Samantha
,@samjade26
0
Friends
My 5 year old golden retriever, Paisley, just received ultrasound results that observed masses on her spleen, bladder and rectum, and enlarged lymph nodes. Her blood work came back normal, and stool sample was negative for parasites – she’s been a healthy dog! In the past 3 weeks, Paisley has been very lethargic, sleeps most of the day, can no longer get into the car or onto the bed, and strains trying to pass stool (it’s mostly blood or small stool with blood). Her appetite is unchanged – she’s always gobbled up her food and never misses an opportunity to mooch, so this is good. Her water intake is lower than normal, but she is still periodically drinking throughout the day. We’re currently awaiting the full report on the ultrasound to determine what the next options are (x-ray, biopsies, surgery, chemo – depending). My question goes out to the Pawbly community – pet owners and veterinarians, anyone who may have personal experience or insight related to this. Have you had this sort of unfortunate discovery with your pet? Was it benign or malignant? Is surgery recommended for both benign and malignant masses, and what is the likelihood of it resolving things? The questions go on…We just got this news last night, so admittedly my head is still spinning and not sure how best to proceed. It’s already been $2,000 in vet bills to get to this stage. Without pet insurance, just preparing for whatever costs may lie ahead for anything we choose to do next. Otherwise, Paisley is a very happy girl and still has a great zest for life when she has the energy! Shocked that this is happening to such a young pup.
Thanks in advance for any and all feedback! Very much appreciated.
Hi there- so sorry that this is all happening. I think that before you can really come up with any sort of game plan, you need to find out the rest of the results. I would also start keeping a journal for questions you have as well as your dog’s behavior. You can share these with your vet. I know that when our dog two years ago was ill, I always had a million questions and then when we would get to our appointment, my mind would go blank. Keeping the journal helps to sort your thoughts out so that you don’t forget to mention anything or ask anything. I am quite sure that your vet will set aside time to speak with you. You should talk about ALL possible options. I know that my vet tries to offer every scenario she can think of and then we make a plan from there. Do not be shy about discussing budget either. I wish I could offer more advice to you right away. Hopefully another Pawbly friend will log on and have more insight to share. Very best of luck to you and your pup. Please keep us posted????????
Thank you for your comment! Great idea to document what’s been going on, or any observations that should be noted (especially questions – I always blank out on the millions of things I want to ask when the time comes).
I do feel like our vet will also take the time to present all available options. I’m just hoping that it’s an honest conversation about quality of life, what the prognosis looks like and if it’s even reasonable to do XYZ, budget considerations, etc. I’m at the point where I don’t want to keep going down a rabbit hole of testing and procedures, but I do feel like the biopsies are the next step regardless and those will definitely provide some answers. I just can’t believe how quickly these things happen! All of the physical behavioural changes have been so unexpected.
May I ask, what was your dog ill with when you had to consider options? Hope everything ended up being okay, or at the very least hope you’ve had some peace of mind!
Well- only since you asked. He was our younger mixed breed, and always so healthy- when he started to be tired all the time I brought him in because it was so out of character. When they took xrays my vet could tell right away it wasn’t good. He was riddled with cancer everywhere, so we knew it was a matter of time and pain management. That was in early spring about 2 years ago. We had to get him to the end of the school year (he was my son’s best friend in the whole world) and our vet helped us do that. Your situation may very well be much different. It sounds as if anything your dog may possibly have would be fairly contained. Hopefully the ultrasound and other test results come back with a good prognosis! ????????