Cheri McDonald Posted July 25, 2004 Report Share Posted July 25, 2004 Well we got a call early afternoon on Friday to come pick up our girl at the vet. The specialist came in to do the high powered ultrasound and biopsy on her kidney. He took one look and did not do the biopsy. Kidney has to come out. The mass is about 2.5cm and he is pretty sure it's cancer. Briar goes in on Wednesday to have the whole kidney removed. Other kidney, bladdar and liver look great and they did xrays of the lungs before we left to make sure nothing was there. Dr. says she is young and healthy otherwise and once this is out she should be fine. I was in tears last night watching her run up and down the yard throwing a stuffed toy around, all the while cursing at whatever for letting this happen to her. I'm a wreck, she is happy amd Rob keeps wondering why I am so down and is doing his best to comfort me. Hubby retired to the couch last night (God Bless him) and I was left in bed with a warm fuzzy on each side. If she is doing okay she can come home to recover on Thursday afternoon. I called the boss and am taking a few days off to stay home with her. Thanks for all your support guys, I don't think I could get through this without you. Hubby says talking with you all is my therapy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy Posted July 25, 2004 Report Share Posted July 25, 2004 Prayers are going to all possible dieties for Briar Rose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted July 25, 2004 Report Share Posted July 25, 2004 I'm so sorry to hear about Briar. All possible best wishes for all of you from us. Please remember to take a bit of time for yourself in the next few days. And I'm glad you'll be able to be home for her first few days of convalescing. Your hubby's right, we are each other's therapy group! Ruth n the Border Trio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laceyjess Posted July 25, 2004 Report Share Posted July 25, 2004 Take care and it is good everything else seems healthy on your dog, once that kidney is out they will be as good as new! Who needs 2 kidneys anyways? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike's Bitch Posted July 25, 2004 Report Share Posted July 25, 2004 Well, this won't be fun for either of you, but things could have been a lot worse. Prayers & good wishes for beautiful Briar Rose, Liz & Spike xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura (Cady and Koda's mom) Posted July 25, 2004 Report Share Posted July 25, 2004 Been wondering and thinking of you all this weekend. Hope once the kidney comes out it will all be over and she can lead a long healthy life with you. We'll be praying for you on this end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK dog doc Posted July 25, 2004 Report Share Posted July 25, 2004 I'll be waiting to hear what the histopath says. I personally would not venture to diagnose a malignacy (as opposed to a benign, non-cancerous tumor) off the ultrasound alone, but I'm not a specialist; maybe they DO feel confident of the histopathological diagnosis based on the appearance of the ultrasound, and if they have a really nice machine they may be getting more info than you get from the "standard" ones. However, even as we speak I hear Dr. Straw's voice in my memory (charmingly accented, as he was one of our "Down Under" contingent): "Don't sign the dog's death warrant based on the appearance of the tumor. Your eyes are NOT microscopes." But perhaps I took this advice too much to heart, and as I say - I'm not a specialist. At any rate, I had a patient several years ago (like, 5 or 6) who, as a working sled dog, kept turning up with blood in his urine after a run, but no other symptoms. He had an *extremely* weird ultrasound of one kidney. We couldn't decide WHAT it was - looked like PKD in some views, and some bizarre tumor in others, and in some views it was just not clear at all what that might be. We took the affected kidney (and MAN was it ever strange inside, like something out of "Alien") and the dog, though retired from running, is still kicking along just fine. I'll hope for a similar type of outcome for Briar. Renal malignancies are not that common in dogs (at least up here - I can recall one in the last 8 years), so I'll pray she has some other kind of lesion that just looks bad on imaging. There's still hope tht this is NOT a malignancy, so *please* try not to give yourself too rough a time with it until you know. (I know, MUCH easier said than done. Sigh.) And even if it is a malignancy, remember: cancer is the most curable chronic disease we have. We don't always win with cancer, but there are a lot of other chronic diseases we don't even have a SHOT at winning. Anyway, I'll be praying for smooth sailing through the surgery and good disease in the kidney. (Another Dr. Straw-ism; 'good disease' = 'curable disease'.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sea4th Posted July 25, 2004 Report Share Posted July 25, 2004 Mustering all the good vibes I can to send your way. She's strong, healthy, she'll come through it like a champ. Vicki P.S. AK Dog Doc---I continue to be in awe of you---Thank you for your time and advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheri McDonald Posted July 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2004 Thanks again all of you. AK I agree with Vicki, you have been wonderful about giving your thoughts and time to us, I can't thank you enough. I am taking your advise and will wait to see what they have to say wants its out. Bless you all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted July 25, 2004 Report Share Posted July 25, 2004 O Cheri, I sent you an email today hoping for the best, but that was before I read this thread. I have been praying a lot for Briar and for you and the whole family. I will continue to pray for her speedy recovery. Please let us all know how she is doing. Jester sends his best to you as well.....hang in there, my friend .....she is so strong she will probably come through this just fine. And she is such a Good Dog. .....here's hugs: ((((((((((Briar Rose)))))))) ((((((((((Cheri)))))))))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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