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Jessie is having surgery tomorrow; Update

Last post 09-17-2007 10:03 PM by dyan. 26 replies.
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  • 09-10-2007 1:58 PM

    Jessie is having surgery tomorrow; Update

       About 2 weeks ago I found a small lump on her ventral (lower chest?) area between her front legs.  It's small; about the size of a dried pea before they're cooked. If you picture one of those, cut in half, and colored pink, that's how it looks. The vet aspirated it and didn't find any mast cell tumor cells. He shaved the area so we could watch it, and had me put Animax on it twice a day. A few days after the vet visit I noticed her scratching the area; the lump was red and the skin around it was bright red and raised up, which can be a symptom of a mast cell tumor. The skin calmed down a day after that. If it is a mast cell tumor, it will most likely be a grade one, which means no follow up treatment once it's removed. They took blood today for a workup and will do a physical tomorrow before the surgery. This place is very careful; if anything isn't normal, such as slightly elevated liver enzymes, they will cancel the surgery until the condition is corrected. Jessie had 2 surgeries at my former vet and they did not do a blood workup first. She's also getting a dental, her first one. She's between 9 and 10 and her teeth are better than many dogs a few years younger than her but she could still benefit from one.
     
       So, if it is a mast cell tumor, should she be on a grain free diet from now on, or even a full fledged cancer diet? Also, should she get something to counteract the anesthesia, like milk thistle? She's been acting fine; good appetite and lots of energy.
    Janice
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  • 09-10-2007 2:16 PM In reply to jessies_mom

    RE: Jessie is having surgery tomorrow

    You and I, as well as Jessie, have mast cell in our bodies that is "grade 1".  It's NORMAL and natural.  Grade 2 is when they classify it as 'cancer' or malignant -- so don't let that scare the tar out of you.
     
    Frankly, I'd put Jessie on a cancer diet NOW.  Keep the grain carbs absolutely minimal (or none if possible) and keep any veg carbs (like sweet potato, squash
    with stuff that is high in anti-oxidants. But keep the carby veg to no more than 20%. i.e., sweet potato is better than white potato.
     
    Keep the Omega 3#%92s high high high – fish oil -- yes. flax oil/ground flax seed - yes, and even adding oily fish like mackerel and sardines to her diet is a GOOD thing.
     
    When I get home I can send you Dr. Clemmons#%92 cancer diet – it#%92s really basic and meant for you to substitute "like with like" (like greens for spinach, high anti-oxidant orange veggies for carrots, etc.) -- but the stuff at the end of it that#%92s about other stuff to use/give is very beneficial. E-mail me so I can ‘reply#%92 (I can#%92t send an attachment thru dog.com#%92s e-mail link).
     
    Billy#%92s had a lipoma exactly where you describe for about 2 1/2 years now – and I#%92ve had it aspirated 2-3 times – but we just keep watching it.
     
    Good luck!!
    "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."
    Helen Keller



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  • 09-10-2007 2:17 PM In reply to jessies_mom

    RE: Jessie is having surgery tomorrow

    The milk thistle wouldn't hurt -- it never does. 
    "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."
    Helen Keller



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  • 09-10-2007 2:29 PM In reply to jessies_mom

    • kpwlee
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    RE: Jessie is having surgery tomorrow

    good luck and please keep us posted!
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  • 09-10-2007 2:31 PM In reply to jessies_mom

    • cakana
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    • Cathy in Northern CA
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    RE: Jessie is having surgery tomorrow

    Janice - I don't know anything about mast cell tumors but I wanted you to know that I'll be thinking good thoughts that they don't find anything serious and that the surgery goes smoothly.  Please let us know what you find out.
    ~ Cathy ~
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  • 09-12-2007 2:52 PM In reply to cakana

    Re: RE: Jessie is having surgery tomorrow

    Janice
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  • 09-12-2007 11:04 PM In reply to jessies_mom

    Re: RE: Jessie is having surgery tomorrow

     testing

    Janice
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  • 09-12-2007 11:10 PM In reply to jessies_mom

    Re: RE: Jessie is having surgery tomorrow

    I keep lifting you and Jessie up and hoping for a GREAT report.

