My dog is fighting cancer

[PennyQuilts]

When we were in town in July, we discovered that my dog had a growth in her nostril. Long story short, she has melanoma (skin cancer) and has had surgery and radiation to treat it. She also is taking the new Muriel vaccine that has helped a lot of dogs with melanoma. Melanoma is one of the most aggressive cancers. Before the vaccine came out, last year, the medium survival was 5 months. Now, for many dogs (although not all) taking the vaccine, it is about 18 months and a lot of the dogs in the initial studies are still alive. Most dogs are pretty old when they develop melanoma but our girl is only seven. We've been devastated about it but she has been doing very well.

It was looking like something was going on with her nose so we took her back to see the vet, today. I've been so worried about it. The vet thinks the changes in her nose are just scar tissue from the surgery. Moreover, she looks wonderful and is showing no signs that the disease is spreading.

I am just beside myself I am so happy.

[sweetdaisy]

I'm sorry to hear your pup is sick, ECO. That stinks. Very pleased to hear things seem to be going well with her treatments, though! Keep us updated on her progress!

[PennyQuilts]

Thanks, Sweet Daisy. I will post a picture that I took of her, today. Last August, she looked pretty pitiful when they shaved her muzzle and her poor snout was under assault from the radiation. They couldn't promise that her hair would grow back - at least not the same color - but it looks like she is good as new!

[sweetdaisy]

HURRAH! I look forward to seeing her pic.

Ahhh...so nice to read posts in areas besides the Political Forum. Refreshing.

[Karried]

oh that's great news!

It's so sad when our pets are sick..those are the times I really wish they could talk to tell us where it hurts.

That's the hardest part of pet ownership for me. I hate when they are sick - it kills me.

[PennyQuilts]

Thank you - she is doing so great. I have been worried sick all week for fear the cancer was back but so far, so good!

[bluedogok]

Good to hear that she is doing better.

I lost my Heeler in January, it was tough for us. We are going to adopt another one sometime soon.

[PennyQuilts]

Bluedog - Blue heeler. Yup, see the connection. It is hard to lose them. Are you going ot adopt another heeler?

This particular girl is simply my heart. There are dogs and then there are babies and then there are soul mates. Jezebel is my soulmate (if you want to get all mushy over it).

We had three samoyeds but lost our old girl right at Christmas. Then, Jezebel was diagnosed. In the next couple of years we will probably get another pup. This is a pretty good area to get them and we want to be able to bring her back home when we return to Oklahoma.

[bombermwc]

I lost my Cocker to stomach cancer when he was 14 years old....my sister lost her Rott to cancer when he was 13 years old. I still miss my bud...after that many years, they aren't just a pet they are a member of the family. He was the first thing I grabbed when we ran away from the May 3rd tornado. I cherish the pictures I have and I touch his collar every once in a while. He's still my buddy and I still get a little emotional talking about him.

[PennyQuilts]

Bombermwc - I understand.

I am so sorry about your Cocker. At least he had a good long life. The thought of not having my girl is incomprehensible, to me. I know I'd survive but I don't want to even consider the possibility of losing her.

[Karried]

I just had to sit with my mom and her dog last week while the vet put him down ( she couldn't do it) oh man.. what a heartbreaker.. he was 14 and the best dog ever. I just held him and petted him and talked to him until he closed his eyes. It was so incredibly sad.

I took her to breakfast today, it's been a week, and she cried all through breakfast because her other dog is grieving and keeps looking for his friend. Plus, he is older so she thinks he will go soon too.

My mom lives alone so it's especially hard for her. They are her babies.

[PennyQuilts]

Oh, Karried, how hard for her. When we had to put our old girl down, last Christmas (December 22), I was in NYC visiting family and husband had to do it, alone. The vet wrapped her in a quilt and husband held her. I didn't get back home for a couple of days and I believe he cried the whole time I was gone. Our other dogs were pretty lost after she died. It took months for them to start acting "normal" and husband is still grieving. A lot of the trick or treaters asked where she was (they remember her from earlier years) and each time I felt like crying - but part of it would have been happy tears that the children remembered her, fondly. She loved seeing them when they came to the door.

How old is your mom? As hard as it is, I think I'd be more afraid that something would happen to me and the dog would be left all confused with no one to love and baby them the way they were used to.

[Jon27]

So glad to hear this!!!! Good luck!! It breaks my heart when I hear of someone's pet sick. Keep us posted. You're in my prayers!

[PennyQuilts]

Thanks, SuperChris. She feels fine - doesn't know she is sick.

I posted a picture if anyone wants to see her. She is a good girl.

[bluedogok]

Bluedog - Blue heeler. Yup, see the connection. It is hard to lose them. Are you going ot adopt another heeler?

Yep, the name came from when I was trying to come up with a name for AOL-IM, it was for BLUE heeler DOG in OKlahoma as I was living in Edmond at the time and will always be an Okie no matter where I am living. I got first pick out of the litter that a friend had when she was about 4 weeks old so I raised her from a puppy. We are thinking about adopting an adult dog now since we both work in North Austin and live in South Austin, I just don't have the time to run home at lunch everyday to train a puppy right now. Back then I worked at Britton & Broadway and lived by Edmond North and had a roommate going to school at UCO so we were around her quite a bit while raising her.

