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Bob | 5 years ago
Our 9 Year Old Border Collie The Vet Believes Has Colon/Rectal Cancer. He Did A Rectal …

Our 9 Year Old Border Collie the vet believes has Colon/Rectal Cancer. He did a rectal exam and can feel several large masses narrowing his colon. Our
dog started limping and favoring a back leg 2 weals ago, then 5 days ago has been unable to poop. Just little pieces of poop would come out, and he would
be trying to go for several minutes. The Vet believes the narrowing of the colon due to the masses inside are also pinching the nerves causing his limp, since
our dog did not injure his hind leg, and is not in pain.
He is referring us to a Vet that can image the area, and possibly due radiation.

Does anyone have and advice for us ??? Does anyone have and history to share with us???

We appreciate any feedback.

1 Response

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  1. Sarah

    Good morning- I’m sorry you have this going on. I think that comfort and quality have to play a role in any decision making. And budget. That is the reality of it. Talk with your vet. Talk with the specialist you are going to. Talk about all possible prognosis and all possible options. Be sure to voice your concerns- you may want to start keeping a written list so that you don’t forget anything at your visit. Very best to you. Please keep us posted-

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Samantha | 5 years ago
My 5 Year Old Golden Retriever, Paisley, Just Received Ultrasound Results That Observed Masses On Her Spleen, …

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.

3 Responses

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  1. Sarah

    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????????

    1. Samantha Post author

      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!

      1. Sarah

        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! ????????

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Michael | 5 years ago
Am I House Training Properly? We Adopted A 6 Month Old Rat Terrier/collie Mix 2.5 Weeks Ago. …

Am I house training properly? We adopted a 6 month old rat terrier/collie mix 2.5 weeks ago. Monday-Friday I come home during lunch for water and a walk. He’s left without water for 4hrs at a time (8:30-12:30 and 1-5:30). I’m being very patient with making sure he has as much pee time as we can give him. Are the options to either continue walking him myself or hire a walker? I’d like to end the midday walks, but can’t leave him without water for 9 hours, right? What are my options for keeping everyone happy, keeping him hydrated and also keeping his crate and my apartment as urine-free as possible? Dog walkers can be expensive. $15/day means ~$300/month. I’ve debated asking the older (seemingly) retired ladies in my apartment complex to walk him for a fee.

1 Response

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  1. Sarah

    Hi Michael???? we have never withheld water, and have never had accidents inside the house (unless we were still working on training or one of the dogs was ill) Having said that, I can say that routine is your best friend. Dogs like to keep their area clean and once they learn where to go, will most likely stay with that routine. At 6 months old, your dog should be able to go quite some time without having to toilet. 9 hours is too long though. I’m not sure of your daily schedule, but if you get a good long walk in before work, it is very possible to get a 6 hour block of time where your new pup will not need to bathroom and for a majority of those 6 hours (depending on how much activity/exercise you’ve given them during the morning walk) will be spent napping and calm. However, a good long walk is necessary after such a large chunk of time alone. There are also a lot of training videos that you might want to look at…. some that give you a set time,one, like 5 or 7 days. Very best of luck to you and your pup????????

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Kari | 5 years ago
Female Cat With Urinary Blockage

Hi, my female torti Dusty has bumps on her tongue… The vet had me give her doxycycline liquid and prednisone for 2 months… the bumps didn’t change, but while I was there, she also told me to stop giving her wet food. About a week or so ago I stopped her wet food (which is Sheba Perfect portions) and just gave her the puro a one sensitive stomach hard food she has been eating for 2 years (I was doing 50/50)… I noticed she is having issues peeing… no pain, but she takes me to see she is only peeing about a teaspoon or so and she does it very often… she isn’t showing any signs of pain or lethargy, and eating fine. I tried to feel around but not sure if I found a bladder or not, nothing feels hard and she only complains as much as usual so I don’t think anything hurts.
I’ve watched videos on expressing a bladder and catheterizing a male, but I can’t seem to find any info on females (still looking)… my mom’s dog had 3 bladder stones for over a month just peeing a few drops every time and then all of a sudden they just popped out so I’m trying to weigh the cost-benefit with the local vet. Today is Sunday and I wasn’t about to go emergency if she wasn’t in pain, but I’m still afraid they’ll want $500+ to do anything since just a physical with no blood tests or shots is over $100 and I’m sure they’ll want xrays, etc. I’m in Florida and I know vets here charge 2x-3x more than other places.

