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My dog has leukemia.
Synonymous
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I have an 8-year-old female yellow Labrador. Last week, I noticed a bit of blood in her urine, so I brought her to the vet. He thought bladder infection and prescribed Trimethsulfa. A couple days into the medication, my Lab suddenly started having periodic coughing fits - like a cat trying to cough up a hairball, only, of course, nothing would come up. Worried that my dog was having a reaction, we (meaning, my mother and I) had an emergency vet visit - with a different vet than our regular. He took a look, noticed her breathing was a bit rough and her lymph nodes were swollen, and gave a diagnosis as either a) systemic infection, b) fungal disease, or, most likely, c) cancer. Shocked, as the Lab seemed happy and alert and not so seriously ill, we saw our regular vet today. He confirmed it: he thinks she has leukemia (based on checking her lungs through the stethoscope and feeling the lymph nodes).
At this time, we were given two options -
a) give her prednisone to control the coughing (for 2-3 weeks only), but let the cancer run its course until she can no longer go on. With this, as he believes the cancer to be aggressive from the symptoms, she'll probably have a few weeks and most definitvely won't see June.
b) get her X-rays and a biopsy to determine the stage of the cancer, then put her on chemo (both pills and injections likely, he says). With this, she'll get another four to ten months.
My mother cannot be trusted in this situation, as she relies on a lot of New Age baloney and, though she loves the Lab, is apt to do what's easier over what's right. She also lost a dachschund through some careless anesthesis years ago (*not* from this vet) and is completely against the biopsy, as our dog'll be knocked out in the meantime. Money is not an object; I can borrow.
If I can give my dog four to ten extra months, I want to do so. I don't, however, want those to be months where she's suffering and coughing. The vet says that, other than pills and injections, she'll be fine, but I'd like some more info. (Other misc. info - her breath is often short and huffy now.)
I'm rattled now (the last vet visit was an hour ago, and if she's to have a biopsy, it'll happen tomorrow morning), so this list of questions is probably not exhaustive. For starters, though -
-Is a biopsy a big deal, relatively? (He'll be removing one of the lymph nodes near the back legs.) My vet says no, but - is it going to be a horrible hardship? (My mother's under the impression that if the biopsy is done, the cancer will get even more aggressive or spread.)
-Has anyone had a dog go through chemo? How was he or she during treatment? The vet said that, unlike with people, the side effects were nearly none, save for increased appetite. (He said, without staging things, that she'll probably be in twice a week for 3-4 weeks, then every three weeks in the long run.)
-If I opt for chemo, will she still be coughing throughout?
-Are there any tests I should ask to be done?
-If these are her final, final days, is there anything I can or should do for her to make things better, besides taking her to the beach, giving her her favorite foods, etc.?
And, obviously, what would you do? If she's only going to have weeks left, I don't want them spent in the doctor's office. OTOH, if I can give her more quality life, I want to do so. It's just such a shock - we had our other Lab pass away a couple years ago, but he had deteriorated so physically and mentally. Our Lab now, except for - heh heh, *gee* - the cancer, she's in her prime, which will make putting her down even more hellish.
At this time, we were given two options -
a) give her prednisone to control the coughing (for 2-3 weeks only), but let the cancer run its course until she can no longer go on. With this, as he believes the cancer to be aggressive from the symptoms, she'll probably have a few weeks and most definitvely won't see June.
b) get her X-rays and a biopsy to determine the stage of the cancer, then put her on chemo (both pills and injections likely, he says). With this, she'll get another four to ten months.
My mother cannot be trusted in this situation, as she relies on a lot of New Age baloney and, though she loves the Lab, is apt to do what's easier over what's right. She also lost a dachschund through some careless anesthesis years ago (*not* from this vet) and is completely against the biopsy, as our dog'll be knocked out in the meantime. Money is not an object; I can borrow.
If I can give my dog four to ten extra months, I want to do so. I don't, however, want those to be months where she's suffering and coughing. The vet says that, other than pills and injections, she'll be fine, but I'd like some more info. (Other misc. info - her breath is often short and huffy now.)
I'm rattled now (the last vet visit was an hour ago, and if she's to have a biopsy, it'll happen tomorrow morning), so this list of questions is probably not exhaustive. For starters, though -
-Is a biopsy a big deal, relatively? (He'll be removing one of the lymph nodes near the back legs.) My vet says no, but - is it going to be a horrible hardship? (My mother's under the impression that if the biopsy is done, the cancer will get even more aggressive or spread.)
-Has anyone had a dog go through chemo? How was he or she during treatment? The vet said that, unlike with people, the side effects were nearly none, save for increased appetite. (He said, without staging things, that she'll probably be in twice a week for 3-4 weeks, then every three weeks in the long run.)
-If I opt for chemo, will she still be coughing throughout?
-Are there any tests I should ask to be done?
-If these are her final, final days, is there anything I can or should do for her to make things better, besides taking her to the beach, giving her her favorite foods, etc.?
And, obviously, what would you do? If she's only going to have weeks left, I don't want them spent in the doctor's office. OTOH, if I can give her more quality life, I want to do so. It's just such a shock - we had our other Lab pass away a couple years ago, but he had deteriorated so physically and mentally. Our Lab now, except for - heh heh, *gee* - the cancer, she's in her prime, which will make putting her down even more hellish.
