Ethical Issue: Cancer Treatment Decisions

[Tasha Turtle]

Every situation is going to be different. It is hard to say cancer and give an immediate death sentence. I have a friend whose lab got bone cancer in one of its legs. They did the chemo and removed the dogs leg. That was 8 years ago and the dog is still alive. It has been very happy. My first rottie was diagnosed with bone cancer just before his 6th birthday. I had him euthanized 1 week later. It was in his hip and I couldn't put him through anything because it would have been torture for him. It is a tough call. I miss my boy and it has been 3 years now. I let them help me make the decision. When they are having more bad moments than good than I know it is time to let go. My heart goes out to you.

[KRISSIE]

Dear Bill, I am so so very sorry .
Your boy sounded like he spent his final time very happy , with dignity and surrounded by those he loved so much.
May he fly with the angels until you can be together again....


Krissie

[szky]

Our thoughts and prayers go out to you due to the loss of your friend Bob. Allowing him to cross the Bridge with his dignity and him knowing you loved him dearly is the best gift.

Fly with the angels Bob.

[mjones77]

I am going through the same thing. my 8 yr old male rottie zeus was just diagnosed the day after thanksgiving with having lymphoma, he also has a large tumor in his stomach. so we are just now trying to decide what to do. i have never been a big fan of chemotherapy for dogs, because as so many of you have allready said it just gives us more time and makes the dog suffer for it. i am having a very hard time because our last rottie had to be put down at 4 yrs old because of severe arthritis in her spine.

[KRISSIE]

Mjones77, I am So very sorry to hear about your Zeus. It is a very difficult choice in deciding whether to treat or not. I think it is also a very personal choice, their is so much to consider, like is the dog a good candidate for treatment, financial costs. long term prognosis . Their is no cure, they only go into remission.
My Brenda has lymphoma and was diagnosed recently on Oct 7Th of this year. That is one phone call from my Vet I will never forget. :(
I did not do the Chemo but am treating with predisone. 20mg 2x a day. she was doing well but started coughing/gagging a lot and was lethargic 2 weeks ago,I took her to the Vet right away, I was devastated bc a day earlier she was fine. It happened so suddenly!! :(
They said she may have an upper respitorty infection ( not sure) and started her on antibiotics, they had to lower the predisone for the antibiotics to work to 1x a day. She is coughing less but the lumps are growing now . Tonight my Vet increased the predisone to 2x a day again....they said her lungs sound clear but may have to xray her again to see if the Cancer is spreading into her lungs. I hate the thought of putting her under to do the xrays. It seems with this Cancer it is a no win situation. :(. My Brenda is eating well and active, basically her normal self so I am praying she makes it through Christmas but I know that may not be the case. :(
Know We are all here for you if you need to talk, a lot of us are also going through this or have been through this and truly understand what you are going through....
Again I am so sorry about your Zeus ......my best advice to anyone with a dog who has Lymphoma is do what you truly feel is in their best interest and Love them for whatever time we have left...............

[Karlan]

My 2.5 yr old female Coco was diagnosed with Lymphoma 3 weeks ago. I felt a small lump on her neck and brought her in to see the vet. She was not acting any differently at all, very playful, great appetite, etc....business as usual.
After some testing the diagnosis was Lymphoma. I decided to do chemo. We started this past Monday. I am taking it day by day, seeing how things go for her. As of today the swelling is completely gone. Her first day she threw up but is much better and is eating. Her quality of life will dictate if the treatment continues and for how long.
I am sorry for what everyone has had to endure with losing their best friends. It is terrible.

[woward]

Sorry to hear about all of your dogs and their health difficulties. We miss Bob but still feel we made the right choice for him and us when we decided not to treat the lymphoma. He was young and tough but still died within three weeks. In contrast, our girl, Cookie, who is past 10 years old has now lived 7 months with virtually no treatment for the same rare lymphoma other than prednisone for the first six weeks and two powerful courses of antibiotics. She is in good spirits and is very active for a girl her age.

The only right answer is the one that works for you and your pet.

Bill

PS: Annie the Rottie pup has joined our household. Nothing like a puppy to take your mind off your troubles...

