<p>SplashMom, it was the same with our lab; clean bloodwork barely a month prior, raging lymphoma the next. My heart is breaking for you and your family as how well I know that sick feeling. I know Sadie will have lots of love in the weeks to come.</p>
<p>Splashmom, YMMV, but prednisone kept our dog’s mast cell mostly in remission for almost two years. </p>
<p>I applaud your decision to choose hospice for your dog.</p>
<p>Splashmom, I don’t know if I posted in in this thread or another one, but just a couple of weeks ago we discovered that our 8-yr-old golden has histiosarcoma, a nasty form of cancer that does not respond to chemo. She had two lumps, both on the same side of her torso, and they both were malignant. Sometimes histiosarcoma is localized and removing the tumor resolves the problem. By definition, since she had two lumps–and I subsequently found another nodule that may or may not be the same thing–hers isn’t considered localized. Right now, she appears to be feeling just fine. We decided not to make her last months miserable in a fruitless effort to treat it with chemo, and our vets concurred. Was your dog lethargic before you started the benadryl?</p>
<p>This is the third time we have had a dog develop cancer at the age of 8. I know how you feel. So sorry. :(</p>
<p>So sorry about your dogs, splashmom and consolation. We lost our 6-year-old German shepherd to hemangiosarcoma (tumor on the heart) two days before Christmas 2011. Petra was doing fine, just lethargic one day and that was the long day at the regular vet and then the emergency vet clinic with the diagnosis. She lived for four more months which was a month longer than the prognosis of three weeks to three months. </p>
<p>Our shepherd prior to than probably had hemangiosarcoma as well. She went downhill over a few days and died at home at age 10. And our previous schnauzer had to be put down due to an inoperable tumor in her paw. She was 14 and too old for major surgery.
The vet we had at that time (for about 20 years) told me that most dogs in her practice died from cancer. It’s very sad.</p>
<p>I have to give you all a bit of good news, as it’s annoying when people don’t follow up with previous posts. The vet gave me the pathology of my Lab’s tumor this morning, and I’m so relieved! It’s a histiocytoma, which is a benign tumor that sometimes resolves on it’s own, but also looks a lot like a mast cell. We were lucky this time. Histiocytomas are usually seen on younger dogs, which is another reason the vet was concerned, and my doggie will be 11 in April. But he’s young at heart.
Hugs again to Splashmom, consolation, and your dogs. {{{{hugs}}}}</p>
<p>Great news, moonchild! Thanks for letting us know.</p>
<p>I am so happy for you and your pooch, moonchild! That is wonderful news!</p>
<p>Consolation, I’m so sorry about your golden. I’m sure you are spoiling her and loving on her even more than usual.</p>
<p>I’m happy to report that Sadie is not as lethargic as she had been. She’s even going up and down the stairs on her own again instead of asking to be carried. Her Prednisone dosage was increased and she’s getting Benadryl, Prilosec, a multi-vitamin and her antibiotic (ongoing skin issues). We know our time with her is borrowed, but we plan to enjoy every last minute. We are feeling encouraged at this time. </p>
<p>I’m so sorry about your dogs, bookiemom. It’s so hard to lose a furry family member. DH and I have had dogs our entire married life. It’s so painful when we lose one.</p>
<p>SplashMom - sorry to hear of your dog’s cancer. One of the things I have learned through this experience is how common canine cancer is - but very sad also. I also know someone whose dog had cancer and lived longer than expected while on prednisone. I hope your Sadie has a peaceful few weeks (or longer) until it is her time.</p>
<p>Thank you so much, rockville, mom. How is your boy today? I’m glad he is responding well to the chemo and hope the 2-3 week break will make him feel better. Please continue to let us know how he does. </p>
<p>I have heard and read about Prednisone treatment and am feeling encouraged, but guarded, about Sadie’s prognosis. Thank you for your good thoughts!</p>
<p>Our schnoodle, Otto, is doing great, thanks. And the 3-week break will allow his hair to grow back in on his legs. I know it is silly in the scheme of things - but they shave a 3-inch wide band on a different leg every week to administer the chemo - so his legs look very odd. I’m really looking forward to this weekend - DH and I can actually go out - without worrying about leaving Otto home alone and not feeling well.</p>
<p>Our regular vet told us if that if we opted not to do chemo - prednisone would be the next best option. Not a cure - but it buys you some time. With my experience, the shock of finding out our dog had cancer just knocked my legs out from under me. It really took 2-3 weeks before I had adjusted enough that I could talk about it calmly. Even though I am still sad about the situation, it has been over two months since the diagnosis and I have made peace with it. If chemo gives our dog another year or two - that would be amazing, but I am as prepared as one can be for a lesser outcome.</p>
