aphillippi Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Hi everyone, I have a border collie/collie mix who was diagnosed with cancer yesterday. Now my husband and I are trying to decide what to do. He is 12.5 and has a very large tumor on his neck. We have had it checked twice before now but it recently doubled in size. Vet didn't want to touch it before due to the risk of where it is. In May he had a bout of vestibular disease and recovered very well. He is still energetic for a dog his age. He can manage to play fetch for 10-15 minutes maybe longer depending on the heat. So now we are faced with what to do. The vet has obviously given me 2 options. Let him live out his life as comfortable as we can and pray the darn thing won't rupture or remove as much of it as possible. Given where it is they may not be able to remove the whole thing if any. His blood work came back today and for his age the vet says it is remarkable. His liver enzymes were slightly elevated but she said not high enough to be a red flag. My heart tells me to go forth with the surgery but my brain tells me no. I'm concerned that if we do the surgery he might not heal well or recover. With his age I know it won't be easy for him. Yet I know every day I wait the darn thing is growing larger and possibly spreading. He has always been such a stoic boy and I'm sure he is uncomfortable yet never shows it. I'm just curious how well other's senior dogs recovered after having tumor removal. How well did it heal and how long did it take? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdawgs Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 I'm sorry to hear about your dog. In addition to your dog's age, there are several considerations. Has a biopsy been performed? Do you know what type of tumor this is? I ask because lymphomas (lymph node tumors) are generally treated with chemotherapy rather than surgery. The other issue is whether the tumor has already spread. Generally, advanced imaging is not performed in dogs to stage cancer, but normally a chest xray and ultrasound of the internal organs are performed prior to proceeding to surgery. If the tumor has already spread to the lungs, internal organs, etc, there is no point in removing the tumor from the neck. Finally, surgery on the neck region is very complicated due to the proximity of major blood vessels, nerves, and structures needed for breathing and swallowing. If the tumor is deep (e.g associated with structures below the skin), surgery is potentially very risky. Personally, I would only allow a board certified surgeon to operate on this area (assumming that this tumor is more than a superficial skin growth). If this were my dog and I were considering surgery, I would take the dog to a verterinary oncologist and go from there. Based on what you have written, more information is needed before an informed decision can be made Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMP Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 I have no advice - just an expression of sympathy and support. Good luck - it's as hard as it gets to deal with a beloved pet who is not well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aphillippi Posted August 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Thanks for the sympathy. All the points you raise about it's location and whether or not it's already spread are exactly why I can't wrap my brain around removing it. We don't have an oncologist in our area and my pocket book can't afford it right now. They want to biopsy it once it's been removed. Vet is sure it's cancer due to the rapid growth and color of fluid when they aspirated it. It's a solid mass with pockets of fluid. They did suggest doing an xray which we haven't done yet. We decided to find out how his labs looked first. I was just in shock by the news when I took him to get it aspirated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 I, too, have no "advice" to offer, but wish you the best making this difficult decision. When faced with hard decisions like this when I don't really feel equipped to make them, I'll usually ask the vet what she or he would do if it were her or his own dog. I think most vets will be honest when asked this question. Best wishes for the best outcome. roxanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I agree with Blackdawgs - you need more information to make a decision. Also, consulting with an oncologist will help you understand the chances of success with various treatment options and could help you feel at peace with the decision you end up making. I chose palliative chemo for my dog as there was signifficant risk that he wouldn't heal if the malignant intestinal tumor he had was removed. If it had been a benign tumor in the same location then surgery may have been a good option and I would have opted for it. I made the decision after xray, u/s, biopsy were done and the vet consulted with an oncologist. If some of the results had been a little more hopeful then I would have taken him to a specialist for further evaluation/treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 That's a tough decision. If you can't have a specialist look at it, then I'd follow Roxanne's advice and ask your regular vet what they would do. I'd also ask more subjective questions regarding how you'd know if the tumor is causing pain, etc., so you can make a better informed decision. Did they not send the aspirate out for histopathology? J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Perhaps your vet can consult with a oncologist? I only took my dog to a local vet and he took the test results and then spoke an oncologist at a Purdue over the phone. They suggested the simple (but highly effective in the short term) treatment route I went with. They also pointed out why more invasive treatment wasn't a good option in that situation. I don't know it this is typical or not but there was no charge for that over the phone advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvw Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 I second what Julie brought up about sending out the aspirate for histopathology. This seems like an important step. And I second what Mara suggested about having your vet consult with an oncologist. How far are you from Kansas State Vet school? I am sorry you are having to go through such a terrible thing. Hugs to you. Keep us updated. I'm sending good MOJO your way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 Can only add I'm sorry for this difficult and painful situation. Others have given you excellent advice and helpful information. Please check in and let us know how things go for you. Ruth and SuperGibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdawgs Posted August 1, 2014 Report Share Posted August 1, 2014 I'm not sure how the vet can diagnose this as cancer without a biopsy. Is the vet sure that this is not an infected/ blocked salivary gland? Did someone look at this fluid under a microscope? If this is a cancer, it may be possible to shrink it with a few rounds of chemotherapy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aphillippi Posted August 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 We are going to do xrays tomorrow morning and go from there. I've asked my vet what she would do and her response was to remove before it gets any bigger. I have been using her for a long time and trust her judgment. She has always had my animals best interest at heart and never been one to sell me unnecessary services. She didn't come to this conclusion without consulting other doctors thank goodness. For right now my sweet boy is being extremely spoiled with his orthopedic bed and favorite squeaky friends. He has the expression that he isn't ready to give up on me. So I won't give up on him either. Kstate would by far be our greatest option but it's a good 3 hours from us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted August 2, 2014 Report Share Posted August 2, 2014 Wishing you the best. Please let us know how things work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patches03 Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 No advice, just good thoughts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aphillippi Posted August 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Thanks for the thoughts. We decided to go ahead with the tumor removal simply due to its darn size and feeling he would be more comfortable. Surgery was today and went well. They removed what they could and did some debulking they couldn't remove the whole thing because it had grown into his muscle. It definitely wasn't just your average fatty tumor. We will pick him up tomorrow as long as he does well over night and go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Thanks for the update. Wishing your boy a smooth recovery and lots of quality time ahead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 ^^ Ditto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Sending healing mojo to your boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Thanks for the update. I hope he recovers well and that you've bought him a good bit of time. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aphillippi Posted August 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Thanks everyone! Julie every time I see your pic with all your border collies I can't help but stare at your tri color on the bottom right! It looks exactly like one my husband and I had! She was truly one of the most fun dogs we ever had. Our oldest son loved her to pieces. She was definitely my husband's heart dog. It's be 5 years and we can still barely mention her name in our house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvw Posted August 8, 2014 Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 Thank you for the update! I've been thinking of you. Sending good mojo out to you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patches03 Posted August 8, 2014 Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 Glad surgery went well. Sending speedy recovery vibes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted August 8, 2014 Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 aphillippi, That's my Willow, a rescue and my first border collie. I just lost her, a few weeks shy of 17, in May. I imagine I'll still be tearing up over her years from now too. I am now. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aphillippi Posted August 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 Sorry for your loss and to have brought her up. 17 is awesome. Our sweet krispie got out of the fence (neighbors side) some how she managed to pull a board loose and ran. Before we could find her she was hit by a car. It was very tragic for us. Unfortunately she was too badly injured. We never left the dogs in the yard unattended more than a few minutes to potty. But that's all it takes. We named her krispie because the little boy of the farmer we got her from had already named her. We thought it was fitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aphillippi Posted August 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 Just picked Nanuke up and he is in great spirits already trying to go out to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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