I would like another heeler but really we are just going to find a rescue dog somewhere, so it might be a heeler but will more than likely be a dog that just needs a home and close to the same size. Sweetdaisy sent me a link to a 12 week old heeler pup in OKC (thanks for that, it's a cutie) but I know some organizations have rules against out of staters adopting animals

I have known too many people who have lost pets in the past year, just way too many.

I hope you don't mind, this was one of the last pics of her, it was taken at my parents over Christmas last year.

[PennyQuilts]

Oh, bless her bones!!

[Karried]

Beautiful girl .. wow, so heartwrenching.

My mom is still pretty young, and very independent and she has such a soft spot for animals (as do I) it's especially hard on her living by herself.

I've had her over almost every day trying to keep her busy. I'm hoping in time, she'll remember all the good times and not feel so heartbroken.

Her Yorkie disappeared over two years ago and she still cries when she sees one. She's a softie.

I think having to put one down is so painful. I had to do it for my german shepherd baby who had the worst hip dysplasia the vet had ever seen. I felt so guilty that she lived her short life in pain and we didn't even know. I was a wreck and practically couldn't function for days .. Her name was Bria and it makes me cry just typing this.

uhhhgg....

[PennyQuilts]

My husband says man did not domesticate dogs - that it was the other way around. They really get into our hearts. We lose them way too soon, no matter the circumstances.

[sweetdaisy]

Yep, the name came from when I was trying to come up with a name for AOL-IM, it was for BLUE heeler DOG in OKlahoma as I was living in Edmond at the time and will always be an Okie no matter where I am living. I got first pick out of the litter that a friend had when she was about 4 weeks old so I raised her from a puppy. We are thinking about adopting an adult dog now since we both work in North Austin and live in South Austin, I just don't have the time to run home at lunch everyday to train a puppy right now. Back then I worked at Britton & Broadway and lived by Edmond North and had a roommate going to school at UCO so we were around her quite a bit while raising her.

I would like another heeler but really we are just going to find a rescue dog somewhere, so it might be a heeler but will more than likely be a dog that just needs a home and close to the same size. Sweetdaisy sent me a link to a 12 week old heeler pup in OKC (thanks for that, it's a cutie) but I know some organizations have rules against out of staters adopting animals

I have known too many people who have lost pets in the past year, just way too many.

I hope you don't mind, this was one of the last pics of her, it was taken at my parents over Christmas last year.

Oh, she's just lovely, bluedog. Thanks for sharing her picture.

And I'm sorry I didn't realize you lived out of state. I thought for sure it was fate that the little pup just entered the adoption program! When you're ready to look for a new dog, if you don't know about it, you can go to Petfinder.com, type in your location, type of animal you're looking for, etc. and it'll connect you with all sorts of resuces in your area. And bless you for thinking about giving an adult dog another chance in life...they really do appreciate it!

[GuyB]

Thank you - she is doing so great. I have been worried sick all week for fear the cancer was back but so far, so good!

Sorry to hear this glad she is doing better I wish her the best of luck.

[PennyQuilts]

Took her back to the regular vet, yesterday. It looked like a growth was returning to her nostril where the original tumor appeared. It looks suspicious. Sigh. Her nose is sore, she is doing a lot of sneezing. There is an infection at the surgery site with a ring of dark cells that is swelling then shrinking. The aspiration biopsy didn't look too good. Lots of dark cells (which suggest melanoma) and some fast dividing cells that could either be cancer or simply healing. They put her on antibiotics and the oncologist is being consulted on Monday.

[Karried]

That's too bad.. it's so tough when a beloved pet gets ill. sigh. Good luck

[mecarr]

I had a 13 year old labrador that was diagnosed with amelanoma earlier this year. We tried out the new DNA vaccine. Unfortunately the tumor was too advanced to do surgery so we just had to hope the vaccine worked. In any event, the vaccine did shrink the tumor but it was too advanced and had spread to the nose. His snout started swelling up and he began to bleed out of his nostrils, along with out of his mouth. There was constnatly blood everywhere. We ended up having to put him to sleep. It was very sad. If people are concerned about their dog contracting melanoma, I would advise to have your vet check out your dog's mouth each time you go in for a check up in order to see if there are any growths.

[PennyQuilts]

I haven't had the heart to post. We took our girl back to get another biopsy right before Thanksgiving. She looked like the growth was coming back but we needed to be sure it wasn't just scar tissue. They put her under to do the biopsy and lost her due to an anesthesia problem. It was completely unexpected and not directly related to the cancer. It could just as easy have been something as simple as having her put under to get her teeth cleaned or spayed. We are utterly devastated. She was my heart. We've not been doing much more than cry since then.

Mecarr - I sure am sorry about your dog. Labradors can be so sweet. I know you miss him. Sounds like you tried your best to save him. What vet did you go to? We had been wondering if there was a veterinary oncologist in Oklahoma City.

[Karried]

oh, I'm so sorry.

It's so devastating to lose a beloved family member.