<p>I hope you have an ok weekend - I know it takes time to process this kind of news. I really can’t recall the last time I received such horrible and unexpected news. All I can tell you is that Sadie sounds loved and now that you know - you have time to absorb the news and lavish her with love and attention.</p>
<p>looks like the former first dog lost his fight w lymphoma:</p>
<p>[Former</a> first dog Barney Bush dies | The Ticket - Yahoo! News](<a href=“Former first dog Barney Bush dies”>Former first dog Barney Bush dies)</p>
<p>For those interested in histiosarcoma, I just found this: <a href=“http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/3/10/1789[/url]”>http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/3/10/1789</a></p>
<p>How did you know when it was time to let your furry family member go? Sadie, our Corgi, was diagnosed with cancer (mast cell tumor) at the end of January. It is inoperable as the vet seems to think it started in her snout or skull. She’d had some discharge from her nose for a while which is now a bloody discharge. Due to her age (she’ll be 11 in July), we opted against chemo. We do, however, have her on a number of medications, including 30mg of Prednisone each day. She’s been laying around a lot more recently and we sometimes have to carry her up and down the stairs, though not always. The steroids make her drink a lot more, but we let her out more frequently, too. In the past few days, she’s had a few urinary accidents, which has not happened since she was fully trained around six months of age. Today, she came in to the room where I was and, instead of asking to go out as she usually would, she immediately squatted upon entrance to the room and urinated. The odor was extremely foul and strong. I immediately put her outside and put the carpet cleaner to work. I’m not worried about the carpet … it’s older and it’s time for new carpet anyway, but I wonder if we’re doing her a disservice. It will be very difficult for us when it’s time to say goodbye, but it will be especially difficult for my husband. Sadie has been his little buddy since we brought her home at just a few weeks of age. She sits next to him on the couch and snuggles up to him as close as she can. If he’s not holding a book, magazine or iPad, she’s in his lap. We had sort of thought food would be the indicator. We figured once she no longer shows an interest in food, then it would be time. She still enjoys her food quite a bit. I’m just lost here. I guess I’ll call the vet tomorrow and discuss it with them. I just appreciate the support here.</p>
<p>I’m so sorry, Splashmom. My heart breaks for you as you figure this out. My little buddy is curled up next to me right now (and always! lol). She likes to spoon! She’s almost fourteen and I know that I will have to experience the same loss before too much more time passes. I hope the vet has some experienced insight for you and can help put your mind (if not your heart) at ease. (hugs)</p>
<p>Re: foul smelling urine. The prednisone can increase risk of UTI, that might need to be checked out.</p>
<p>Sorry you are going thru this. We have had to put two down in the last two years. I could tell when enough was enough and you will too. It is not easy.</p>
<p>Thank you, both, for your comments. I will definitely talk to the vet tomorrow. I appreciate your insight. EPTR, I hope your buddy sticks around for a long time.</p>
<p>SplashMom - I feel your pain and stress of indecision, as we too are struggling with knowing when is the right time. We have a 13 yo Sheltie who has been going through good weeks and bad days since mid December. During her good spells she is her happy, perky self and with a normal appetite. This can last for weeks at a time, or be intermittent with bad days where she will vomit anywhere from 1 to 10x a day and refuse food. The vet has not been able to identify the exact cause of the vomiting, however, an abdominal x-ray showed inflamed intestines as well as dreaded spots on her lungs. The appearance of her lungs indicates that there is a mass elsewhere (assuming, but not confirmed GI due to vomiting) which has metastasized to her lungs. Due to her age and advanced stage, we have decided not to investigate any further or treat with chemo. She was being treated with 20mg of prednisone per day (but recently weaned), which like your Sadie, caused increased thirst and urination, as well as increased hunger and pooping. At this point, her bad days are beginning to increase, so I fear the decision could be made very soon. But that is what we thought in late January when we were hoping she would hold on until 2/13 for her 13th birthday, then another 2 weeks so that our kids would have a chance to come home from school to see her over spring break. She did in fact improve greatly for both events and the kids had a chance to spend some quality time with her while they were home. But now another decline. We also plan to consult the vet tomorrow for advice.</p>
<p>Hugs to you and all who have lost their furry friends.</p>
<p>SplashMom, your post is amazingly timely for me. Maybe our ongoing experience will help you organize your thoughts.</p>
