[Roxy’s Mom]

My 15 year old (golden doodle F1) girl was diagnosed with a stomach tumor today. Roxy has been regurgitating and throwing up for the last two weeks. After trying two different medications for nausea with no success, she had an ultrasound today which reveal a 3.5 cm mass. (Her blood work that was taken in January was very good.)
Even eating a bland diet of rice and chicken for a week, did not stop the vomiting; by day 5 she was vomiting again. I switched her food to Dr. Harvey and add an egg or shredded chicken to her meals. Also, I am adding olive oil, but will switch to a fish oil. I am giving Roxy smaller meals, 5 smalls meals a day instead of 3, and she has not regurgitated or vomited for the past two days. She has a good appetite.
Roxy had stomach bloat (Gastric dilatation volvulus - GDV) emergency surgery last year and she pulled through. It was rough goong, but she really fought hard to recover…she is such a trooper! Unfortunately, her arthritis worsened after the surgery. She was always an active dog, but could no longer do her 2 mile hikes.
Her hind legs are weak and at times she loses her balance or may plop down on her side. She still likes to walk to the neighbor’s house which may be 1/4 of a mile trip (there and back home). On the way back, I started using a harness to help support her hind legs because she gets tired. (Just wanted to give some history.)
The Vet Specialist said that if I wanted to proceed, we could do an endoscopic procedure to determine if the tumor is malignant or benign and the type of cancer. She thinks it may be carcinoma or leiomyosarcoma. The concerns are many. The Vet noticed her panting and thinks she may have golpp (Geriatric onset laryngeal paralysis and paraparesis) which could cause more complications such as pneumonia, larynx stops moving, increase panting and progressive hind limb weakness and imbalance. The surgery risks are infection, perforation, sepsis and re-growth of the tumor.
I asked the Vet Specialist what she would do if it was her dog, and her reply was that she probably wouldn’t put her dog through the surgery. She also said that she has no judgment in terms of what I would like to do.
I don’t want to be selfish. I love my girl so much; she is my heart. I want to spend as much quality time with her and make her comfortable. I guess I have made my decision.
Tomorrow I will let my Vet Specialist know how I want to proceed . It was helpful just writing all of this out. It was a lot to take in and process.
Are there any questions that I should consider asking the Vet Specialist?

 

[JoanneF]

I'm sorry you join us under these circumstances. Someone made a very good point a few days ago to someone in a situation similar to yours. Better to have her slip away peacefully than when she is in pain or distress.

When it is her time, if it helps, there are pet bereavement counselling services you can contact.

1

 

[Roxy’s Mom]

Thanks for replying. I don’t think we really know bc we don’t know what type of cancer.
From what I have read on line, anywhere from weeks to up to 6 months with stomach cancer.
I want to get her fish oil and supplements which may help to keep the tumor from growing or at least slow it down.
Roxy is still her normal self, she went out this morning and peed, and just finished her breakfast. I am so happy with her new food: Dr Harvey’s - “The Miracle Dog Food Pre-Mix Canine Health” bc she seems to be able to tolerate it (knock in wood - 3rd day on the food).
I saw on line that they have food for dogs with cancer so I ordered a sample of it. I will call them today to discuss the type of oils that they have: fish vs krill.
If anyone has any thoughts or questions you think I should ask the Vet Specialist, it would be appreciated. Glad I found this forum.

 

[dogslife]

My 15 year old (golden doodle F1) girl was diagnosed with a stomach tumor today. Roxy has been regurgitating and throwing up for the last two weeks. After trying two different medications for nausea with no success, she had an ultrasound today which reveal a 3.5 cm mass. (Her blood work that was taken in January was very good.)
Even eating a bland diet of rice and chicken for a week, did not stop the vomiting; by day 5 she was vomiting again. I switched her food to Dr. Harvey and add an egg or shredded chicken to her meals. Also, I am adding olive oil, but will switch to a fish oil. I am giving Roxy smaller meals, 5 smalls meals a day instead of 3, and she has not regurgitated or vomited for the past two days. She has a good appetite.
Roxy had stomach bloat (Gastric dilatation volvulus - GDV) emergency surgery last year and she pulled through. It was rough goong, but she really fought hard to recover…she is such a trooper! Unfortunately, her arthritis worsened after the surgery. She was always an active dog, but could no longer do her 2 mile hikes.
Her hind legs are weak and at times she loses her balance or may plop down on her side. She still likes to walk to the neighbor’s house which may be 1/4 of a mile trip (there and back home). On the way back, I started using a harness to help support her hind legs because she gets tired. (Just wanted to give some history.)
The Vet Specialist said that if I wanted to proceed, we could do an endoscopic procedure to determine if the tumor is malignant or benign and the type of cancer. She thinks it may be carcinoma or leiomyosarcoma. The concerns are many. The Vet noticed her panting and thinks she may have golpp (Geriatric onset laryngeal paralysis and paraparesis) which could cause more complications such as pneumonia, larynx stops moving, increase panting and progressive hind limb weakness and imbalance. The surgery risks are infection, perforation, sepsis and re-growth of the tumor.
I asked the Vet Specialist what she would do if it was her dog, and her reply was that she probably wouldn’t put her dog through the surgery. She also said that she has no judgment in terms of what I would like to do.
I don’t want to be selfish. I love my girl so much; she is my heart. I want to spend as much quality time with her and make her comfortable. I guess I have made my decision.
Tomorrow I will let my Vet Specialist know how I want to proceed . It was helpful just writing all of this out. It was a lot to take in and process.
Are there any questions that I should consider asking the Vet Specialist?

It's hard to be faced with that. What you do next is, of course, a personal decision. I think if it were my dog, and given her advanced age, I would be inclined to do whatever is necessary to keep her comfortable and make sure she fully knows that she's a good dog. There are risks to surgery and recovery can be a painful ordeal.

I guess if there is one question I would want to ask the vet, it would be to get an estimate of how quickly such a tumor will grow and/or any estimation of the prognosis with/without surgery.

 

[Curls]

Hugs. I lost one of my dogs to a cancer of the GI tract. He was young enough that it was tempting to consider chemo. However, I knew someone who had lost their dog to a similar cancer two years earlier. She pretty much threw the kitchen sink at the diagnosis: chemo, special diets, pain killers, etc. She got another seven months out of her boy. However, I wouldn't call them quality months. He spent quite a lot of it feeling ill from chemo. My boy made it three months with palliative care. Then, when he started having increased bouts of vomiting again, we took him on a last half mile walk around the neighborhood. He had lost 20 pounds, but he was still strong enough to enjoy the walk. We took him for his last vet trip later that afternoon. I would have loved more time with him, but I'm glad his final day was spent doing the things that mattered to him: checking his pee mail, playing with his toys and hanging out with his family.