My dog Shakey has osteosarcoma in his maxilla. He was diagnosed 7 months ago when we found a lump on his gums and it was biopsied. He initially didn't show any signs of pain, and we were just giving him some immunity support with glucosamine for his arthritis. About a month ago, the vet put him on Tramadol (50 mg) - 2 pills every 12 hours. That seemed to do the trick for a while, but then the medication didn't seem to be working as well, and the vet told me that we can give him up to 4 pills every 8 hours. We've been doing 3 pills every 12 hours, but Shakey seems very tender and will wince his lip and make a little cry. It's heartbreaking.
Shakey also had a little bit of bleeding over the weekend. He was licking his feet and they were turning pink! I thought he cut his foot, but it was the tumor in his mouth bleeding. That only happened on Saturday.
My husband visits the vet today to get more Tramadol for Shakey. My real question is for those who've had to make this decision, when is enough enough? I do not want to put Shakey through unnecessary pain, and we know he will not get better. He will only get worse. He still eats his food, enjoys treats, runs around with his Kong ball in his mouth (showing off, we call it), and hangs out with us. It's just sometimes you can tell he feels junky and will just sleep or want to be petted and cuddled.
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Shakey also had a little bit of bleeding over the weekend. He was licking his feet and they were turning pink! I thought he cut his foot, but it was the tumor in his mouth bleeding. That only happened on Saturday.
My husband visits the vet today to get more Tramadol for Shakey. My real question is for those who've had to make this decision, when is enough enough? I do not want to put Shakey through unnecessary pain, and we know he will not get better. He will only get worse. He still eats his food, enjoys treats, runs around with his Kong ball in his mouth (showing off, we call it), and hangs out with us. It's just sometimes you can tell he feels junky and will just sleep or want to be petted and cuddled.
Thanks for any advice you can offer.