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Abdominal tumor

6K views 20 replies 15 participants last post by  DL 
#1 ·
We just found out that our 12 yr old MH female Annie has a tumor the size of a baseball in her abdomen. My good friend and vet says if we do surgery to remove it we could maybe get her another 6 months, or we can keep her on pain meds and enjoy her as long as we can, he is thinking 2 to 3 weeks. She has a hard time getting up but once she is up she finds a bumper and just wants to retrieve. I dont know what to do. Any thoughts? Im a little worried at 12 she wouldnt make it through surgery. Any advice appreciated.
 
#3 ·
Some of the things I agonized over when I had to make a similar decision were:

1 - Would she make it through the surgery?
2 - Would I want her to end her life with me not there with her?
3 - If the surgery would give her (maybe) 6 months, how much of that time would be recuperating from major abdominal surgery?
4 - Who was I thinking about when putting her through the surgery to get (maybe) 6 months....me or her?
5 - Could she have good quality of life for the next few weeks without the surgery?
6 - Would I be prepared to make "that" decision in a couple of weeks or would I still want to put it off (for me)?

Everyone has to answer questions such as these for themselves. It is not an easy decision. You are in my thoughts as you make the decision.
 
#4 ·
I had to make the same relative decision a few years ago w/ a 13.5 yo bitch. My vet wanted to do the surgery as she was in such great shape but I said no, due to the time of year (winter, icy conditions around the house and a multiple split level house w/ dog who was my "queen" basically-- bed privileges for her upstairs w/ me at night). That was in December. She lasted 7 more months w/ good quality of life until July 3rd (was obnoxious as normal to visiting pup owners and friends up til 12 hrs before!). The vet who put her down said I did the right thing for all the reasons Vicki lists above. I am at peace w/ my decision and that's all you can ask for under the conditions.
 
G
#5 ·
My 12 yr old had the same thing I didnt do surgery I didnt want to put him through it he lived to be almost 13. Its really a personal decision only you can make after your vet gives you all the facts.. Surgery can take alot out of them so they should be in good health my dog had other issues so for me it wasnt an option. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
#6 ·
What if it's not cancer, if the mass is on the sleen it could be a splenic hematoma, without a specific diagnosis I would not be able to make an informed decision. An abdominal ultrasound will reveal more information about the origin of the mass and an ultrasound guided needle aspirate can yield tissue for the pathologist to identify the type of mass and tissue of origin. Masses on the spleen can be very different from masses on the liver or kidneys.
 
#8 ·
What if it's not cancer, if the mass is on the sleen it could be a splenic hematoma, without a specific diagnosis I would not be able to make an informed decision. An abdominal ultrasound will reveal more information about the origin of the mass and an ultrasound guided needle aspirate can yield tissue for the pathologist to identify the type of mass and tissue of origin. Masses on the spleen can be very different from masses on the liver or kidneys.
I had this happen with one of my spaniels. Had a mass on the spleen that was bleeding. Couldn't really tell by ultrasound if removing the spleen would help the dog or not. Spottie was 11, and never had a sick moment until the morning of his passing. I drove the dog to the surgery center, and when speaking with the surgeon I told him that I wanted to give the dog a chance, but if he were full of cancer that I didn't want to wake him up, just to put him in pain and live only a few more weeks or months while trying to heal from abdominal surgery. I asked him to open him, and if it was cancer just to come out and get me, and I would put him down on the table. Unfortunately, the surgeon was out in 10 minutes. I went back to the OR with him, saw all the cancer throughout the abodomen - not just the spleen, asked the doctor for the syringe, which I put in the IV tube, and kissed my little boy goodbye.

These decisions are always agonizing, always heart wrenching, and always leave you to second guess yourself. It's always a very personal decision. The way I did it for Spottie, left me without all the "What ifs" - but it was all so quick.