Synonymous on
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So we opted to do the prednisone and really take advantage of the last few weeks, it's rough, it's rough seeing your dog deteriorate like that when only weeks earlier she was running around the park and jumping 4 feet in the air (she was an miniature American Eskimo) It was hard, and we were constantly second guessing ourselves since she was so young. I still don't know if it was the right decision, but based on the information we had (From everyone I've talked to, chemo is a long and demanding process on both you and the dog.) I wouldn't go back and change it. However this is one of those things that you have to think and meditate on and go from there.
Before you commit to anything, find out what the costs will be for treatment. Without pet insurance (and I recommend it for everybody), you will likely be paying something approximating human costs for the same treatment.
It gives you something nicer to remember, and it's the the most decent thing you can do for her.
Of course, but one of my main questions is what might *be* her quality of life should she undergo chemo.
I appreciate the answers so far. If there's any other advice available, I'd be grateful.
Also, from what i know about chemo, there are three different types. The type they would probably use it just designed to buy some time. It really isn't too good on the body, as its being flushed with a lot of chemicals that cause you to weaken severely.
Love her to bits and treat her like she's the only thing that matters for those final weeks. We had it with my pet, and we were so nice and tender to him and he appreciated it so much. You really could tell that he understood and was thankful for it all. And so was I. It made losing him so much easier, knowing everything I'd done for him beforehand. Knowing we made him happy and comfortable.
Second... yeah, if you feel distraught after everything's gone down, don't be afraid to post about it, or talk about it, here or elsewhere. That's honestly the biggest piece of advice I can give. You've lost pets before, but... I dunno, so have I, but with this particular pet it was different, and I was just unapproachable for quite a day or two afterwards.
I would take whatever route provides less pain. In the case of my pet, we decided to put him down instead of having more time with him - we didn't want him to be in pain for a long time. We wanted him to go peacefully and not endure a lengthy, painful illness.
We knew what was happening and so we gave him some time; we had fun, fed him well, and gave him a lavish last meal of sorts... and that made me happy. Even when he was gone. Ultimtely it's about what you feel is right for your pet, but I'd urge you to do whatever puts her in the least pain.
XBL/PSN/Steam: APZonerunner
That's my story, I hope yours is different. I tried everything, I loved Gunner, but I still helped him the only way I could.
Cancer treatment with dogs and cancer treatment with humans are different. Dogs just know that they are suddently worse, you can't explain to a dog that you will feel worse than you've ever felt, but then possibly get better. Many dogs die during treatment because they cannot cope with it.
When a life is no longer worth living sometimes it is best to let it go. This may not be helpful advice, or even advice at all, but spend every moment with your dog that you can while you can, make her happy here before she has to leave you. And talk to your vet at length about what is right for her, he'll know.
Side note for anyone else reading, please get pet insurance for your companions, it makes life easier for you and them. My dog Humphrey had parvo treated, and a Hip replaced, as well as Gunner's osteosarcoma treatments covered, at only 30% cost.
Death sucks, when my favorite author's dog died he wrote this:
"Last night I drank a hundred proof quart and looked at a photo of my sister. Ten years dead. Show me a single wound on earth that love has healed. I fed my dying dog a pound of beef and buried her happy in the barnyard."
--Jim Harrison
buy warhams
My sympathies. As another who's lost a pet recently (3 weeks ago, I hate cars), all I can say is that it *sucks*.
So, love your dog, and take lots of pictures, and make lots of happy memories to think about afterwards. Because those are the things that keep them alive after they're gone.
And remember that everybody grieves differently. You're not a freak for being upset now -- or then. Just because they have fur doesn't make them any less Family.
(And now I'm going to go have a private sniffle for my Koru
The other thing you need to consider is can you afford to pay for the chemo, it will not be cheap at all. While I'm definatly not saying you don't love him, you might not be able to afford it and depending on how healthy the dog is it may drag the poor thing through hell.
I would get a second opinion and see what they said. Personally I'd purely consider the dogs Quality of Life. We put down our cat recently because she wasn't eating and couldn't do anything. Her Kidney's failed her. She was around for 20 years so I could take solace in the fact that it wasn't as if she was taken from us early and we spent heaps of fun time together.
Satans..... hints.....
One thing to remember is that dogs will often bear a whole lot of pain before they show signs. Pain is a sign of weakness and a pack animal never wants to show weakness. Ask my Boston Terrier who punctured his cornea and walked around just fine for 2 days.
This will be stressfull, not necessarily painful, just stressful. Lots of vet visits, lots of exams, lots of uncomfortable procedures, etc. Mentaly, this may make her absolutely miserable.
*personaly* I would allow her to live out the remainder of her life at home without the stress of the medical procedures when compaired to how much extra life it would give her. When you're talking in months, it's just not worth the torture on her.
If you decide to go ahead with the medical care, don't feel guilty though. This is what you're here for - to make the proper, safe decisions for her. Just make sure you are always aware of her mental state as well as her physical state. You *must*not miss that moment when it's suddenly cruel to keep her going.
Chemo is an appropriate treatment sometimes, but not in the case of leukemia that has already spread through the lymph nodes. There is extremely little chance of chemo doing anything other than causing more pain (and expense) after that point.
I'm very, very sorry.
Chemo is, in essence, a controlled poisoning technique - the goal is to try and kill all of the cancerous cells while minimizing damage to healthy cells. It's very draining and the treatment itself can be lethal. If the cancerous cells get to lymph nodes, unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done other than to hope for a hail mary remission - the cells can go from the lymph network to basically everywhere in the victim;s body, and can't be controlled / contained.
You should always refuse the chemo for a pet. As people have said, the pet cannot understand the pain like a human can. Give the pet a great last few days (if they are not suffering) and have them put down the moment they start to suffer. It's the best thing you can do for them.