<p>Our chocolate Lab is just a few months shy of 15 years old, and given that the breed’s typical life expectancy is said to be 10-12 years, she is, as we say, way past her expiration date. To be honest, at this point we would have welcomed the clarity and certainty of a terminal illness. Instead, she has just gotten progressively more disabled. She is arthritic and has general neuropathy, meaning her nervous system is not properly conveying messages between her brain and body. As a result of this malfunction, she is fecally incontinent–has no idea she needs to go or has gone–and can only hold her urine for a couple of hours. Her back legs won’t obey her, and we often have to hike her up to get her to a standing position–no small issue with a 80 pound animal. We have a wheelchair ramp to get her down the three front steps to the yard, but she is fearful of descending and falls about once a day. I’m sure she’s bruised under the fur. Because of the incontinence, we can’t have her hang out with us in our carpeted rooms, so she is often isolated from the family. She can’t be walked because of weakness in her legs, and we keep her food and water near her bed so she doesn’t have to travel to get to them. So her world is very circumscribed. Her hearing and eyesight are poor–she used to be the first one to know someone had arrived home, and would enthusiastically greet everyone at the door; now she doesn’t even raise her head when we enter the house. Amazingly, her appetite is still grand–she’s a Lab after all, and they live to eat–and the arrival of dinner hour is the one thing that gets her standing up of her own accord, as she still “tells” us it’s time to fill her bowl. Like you, we thought a loss of appetite would be the hallmark of the end–not the case, but now we realize that a hearty appetite is not by itself a reason to carry on.</p>
<p>Recently we took her to a veterinary neurologist to see is anything could be done to help her. He advised a last ditch effort with a course of steroids; it was not successful–as you experienced, the medication increased her intake of water the the point that we had massive accidents, but didn’t meaningfully improve her symptoms. So, after much discussion among the family, and with the blessing of her official “owner”, our adult son who lives out of state, we have decided to euthanize her next Friday. (The delay is necessary because our son insists on being present, and can’t arrive until the end of the week.)</p>
<p>Here’s how we came to our decision: Our girl was brought into this world by the breeder and then acquired by us in order to live a life as a family pet, and she has fulfilled that role ably for many years. But now she is an invalid, no longer fulfilling her destiny, no longer partaking in any doggy pleasures other than eating, sleeping most of the time, and unable to be part of the family. She was never meant to be virtually immobile, sitting in her own waste, not interacting with humans. Yes, her heart is still pumping, but she isn’t living her life as it was meant to be. So we will let her go in a calm and dignified manner. The vet will come to our home so she is in familiar surroundings. We will let her gobble a boatload of treats, rub her ears in that special way that makes her moan in pleasure, tell her what a very good girl she is, and see her off peacefully. We are all sad, and are hoping against hope that she will pass in her sleep between now and then, but we are all in accord that this is the end. I think the hardest thing will be seeing my kids so crushed.</p>
<p>I’m so sorry you’re going through this, and wish you peace with your decision.</p>
<p>SplashMom … I’m so sorry you are going through this. </p>
<p>A month ago we put down our very old Doby. Our vet was a great help … the question she asked us was … “are there still times in the day when your dog is experiencing happiness or joy?” While our pup was breaking down physically we went about another month doing doggy-assisted-living as we watched her perk up and enjoy watching our cats and seeing her friends on her walks. When she got to the point she was just existing and not have positive interactions with the world it was time.</p>
<p>Wishing you the best … always remember you did your best for your pup!</p>
<p>We made this decision right before Christmas and what tipped it was the last day and a half our guy could no longer get himself up. We carried him outdoors to pee. He had kidney disease and was on a slow decline, but a week and a half before we had him put down he was running inthe backyard. Typical of the breed (Kerry blue terrier) to literally run until they drop. The vet said it was not the kidney disease but something neurological was going on. At 13 1/2, we would not put him through a prolonged fruitless treatment. I honestly feel that this was another gift from my dog to me - he entrusted me to make this decision and though sad, it was the right thing to do. A couple people have told me since that they feel they took too long to come to that decision. As a vet friend heartbreakingly said “they look to us to tell them when their work is done.” </p>
<p>As for signs, mobility, housebreaking accidents, appetite, and smell, breathing, all are indicators and I think as others have said you will know when the scales have tipped and that it is time for you to become your dog’s best friend and care for him/her in this way. </p>
<p>I would trust in my vet to help me make this decision. As others have said, we know what you’re going through, you will come to the right decision and eventually find peace with it.</p>