Devastated - tumor on shoulder and lung!

I went something similar to you except it was a nosebleed that I thought was probably a foxtail. It turned out to be nasal cancer and we didn't have much time either. I know the shock and sadness you feel and I wish you weren't having to go thru this. We're a great support group here on this forum though, so don't be afraid to cry on our shoulders. I hadn't found this site when I went thru it and felt like very few people understood what we were going thru. Now I know that others have faced similar situations and care as much as I do.

Pain relief was my greatest concern too and the only thing we found that helped was rimadyl. It doesn't always get the best rap but for a terminally ill dog, I wasn't worried about the longterm affects and it did seem to help. Callie also has some great ideas and alternatives you can try.

Helllo,  I was trying to find another dog owner myself with a sick dog.  My dog was diagnosed back in June with synovial bone cancer and has two tumors on his lungs and one big tumor on his leg.  He is nine years old and is a German Shorthair Pointer.  The net says he wont last long but no one knows.  I suppose one day his bone will just snap.  I know he is in pain, but he is allergic to the asa I give him.  He vomits from time to time and has occasional black stools.  Doc says that aspirin does irritate stomach alot.  They then put them on Remadyl as alternative. Ask your Vet about pain management.  My dog has had this tumor for four years now, we just diagnosed it in June when I wanted the lump excised.

Let me know how your dog is doing and what kind of cancer it is.  My dog runs and plays and still has a good life. I just watch for pain in his face or great limping or swelling.  There is not much we can do but wait, and the timing is important as to when its "time'.  We dont want them in great pain, bone cancer is very painful.  So sorry.  Thanks.

Wow, considering how long he's had it, he's doing extremely well!! That's very good to hear and I'm very happy for you...and him!

Jessie is also on Remadyl at the moment, in-fact she's been on it for a while because she was clearly getting a bit sore gradually for the last year (at the time the vet thought it was just old age and arthiritis) so he prescribed her those tablets, and she actually really likes them too. I don't know what kind of cancer it is exactly, all I know is that it's grown from her shoulder and spread to the back of her lung. At the moment she's still a bit groggy from being sedated but in the last 30 mins or so starting to perk up a bit, so it must be wearing off finally. I'm hoping that tomorrow morning she'll be herself and all ok.....but I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

....I have just seen your photo of him and he looks very nice and healthy!

What everyone is saying has such merit -- and honestly, now is also the time, if you are so inclined, to begin to talk about "Rainbow Bridge" -- there is a whole section on Rainbow Bridge here and if you've never heard of it, go to http://www.rainbowsbridge.com -- it's a wonderful comfort, especially since you just lost your dobie, and it may help you prepare yourself and Jessie.

It's such a wrench -- but if you have a rottie who is 13 you have done a MARVELOUS job!!  Just remember, none of us ever knows the day or hour -- and sometimes to have a little time to prepare, can truly be at least in a tiny part, a blessing to count your time together.

Making her comfortable -- that's the goal.  And letting her know what there's truly a wonderful place to go ... it can really help dealing with it all.

Aw, I'm very sorry that you have found us under such circumstances.  But, you are at the best place in the world to learn what you can do to keep your dogs comfortable and happy as long as you possibly can.

Hugs to you, stay strong, talk to your dogs, and I hope you can gain knowledge while you go through the tough times.  This a great bunch of people from whom you can gather strength.

Welcome!

My_Jessie

I just keep telling her she's a good dog/brave dog/doing well/she's beautiful/she's strong and that everything will be fine

These are all important, too! She knows how much you love her and that you're going to take care of her and help her and make sure she's OK.

sara2010

The net says he wont last long but no one knows.  I suppose one day his bone will just snap.  I know he is in pain, but he is allergic to the asa I give him.  He vomits from time to time and has occasional black stools.  Doc says that aspirin does irritate stomach alot.  They then put them on Remadyl as alternative.

*ANY* NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) will cause stomach bleeding.  Something from the vet like sucrylfate (a stomach protectant) will often help get you by.

I've posted elsewhere on here, and I will again here, a recipe for "slippery elm cocktail" -- it is **wonderful** for ulcerated tummy -- literally it helps heal the ulcers.  It's like a slurry you mix up -- you give it 1/2 hr before mealtime.  I use one of those baby medicine measuring syringes (in fact I keep 3-4 of them loaded in the fridge so I wash them all once daily and load them for the next day to save time).  You just squirt in their mouth behind the canine tooth -- not at all bad tasting and it will actually heal the gut and protect it so it's not sore.

1 -- half a cup of boiling water.

2 -- add 1 rounded tsp. of ground slippery elm

3 -- let cool totally

4 -- add 1/8 c. + 2 tablespoons of aloe juice

5 -- add 10 drops of chlorophyll

6 -- Add 2-3 capsules (open the caps) of acidolpholus

Once you get it mixed up and whipped smooth, it keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days (after that the acidopholous dies). 

Use a baby medicine syringe and load it FULL.  Give about half an hour before a meal.  Just put the tip of the syringe behind the canine tooth and hold the mouth loosely closed.  Squirt slowly so they can work their tongue to swallow.

Acidolpholus is a probiotic My_Jessie -- I would hope a chemist would carry it there (usually refrigerated).  Slippery elm is a powder made from the bark of a slippery elm tree -- again - that would be at an herbalist shop or chemists.  Chlorophyll comes in a liquid -- you won't need much but it's pretty common here but again in a health store or herbalilsts shop.  Aloe is from an aloe plant -- it's a succulent.  But the juice is sold as a health "drink" here (typically a few spoonsfull a day for a human taking it medicinally).  An aloe is probably more commonly known as a "Burn Plant" -- because the gooey inside of the leaf is marvelous for burns of any sort.  But you can also get aloe powder that can be reconstituted and used in place of the liquid.

If you folks are using NSAIDs heavily you might want to also give powdered milk thistle.  Quite a quantity of it.  No, you aren't terribly concerned about the long term use **HOWEVER** if the liver can't function well because of the toxins from the NSAID then it's going to diminish the quality of life faster.  Both the stomach bleeding (which IS PAINFUL in itself) and the NSAIDs will work against what you're trying to do in pain management.  In this way milk thistle actually will augment what you are doing to try to help the body cope simply because it helps the liver do what it *must* do with less hassle.

The other thing I would suggest for both of you is acupuncture.  It can help with pain management -- it can also help slow down the cancer and help the body cope.  http://www.tcvm.com is the Chi Institute -- and there is a locator on the left that can help you find a practitioner near you.  I sent My_Jessie the list of the ones in the UK.

As a fellow lover of our black-and-tan German babies, I'm so very sorry your Rott was diagnosed with cancer.  If they're saying it's a matter of weeks, there must have been something significant in the scans.  My parents Dobe died from bone cancer in his shoulder, diagnosed about 6 or 7 months before he passed away.  That last few hours of his life was New Year's Eve and they hoped he would go in his sleep, rather than hauling him over to a strange emergency vet.  He did not, so I think making plans with your vet (finding out if they have after-hour service, or would be willing to do a home visit to help him cross over) is good to know now, rather than at the last hour.  I think talking with your dog to help him hear in your voice that there will come a time when he will need to leave his body and that it's ok to go, is a good thing.  That you love and respect him for all the effort he's given to stay with you as you have grieved the loss of your Dobe, but that you love him so very very much that you want what is best for him to be free of pain.  He knows you are doing everything to make his time here as painfree as possible.

I hope you have many days of cheerful happy memories to be made between now and then.