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Roly Poly
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Roly Poly
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PostSun Jul 15, 2018 6:50 pm 
My dog was diagnosed with intestinal lymphoma. It’s the most aggressive form of the disease and quite rare so very little data out there. She is not expected to live 3 months. Until the tumor strangles her intestines, she seems “normal”. Enjoys her hikes though I’m keeping them in the 8-10 mile range. Imagine you have lymphoma. The conventional treatment is chemotherapy. You try chemotherapy but it fails. You could get your tumor removed but there are no guarantees regarding outcome because there is no data. What would you do? You are 50 yo, otherwise healthy, lead an active life hiking. Would you take the chance on surgery knowing that you could die in surgery or post surgery, or the tumor could come back or you could live 20 more years? Or you could do nothing and die in few weeks. What would you do? BTW, I’m asking this because I know of cases that did surgery and the dog survived 3 years. But these “anecdotal “ cases are never gathered up into a study. So that information is lost. Just because I think something should be so obvious, there is always someone who challenges my thought process.

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I'm Pysht
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PostSun Jul 15, 2018 10:18 pm 
How old is your pup? I think what I would do for myself isn't too relevant. For my dog, I would probably have her euthanized when she began to suffer and not put her through the trauma of surgery and further treatment. I've seen several cases where owners did much to keep their pets alive, and it wasn't good for the animal.

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DigitalJanitor
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PostMon Jul 16, 2018 7:23 am 
George Johnson wrote:
I've seen several cases where owners did much to keep their pets alive, and it wasn't good for the animal.
Sadly, this. It's very hard making these choices for our pets, and IMO it's easy to get our own emotions wound up in it. I guess I'd weigh what quality of life the dog would get out of those extra days. I spent a few hundred bucks for (at that age risky) surgery to remove a tumor on a strong 13.5 year old dog. He was rampaging again in a couple days and we got one more very good year, and then it came back. Having to euthanize a dog who's gleefully jumping up on the vet's counter is pretty rough but in hindsight... Going out swinging was one last kindness I did for him.

~Mom jeans on wheels
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joker
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PostMon Jul 16, 2018 10:50 am 
My own answer would depend a fair bit on what the vet said the recovery from the surgery would most likely look like - i.e. how long and how hard for the dog, as well as how likely it is that it would allow the dog to continue living a more or less normal life for a while longer. You can't explain to a dog why its life is sucking right now and if the odds are that the dog will be spending time suffering through medical treatment rather than enjoying remaining days for most of the time left it's a bad deal; otherwise it may be worth it for both you and the dog. Good luck.

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grannyhiker
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PostTue Jul 17, 2018 3:34 pm 
My Hysson (in my avatar) was diagnosed with lymphoma in January 2013. It turned out to run in his family (the golden retriever side)--his mother, grandmother and at least one full brother died of it. I considered chemo, which doesn't cure but can give the dog several years, but decided against it. He was almost 11 years old and I didn't feel that $6,000 worth of chemo (which I couldn't afford) was worth it. Hysson also had developed considerable separation anxiety, and they wouldn't have let me stay with him during the chemo sessions--that would have been very upsetting for both of us. If he had been a few years younger, I would have borrowed the money. Hysson did have almost five months of relatively good life on prednisone. I fed him whatever he wanted (that he could digest), took him for short hikes (which he loved) and spent lots of time at the beach (which he also loved). When the lymph nodes started swelling again, and he started snoring in his sleep (a symptom of recurrence), I made the sad appointment after a Memorial Day weekend during which he was going visibly downhill. By that time we were sleeping on a mattress on the living room floor, because he could no longer jump onto my bed. Of course he got all excited and bouncy at the vet's, and both the vet and I wondered if we were jumping the gun. In fact, he ate up most of their dog biscuits before the sedation kicked in! I was happy that his last day was a good one. My local vet insisted at the initial diagnosis that I take Hysson to a canine cancer specialist to learn what the various options were. I assume you have done this. . I can only advise you to get all the facts, do online research (my daughter-the-veterinarian did that for me)--it appears you've already done this. You'll have to do what you think best for the dog. This was probably the hardest decision I have ever made. Also work out ahead of time with your vet what you want to do with your dog's remains after he passes. The day (or the next few days) after his death is not the time to make such decisions.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.--E.Abbey
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