26 January 2007

It's times like these that I wish I wasn't an adult.


I wish there was someone who I could turn to and say, so what do we do now????


On November 17 Rocco had surgery to remove a mast cell tumor on his face. At that time they took chest x-rays and did blood work and determined that the cancer was confined to the facial tumor.

Last week hubby noticed that a little fat lump Rocco had on his side started to grow and was getting really hard. Also, Rocco was starting to lick at it which creates problems all on it's own.

Yesterday I took Rocco to the vet. They said they really needed to do a biopsy to see if it was another mast cell tumor. But, since he has a history of them, they needed to give him a shot of Benadryl because mast cells produce histamines and sometimes when disturbed will granulate and send the histamines out into the body. This can result in anaphylatic shock and death of the dog. They kept Roc for 2 hours yesterday to make sure this didn't happen.

The vet just called, it is another mast cell tumor. The choice I now face is what to do. We could have the tumor removed and have more blood work and x-rays done. Odds are good that if this tumor came up so quickly it's probably all over his body and removing the tumor may be pointless exercise. Also, he's 12 years old and really took the last surgery hard. Another one so soon could be even worse. The other option is to do nothing, put Rocco on a Prednisone regime, and let him go when he goes.

I'm really not sure which direction to go in. My immediate reaction is to have the surgery and see what happens. But is that the right thing to do?? One thing I swore I would never do is put my animals through things for me. I always want to do right by them. What's right. Mast cell is an incredibly aggressive form of cancer. If he had the tumor removed 2 months ago and another tumor has grown, it really doesn't look good for Roc. On the other hand, this could be it. We could remove it and he could live for another 5 years.

What do I do???? Someone tell me. I hope this doesn't sound shallow, but there is a monetary consideration. This surgery costs $1000 only to have him die a month or 2 later???? I just don't know??? All these thoughts running through my head........ UGH!!!!!!! I hate being a grownup!!!!!!!!

UPDATE: I just spoke to the vet. On Sunday we are going to do bloodwork and a chest x-ray so we can get a look at what's going on inside Rocco. Once we get those results then I will make the decision on the surgery. I feel much better. I hate making decisions where I don't have all the facts.

4 comments:

Vickie said...

Oh no! I feel really bad for you having to go through this. I find myself tearing up just writing this. I hope your decision comes easy--that you know what is the right thing to do. No matter what you decide, it will not be an easy decision. Keep us informed.

Duane said...

Yes, times like these are tough. What an incredibly hard decision. You'll do the right thing.

Unknown said...

Hi - I've lurked on your blog for a bit, bu today I will leave a comment because I totally understand what you are going through. We had senior dogs for the past several years and faced a lot of the same questions/issues

I think it is wise to get additional information rather than jump to a surgery.

No matter how it turns out, enjoy every day that you have with him!!

M said...

Hi Flo- Thanks for the feedback. I also looked to see if there wa a way to put my email on my profile, so people could just go there, and I certainly agree that I have been able to meet and have great conversations with people through this blog. And cometimes people even leave their email on their comment, which I love. I will keep looking into this, and thanks for the feedback. By the way, I love your site - It was one of the first ones I began reading when I got into the blogging. Also, I am curious to read about your Talon experiences, as I too am looking for a new bike and have looked at this one. Bye!

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