Good luck with your decision. I am sure it will be the right one for you and your dog.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Know the risks of the surgery and see if they can biopsy it first before you make your decision. Had a friend take a 2 yr. in for a spay during which they discovered an abdominal tumor and attempted to remove it, the tumor was attached to a major blood supply, the dog never made it out of surgery. At 12yrs. I consider it more of a quality of life issue than a quantity of life. If she's happy enough and pain managed, I'd probably elect not to do surgery. If she's in constant pain or having issues directly because of the mass that surgery would stop it, with minimal risk-recovery time, I'd probably do it. Realistically the theoretical idea of 6 additional months or 2-3 weeks, wouldn't enter my mind, because it is just that a theory. You never know how much time you've got, but I'd rather have a few good days with my dog than months of recovery and pain, for both of us.

Choices like this suck
 
#10 ·
Best wishes to you throughout this difficult time. I was thinking back through my own experiences---some choices I regret and some I am confident were the right ones. The theme that is consistent from those I regret is that I made those choices based on my own needs more than that of the animal's. I am convinced my animals are far stronger than I, both mentally and in heart. The times I was selfish were the unfair ones to my animals, who have proven repeatedly they'll be there for me no matter how difficult it is.
 
#12 ·
I was a little worried about clicking on this thread when I saw you posted, but happy to see she is doing well after the surgery! Here's to a full uneventful recovery!

FOM
 
#16 ·
Here's hoping it is benign.
I lost my "dog of a lifetime" to hemiangiosarc about 14 months ago. On ultrasound, the internist could see multiple spots in the spleen and part of the liver did not look right. Did a transfusion which really pepped her up. She felt so much better. Had a surgeon do the surgery as it is very difficult for me to be objective on my own dog. Removed the spleen and part of the liver. She recovered from surgery pretty well, they are tough. Histopath came back as hemiangiosarc, in the liver too. Did some chemo that did not hit her real hard but at the time for the 4th treatment, ultrasound showed large changes in he liver. We decided chemo was not working, oncologist suggested another type but I elected to stop. In another 2 weeks I had her euthanized, right after we shot 4 live pheasants for her last memories. Told my wife we will never do that again. If it comes up again as pretty obvious hemiangio I am going to give a transfusion and the week or so that it may give, then say goodbye. We got 3 months out of that treatment and surgery and she was OK 80% of the time. But we spent enough to pay for a semester of college for my daughter, now daughter #2 starts college. Only so many resources.

3 weeks before she showed any signs she was hunting with me in N. Dakota, she retrieved the last 2 birds of the trip and my first ever pintail drake, too bad it was way to immature to mount. I had her for just short of 13 years. Very cherished memories.
 
#19 ·
One of my dogs of a lifetime was a 16 pound JRT who had an acute abdominal hemorrhage from a splenic hemangiosarcoma at age 11, splenectomy and chemotherapy gave us 6 months when everyday I wondered if that was the last day, like you, if it happens again we will say our goodbyes sooner rather than later, some days my heart is still broken for my Fred.
 
#17 ·
I see this is an older thread, but...
There have been some very encouraging results using yunnan baiyao, also called yunnan paiyao, (http://csuvets.colostate.edu/pain/Articlespdf/YunnanPaiyao111206.pdf , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunnan_Baiyao) in dogs with confirmed hemangiosarcoma.
While it can't cure the disease, it does seem to help with the internal bleeding, at least for the short term, thereby improving the dog's quality of life.
You may have to talk to a holistic veterinarian to get more information about it.
I always have a couple of the "emergency pills" in my first aid kit.
 
#20 ·
End of life decisions are always difficult. Are we making choices for ourselves, or our dogs? And then , of course, there are the expenses involved which can be staggering. I have just been through this with a 7 year old pointer. The diagnosis was grim, but we opted not to pursue oncologic options, choosing instead to put her on steroids which gave her a couple of weeks of good quality of life. This gave me time to enjoy her in a different way, and time for her to enjoy special meals and outings and lots of attention and affection. It didn't make the end much easier, but I felt we had made the right decision. One thing I refuse to feel about not choosing a more expensive option for any of my ailing animals is guilt.
 
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