Liver Cancer

    • Bronze

    Liver Cancer

    My dog who is 12 years old had a tumor on her spleen years ago. They removed the tumor and the spleen (in the nick of time. she started bleeding in her stomach). It turned out to be benign.

    A few years later she ended up getting bloat. She's only 30 lbs and I couldn't figure out why she would get bloat because it usually happens in bigger dogs. Our vet said it was probably because having her spleen removed gave the stomach more room to move around. Once again they saved her.

    A couple years after that she was diagnosed with a heart murmur. She sees her heart doctor twice a year and is on medication for it.

    My baby has been through a lot.

    Ever since she had that tumor on her spleen, for a couple years I would take her in every few months for complete bloodwork and xrays.

    Then our vet said bringing her in twice a year for bloodwork and xrays would be ok.

    In November 2013, I took her in, her bloodwork and xrays came back great.

    On Monday, January 6, 2014, she didn't want to eat and just wasn't herself. I called the vet and took her in.

    Her ALT was 984 (should be 0-120) Her ALP was 157 (should be 0-140) Our vet said this was really not that bad, just slightly elevated).

    Everything else was complately normal.

    They did an ultrasound. All her organs looked good but her liver looked abnormal.

    We took her in on Tuesday, January 7, 2014 for a biopsy.

    This is what the biopsy stated. (I won't give you the description because there's too much writting. If you need it, I will type it).

    CYTOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION Hepatic neoplastic infiltration by a sarcoma of high-grade malignancy. The cell morphology supports a hemanglosarcoma.

    COMMENTS This could represent metastasis or a primary hepatic origin and supports a poor prognosis. If there are discrepancies between this report and your clinical impressions, please do not hesitate to call me.

    Our vet said this was a bad cancer. We are taking her to see an oncologist on Monday, January 13, 2014.

    She's not having any symptons that I noticed. She's always been between 28-30 lbs (mostly maintaining 30 lbs). This last week, she's been 28.6 lbs. It's staying that way.

    She's eating, drinking (more than normal but my husband keeps this house 80 degrees. I think she's drinking more because it's too hot and she's going potty more because she's drinking more). She wants to play but I don't throw her her toy. She just chews on it. She's not vomiting, she doesn't have diarrhea. She's really acting normal. Alittle slower but that could be because of her age.

    I'm freaking out. She's my baby and I want her around for another year or so.

    Can you tell me anything about this cancer?

    Is there any hope?

    Could it be that since in November it was good and 2 months later it was high, is caught early?

    According to the ultrasound, this is the only tumor that was found. Could they remove this tumor and do chemo and extend her life for another year?

    Do you think she is suitable for surgery? Could she survive the surgery with her heart murmur? A cardiogist will be they as well to monitor her heart if she can have surgery. The doctor who performed the biopsy recommends that depending on the results of the pending fine-needle aspirates, if further evaluation is desired, consultation with a sugeon regarding mass removal should be considered.

    I was told this tumor can burst and she can bleed out. We're not letting her jump around. What's the chances of this thing burtsing? Can it burst if she's just laying around? Or walking slowly? This tumor is 6 cm.

    How fast can this tumor spead? Is it days? Or can it take months? I don't know how fast is fast.

    Is it possible it stayed in the liver without spreading?

    I'm sorry for all these questions but this is my baby and I would do anything for her.

    Please help me.

    Thank You,

    Bernice

    • Gold Top Dog

    I'm really sorry about the cancer diagnosis.  I don't have any answers for you.  The oncologist will probably be your most accurate source of information.  

    When my dog Twister was diagnosed with bladder cancer I felt shell shocked.  The first visit to the oncologist I had a lot of questions.  I had planned to take notes and make sure I understood everything I was told.  The fact is I was still so much in shock that a lot of what I was told went in one ear and out the other.   It will take a little time for you to process what's happening.  Give yourself  some time.  I was lucky that our oncologist was glad to answer my constant questions by phone or email.

    Sending you lots of good thoughts and vibes.  

    • Gold Top Dog

    Wow -- I am so  very sorry -- a diagnosis like this just  landslides you.  

    A few random thots:

    1.  Jackie is right -- your oncologist should be able to answer your questions.

    2.  How close are you to a vet school?   That's another place for potential answers (often very cutting edge and quite often cheaper than you'd imagine -- not always but frequently that's so).  

    3.  For the foreseeable future you may want to choose a cancer diet -- usually home-made.  Grain carbs feed cancer and make it grow (even human medicine knows this and has for about 30+ years) -- you can cook for the dog yourself (there are folks out there like Monica Segal and Sabine Contreras who can write a diet for you if you want).  For ME it always makes me feel just a tiny bit more in control -- at least I know what I'm putting in my dog's mouth is **not** helping the cancer grow.  I may be weird that way but there is usually so little you CAN do that probably helps me.

    Best of luck to you ... let us know how it goes?

    • Puppy

    I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. I hope he would recover and be well soon.

    • Silver

    Sorry to hear about your dog Bernice., Young or old we are never ready to lose them. But so often with older dogs we are between a rock and a hard place trying to weigh up risks, benefits and outcomes.

    Can't answer your medical questions I'm afraid.  I'm sure you are already scouring the net for info and people's experiences. I did find some links but I am sure there are many more

    blogger.thepetsperspective.com/canine-cancer

    dogs.lovetoknow.com/.../Canine_Liver_Cancer

    www.petmd.com/.../c_dg_liver_cancer

    Just write all the questions down for your vets and be sure to write down the answers too (I am better at the first than the second).

    Hoping for a positive outcome.

    Chrissy x

    • Bronze

    I'm so sorry about your baby. I feel your pain because my pups are like my babies to me and I love them so much. My youngest, 2 yrs old, is having problems with her liver and will be getting an ultrasound this week. I know how you feel about wanting to keep her with you for as long as possible. You will just have to decide, because she's a senior pup, do you want her last year or so to be natural or medically pro-longed? Which would be best for her? You have some very tough decisions to make. I personally don't see these decisions with our dogs to be any easier than to make these decisions concerning a human. I know it's hard for some people to understand how we can feel so strongly for "just a dog". I would do anything for my babies too, so I know you are going through a very hard time. I know there are doggie bereavement books to help console you through this hard time. I know I will need them one day as well.

    Keep us posted on how your baby is doing.

    • Gold Top Dog

    If  it is actual liver cancer there isn't a whole lot you can do, however SAM-e and milk thistle will often help make them more comfortable.  

    If your pup's problem is sudden make sure you give the vet all the input you can in order to get a good diagnosis.  MANY things can cause liver problems -- medicines, and even chemicals in the environment (like fertilizers, spray pesticides, etc.).  

    • Gold Top Dog

    Oh Bernice I am so sorry to hear of your dog being diagnosed with cancer. Hopefully the oncologist you were seeing today was able to answer your questions and has some good news for you. Thinking of you.