    "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."
    Helen Keller



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  • 09-12-2007 11:27 PM In reply to jessies_mom

    Re: RE: Jessie is having surgery tomorrow

      Hooray; it worked!!!  After several tries, I finally downloaded a new browser to post here. Thanks to everyone for your good wishes. Jessie is fine; she came home about 1:30 yesterday and the drowsiness wore off quickly. She was eager to come with a few hours later when I picked up my daughter. She ate yesterday and kept her food down. She's been antsy today because she hasn't been walked and has to go out to do her business on a leash to make sure she doesn't run; there are always squirrels in our yard and she loves to chase them. The results from the biopsy will be back Saturday or Monday. I'll post the results here. The lump was only in the layers of the skin and hadn't gone into deeper tissue.

       Callie, it isn't a lipoma; Jessie has several of those. When it was aspirated there weren't any fat cells and it's on the surface of the skin. I'm concerned because when she scratched it the skin in that area turned red and raised up, which is one of the signs of a mast cell tumor, and it didn't get better with the Animax.

       I hope everyone is enjoying the new forum.
     

    Janice
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  • 09-13-2007 2:45 AM In reply to jessies_mom

    Re: RE: Jessie is having surgery tomorrow

    I am glad she did well during and after surgery.  When they get older putting them under is such a rishk, but sometimes can't be helped.  My grils get milk thistle every day--and hubby and i also take it.  Our livers get old like the rest of us and I don't think a little hlep to keep thme a tad better would hurt a thing.

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  • 09-13-2007 7:01 PM In reply to sandra_slayton

    Re: RE: Jessie is having surgery tomorrow

       Thanks Sandra; Jessie hasn't slowed down much from when she was younger. She's walked an hour and sometimes longer almost every day and still has energy to spare. The vet I go to does bloodwork and a physical before surgery and if anything isn't right, such as slightly elevated liver enzymes, he'll cancel the surgery until the condition is corrected. Big contrast to my former vet; Jessie had surgery twice to have lumps removed and he didn't do bloodwork. She can't be walked for a few more days and she's been antsy, wanting out several times today to look for the chipmunk that lives in our yard. I had to put up her "ducky" and "lambie" because she was running around the house tossing them. I agree that milk thistle is a good idea.

    Janice
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  • 09-15-2007 5:23 PM In reply to jessies_mom

    • nfowler
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    • Boise, Idaho
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    Re: RE: Jessie is having surgery tomorrow

    When will you have the results back, or have I missed them? (It's taking me awhile to get used to this new forum with the new small font.)

    Saving just one dog won't change the world . . . but surely the world will change for that one dog (unknown)
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  • 09-15-2007 5:47 PM In reply to nfowler

    Re: RE: Jessie is having surgery tomorrow

    Nancy -- I'm seeing it bigger than before (which is good for ME)--- have you tried changing the text size in Internet Explorer? or whatever you use??

    "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."
    Helen Keller



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  • 09-15-2007 5:53 PM In reply to jessies_mom

    Re: RE: Jessie is having surgery tomorrow

    I know that's a sign of mast cell BUT it was a good good GOOD sign that it hadn't attached underneath!!  Good call all around.  Trust me, I understand the worry.

    And yeah -- milk thistle helps detox the body from all the sedatives/anesthesia, etc.  In fact -- if you are open to it -- Heel makes an AWESOME homeopathic detox called ... (ready, this is a toughie) "Detox Kit"

    It's 3 different homeopathic liquids -- You'd need to do this apart from food (like an hour or so after dinner/breakfast and during the day IF you can swing it).  The human dose is 10 drops of EACH liquid 3 times a day.  For a dog, maybe 3 drops is sufficient.  It IS alcoholy -- but you really do NOT want to have this digest in the stomach so you don't add it to food.  You could dilute the 9 drops in water but you want to squirt it in the mouth, not just risk whether she'll drink her bowl dry.

    But that is the BEST detox I've ever encountered -- use it on me all the time and I know my vet uses it on her patients all the time (including my dogs in the past).  You do the drops 2-3 times a day for a week and then stop.

     That's something you need to get at a health store -- Whole Foods carries it, and probably Wild Oats if you have one of those.

    "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."
    Helen Keller



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  • 09-15-2007 9:47 PM In reply to nfowler

    Re: RE: Jessie is having surgery tomorrow

     

      When will you have the results back, or have I missed them? (It's taking me awhile to get used to this new forum with the new small font.)

     

    It took me a few days to even find the forum, and a few more to realize I needed a new browser to post. Embarrassed The results will be back Monday; the waiting is so hard. I know that if it is a mast cell tumor it's likely to be a grade one, which is cured by removing it and doesn't require chemotherapy, but the thought of her having any type of cancer really worries me. She is in great health, with a good appetite and full of energy, and I keep reminding myself of that.

    Janice
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