My dog has mast cell tumor that's cancerous.?

Hi,

My mothers dog (3 year old golden retriever/lab got this a few years ago and was fine so please do not have the dog put down without giving this a try.

It is important to know where the tumour is, Bonnies' (our lab) had hers in her front paw which is the worst place to have it apparently as when operating to remove the tumour it is hard to cut out. Where as if it is in a fleshy area the vet can cut away some surrounding flesh and make sure that there are no cancerous cells left.

We had the tumour removed as best we could and started her on Prednisone along with Hills Diet (linked below)

http://www.kateconnick.com/library/mastcelltumor.h...

thats also a good site for more information, our vet (we lived in the UK at the time had no idea about the diet, i found this researching on the web and Bonnie made a full recovery and lived to 11 years old (we lost her late last year)

She didnt act any diferent on the medication apart from being a bit sleepier but was not agrressive.

I wish you all the luck with this my Border collie max who is 1 years old has already had Hip Dysplasia and now epilepsy so i know its hard to watch your dog suffer.

Hope this helps!

She's a young, healthy dog, otherwise, right? Then sweetheart, you probably don't have anything to worry about. I have a twelve year old shih-tzu who also had a mast tumor, It was large, so large that they would have had to take out muscle and bone to get everything they needed. And obviously, small and old as she is they couldn't. They removed what she could. Within a week, she was running around and playing like a puppy again. We have her on benedryl and tagamet and its like she's two again. She came through the surgery absolutely fine, woke up fine, everything. The fact that your dog is larger is a wonderful thing, the anestethic probably wont effect her as much. With a mast tumor, you have to remove a larger area than the tumor itself because its like a venomous spider bite, and it spreads. What a mast tumor is is a collection of mast cells, the cells that produce histamine, the thing that causes an allergic reaction. It makes you feel sick and can cause fevers, lethargy, vomiting, that sort of thing. Assuming that all goes well with the surgery, and since she's rather young and a larger dog, its likely it will, I promise that she'll bounce back just fine. You may have to keep her on medicines for her entire life, but it wont slow her down. As for dealing with your emotions, just try to keep calm. You being worried is going to worry your dog. Keep a positive outlook on life, don't let her know that something is wrong. A mast tumor can be triggered by stress or irritation to the area, and it will being producing histamine rapidly. We took our girl, Muffin, in to the vet and she hates it, she got so stressed that her tumor swelled and turned red and she began to get sick that night. She was whisked into emergency surgery the next morning. So its very important to keep her calm and safe. Don't treat her any different than you normally do, just play with her and love her.

First of all, I'm really sorry you and your pup are going through this.

Cancer treatment for dogs is expensive but I did a little reading and in the case of a stage II mast cell tumor the radiation has a good chance of saving your dog. "Recent studies have shown that radiation therapy administered to the site of the tumor can cure >80% of patients as long as the tumor has not already shown distant spread." 80% is huge, but you are not guaranteed a cured dog. If I was in a position to make the choice between daily prednisone and the treatment I would choose the treatment. Prednisone is not a fun medication for the patient or those around it. It sometimes creates personality changes - you can expect your dog to become very cranky on prednisone and constantly hungry.

Ask the doctor if there is a payment plan available to you.

I wish you both luck.

I am sorry that you are going through such a rough time right now. Pets are a very important part of our lives and when something like this happens it can be devastating. Counseling can be a great idea to help you through these rough times.

Your best bet here is to talk to your vet and I would highly recommend seeking a second opinion as well. It's not that your vet doesn't know what they're talking about...but with such a devastating diagnosis it never hurts to get a second or even third opinion and seek more treatment options. Prednisone will suppress the spread of the cancer cells, but it will also suppress your dog's immune system. It may be your best option, but you need to discuss the side effects and the benefit vs risk aspect of this treatment with your vet before you come to a decision.

Prednisone is a very commonly used drug in humans and in dogs. It is a steroid (not the kind Barry Bonds takes... but related) that will increase your dogs immune response to any bad things causing damage and inflammation in your dog's tissues. i.e. My dog takes it when his skin allergies flare up.

You may see some changes once your dog is on the prednisone. He/she may become a voracious eater and put on weight. He/she may also be more "moody" and this may cause some behavior issues that you may have thought were behind you. However, in the scope of your situation, it may be the right choice if you cannot afford the radiation treatment. It is generally a safe, well-tolerated drug with minimal side effects.

Well first of all I am sorry to hear about that, it must be really awful.

Things will change after she takes prednisone... dogs are often sleepy/a bit irritable when they are on medication.

Also, while it is totally your choice, I personally would consider putting her to sleep because she will be in such pain. It just seems like it would be more kind.

You're definitely in my thoughts.

I would go to webmd.com and type in prednisone. It will give you information on the effects of it. It really is not a great drug to be on for the rest of your life, but if it keeps you alive...

Wish I could give you more help.