Any info will help
Female
Indoor
Shorthair
About 10 yrs young
No signs of sick/injured/pain

2 Responses

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,

    When it comes to cats displaying issues with urination we always worry most about urinary blockage, which can be life threatening. This is less common in female cats. A blocked cat will typically frequent the litter box (obsessively and continuously), and produce no, or very little urine. A cat with bladder inflammation will do the same but NOT typically have a full, hard, distended urinary bladder, which is why an exam by a vet is imperative. We cant tell the difference without an exam and usually a urinalysis.
    I have to admit that I never recommend dry over wet for cats. I just find that dry has no benefits.. Not teeth, certainly not weight, and for urinary issues wet it better as you can add water and start to diurese the urine.
    If your cat is calm and comfortable you can probably wait until morning to be seen.
    If all else failed you could ask the ER vet to just assess for blockage and then ask to be seen by your vet (assuming they can and will have time to see you) tomorrow. If her heart, temp, color, respiratory rate and bladder are all normal I bet they would have trouble saying that she isnt stable enough to wait a few hours.
    I always think it is important for pet parents to be proactive, but also provide an honest admission of budget and ask for assistance to make care affordable and accessible. We all owe our pet parents and patients that. Please let me know what happens. Good luck

  2. Kari Post author

    Thank you. Yes, the only thing is her lack of pee. Today I put her back on the wet food and added water and her pee doubled this last time. Also, since everything I read seemed to say blood in urine, and she wants me to watch her pee, I took a paper towel and put it under her and her pee came out colorless… not red, or even yellow , but the paper towel looks like I put water on it…I will not it is a stronger smell than I would expect, smells like pee, but I don’t think I’ve ever noticed her pee have a smell before (maybe because I never had her pee on a paper towel before, I dunno)
    Tomorrow I plan to take her in, they were good about seeing her same day when I took her in for a checkup (2nd trip to a vet in her life…1st was her spray trip when she was about a year old) hopefully they won’t rake me over the coals.
    Also I found a video that says to add ACV and water to the food and I happened to have some here so I added it…and she still ate half of it it (I was surprised because she can be picky)…

    While I’ve got your attention, since one reason they say in the videos is stress, my husband thinks this may have been caused by my recently changing them to a litter kwitter as I have started toilet training them.. Can holding it in cause a problem? And what are your thoughts on toilet training cats?

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Jessica | 5 years ago
Hi I Just Recently Became A Mommy To A Blue Nosed Pit Bull. The Person We …

Hi I just recently became a mommy to a blue nosed pit bull. The person we got her from lied to us about her age. I came to find out she is only 4 weeks old. She was already weaned off of her mom’s milk for the most part when he got her. The “breeder” was feeding her an entire can of wet pedigree dog did with kibble mixed in. I knew right away that was horribly wrong. I went to pet smart and bought the ready made formula to start her back on. I went home and immediately tried to get her to drink it. She refused to drink any formula. She was starting to act lethargic and I wasn’t sure if it was due to the car ride home or her lack of eating so I added a small spoonful of wet puppy food and mixed it in with the formula. She immediately began to devour it. When I brought her home that same day her poop was normal and formed. The next night she began to have dark diarrhea. It was squirting out of her poor little butt. She’s been doing that for 2 days now. I called JV yesterday(Saturday) and spoke to a receptionist. She recommend continuing the formula and adding puppy kibble in and letting it soften for her to eat. I went out yesterday and bought Purina pro plan puppy food. She began that around 4 pm yesterday. She wasn’t drinking water up until yesterday but she is now. So de starting the kibble and formula mix her diarrhea is not so runny anymore but in 2 bathroom breaks back to back I did notice some blood spotting in her poop. It’s not a lot, it’s literally a few spots mixed in. Is that something I need to be concerned with? Do I need to bring her in to the walk in clinic today or should I wait longer to see if her poop begins to become normal again? She is sleeping a lot but I was told that she will do that for her age? When she isn’t sleeping she will run around and play, wag her little tail, she has 2 stuffed animals that she will playfully bite and drag around.
My question after giving you this info is should I bring her in to the vet? I know she can’t have any shots yet but I’m worried she is sick and don’t want her to die on me. ????

1 Response

Comments

  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    I hope the receptionist told you to consider the ER. I cannot tell you if she is stable, or healthy enough to wait to come in at 1. I do always have to caution people with illness , any kind of change in behavior or fecal output and the tiny babies like you have are even more fragile. I think that if you are worried you are safest going to the ER.. I also know that in some cases I have to refer the patients I see on Sunday to the ER as we cannot provide the in patient care that we need to provide them,
    Please keep me posted. I really hope that everything is ok. I would also hope that you call the appropriate authorities to report the breeder. Most people are not as kind and able as you are to care for a neonate.

    krista

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