can give a clear idea of what it is. If it was a benign growth it would be awful for her to be put through the surgery, if there was a way to know if was benign for sure.
I would strongly follow the advice of two individuals vet. My girl had cancer so I know how horrible it is. Little dogs seem to live longer. My little chalky (chihuahua/Yorkie) and my cat lived to age 20. So if vets recommend op she could live happily for the next ten years!!!!!! Other than that, it’s the job of vets to ensure she doesn’t suffer. Sending loving healing vibes x
I believe that spaying and mammary strip removal is the preferred treatment if a cancerous mammary lump is suspected. When my dog had her op, they didn’t do a biopsy beforehand, but I think they tend to assume it’s cancer in that area in an unspayed female dog. My little girl had it done in 2 ops because they said they need to be sure there’s enough skin for rejoining. I’m not going to lie, it is a really big operation. But, in our case there was no question because she was healthy and it can spread quite quickly if not removed. They did do a chest X-ray beforehand though, as I think they would question the benefits if it had already spread to the lungs. It was literally amazing how quickly she bounced back afterwards, it was just over a year and a half ago now and she’s loving life (as always). She was 10 at the time of her ops. Oh my goodness just realised they have the same name as well ❤️
I have a lot of trust in my vet and know how incredibly careful and thorough they are in their checks and monitoring prior to and during surgery. Do you have that trust in your vet? Did they say how her respiratory issues could affect the op or whether it might pose any additional risks? It sounds like a great idea to get an opinion from a vet who might take a different approach, if that’s what you’re leaning towards. I know it’s a biggg decision, but I would say that if you’ve only just found this lump then hopefully it’s early days, which would mean it’s the best time to have the op, if that is what you ultimately decide. Let me know if you have any questions or want to talk about it!
I'm sorry you're having to deal with this. Being exposed to air during surgery does NOT make cancer spread. That is a very old wives tale. Allergies shouldn't really be an issue at all as far as surgery is concerned. What type of respiratory issues does she have? I assume the vet is aware of them? If so then certainly she's taking that into consideration before making the recommendation to do surgery. Most veterinarians now use anesthesia and operating equipment that is comparable in terms of safety as what's used on humans. And a small nine year old dog isn't really very old. I'd have a pre-op blood panel done (some vets consider that extra but I always have it done), but I'd go forward with surgery.
My dog had this pea size lump on her leg also,the vet told me it was cancer no tests done, decided to remove the lump after the op at 6 week checkup I asked if it had spread well I was dumbfounded when vet told me it was only a skin disorder, and really didn't need the opp,the vet a different one told me antibiotics would of cleared it up so my dog went through a unnecessary opp so when they sent me the bill I refused pay it and they accept that in my mind I thought well what does that tell you, I'm not saying that is the case with your wee dog but I'd get a second opinion wish I had, hope everything goes ok I'll keep wee tia in my prayers btw that was my dogs name aswell Xxx🐶
I'm so sorry to hear that your poor little dog is unwell and hope that all works out well. ❤
I'm sending hugs and positive thoughts for you. I had breast cancer treatment in 2012, but I'm human and considerably larger than your little girl. I wouldn't have thought oxygen would make the cancer grow (if it does turn out to be that) Hoping all goes well.
Poor little dog. It’s hard to know what to do for best. Just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should. I always worried with our pets - pet free now sadly - when vets used to ask if we had insurance that they would keep going when it would have been better not to.
We also met a Labrador dog last year - she was lying under a restaurant table next to us - who had had an operation followed by chemo and the owners said they would never have put her through that if they had known what it was like but once the treatment had started they didn’t feel they could stop but that they would never do the same again as it was so traumatic for their dog.
The poor dog was ‘better’ but it clearly still wasn’t right, you could see her little lips flapping up and down as she breathed in and out very quickly - I had already whispered to my husband before we even got talking to the couple that the dog next to me really didn’t look well. It’s a terrible decision to have to make, I feel for you.
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