[BullDaisymom]

I also had to face the "do or not to do". My 9 yr old rotty was diagnosed with bone cancer. We saw the x-rays and talked to our vet in depth about what the options were. We were not left with alot of choices. By the time she showed signs it was to late for " treatments" and amputation wasn't an option. ( she was 165 lbs and the cancer was in her left shoulder and leg). We asked about pain meds and what QUAILTY of life she would have with it. He told us that you will only get about 2 mths but she will be slow . We did try that for about 1 1/2 mths and when she didn't act like she always did and was visually in pain we took her right then and PTS. The last month and a half she was happy and we got a chance to say good-bye. We treasured her always but the last few weeks was priceless.
Only you and your family knows what you dog is like when happy....if your dog don't show this and is in pain....you have to ask " what would my dog want me to do" Live in pain or go with my family's love and die with dignity.


My heart goes out to you and your family and whatever descision you make for your beloved dog...I hope for a speedy journey. With peace and love.

[jessicajcl]

I'm facing this issue at this moment with my 8 1/2 yr old girl. She has the dreaded Osteosarcoma. After two weeks of agonzing over the options - amputate plus chemo, amputate no chemo, PTS, or treat the pain til she's had enough - I've decided to leave her be, I'll treat the pain til she lets me know she's had enough and I'll let her go then. It's such a hard decision but my family and I can't see how amputation is not painful. It's not going to make her well either. Right now, since it hasn't spread as far as we can see, and she's still acting herself with the exception of a slight limp, I cannot see "making" her sick. I know in reality she is already sick but I'm not going to amputate her leg and have to watch her recover from that, learn to get around on three legs, and then pass on shortly after. When I was searching this forum for an owner who had actually gone ahead with amputation, I couldn't find anyone. I feel confident now that we're making the right decision.

[observer]

Bill,

Congratulations on your new puppy -- my first Rottie was Annie as well. Best of luck.

While this is a sad thread in many ways, it is good to share perspectives on the decisions we have to make on behalf of our Rottie friends. As Missy approaches 10 years of age, I wonder what lies ahead for her, and, by necessity, for me. It helps to know there will be good advice and comfort coming from here when that time comes.

[BullDaisymom]

This is a sad topic but it does help to know others have and will go thru the same thing. Only you can make the decision on what is best for your baby. If you decide to PTS. my heart goes out to you. You will do it for the love you have for your dog and not wanting to see him in pain. Esp when there isn't alot of options. Whatever else may happen...rest assure..you are not alone and when the sadness starts to overcome....just remember the love and devotion he gave you and you did the same in return when he couldn't for himself. It is a SELFLESS act to humanely put your pet out of pain and misery. No matter what it's a hard thing to do but it's worse to see suffering. My thoughts are with you and with your beloved friend. May the journey be shortened by the memories.

[silky boy]

Our boy carl was diagnosed 12/22/05 with lymphosarcoma just 4 days before his 6. birthday. He is my husbands "silky Boy" and the apple of his eye,and mine to. We to where given the options of Chemo ,thanks to this forum decided against it ,we where already leaning to prednison and antibiotics,but you all helped us in our final decision .Carl is of course stoic our main reason,we would not know when he is in pain he has a high tolerance for pain ,which he showed as a young boy after 2 mayor knee surgery and one not so mayor knee repair. He is a very large boy at the vets he wheighs 190 + he is to tall for a rottie ,he is neutred ,was trying to get some weight off ,that is now a mute point he can eat to his hearts content.He is on the following treatment 120 mg. prednison once a day for a week, then 60mg. every other day .2000mg. Amaxocillen once a day.Have not asked if this is until the end ,will call them about that.At this point he is still our normal silky boy ,his hair still as shiny as ever, eats good ,plays tricks, want's treats to give back items he steals. My Question is what kind of time does prednison buy if any .Of course it go's without saying when he is not his self we will let him go,at least thats the plan ,since you don't know by his actions thats it puts all the bad stuff in the future I think as humans we are often more hopefull than we have a right to be.Thank you to everyone for confirming ,our decision.Will come back to this forum when we need help.

[BullDaisymom]

I'm glad he is still happy and playing. There will be a time that his pain tolerance will show. You won't have to wonder. There will be no second guessing. While he is still happy and full of bounce and joy....do as much as possible with him. The predizone will only keep the inflamation down for awhile depending on how advanced his cancer is. Even though he is eating etc. be careful on his weight because steriods will make him gain more and then it will start to cause more trouble for his joints and make him hurt more . My heart goes out to you and your family. I was there a few years ago and trying to make the right call isn't easy when you love them so much. Make as many great memories as you can, take pictures and videos too. When the time is right you will want to see them and be glad you did it. My best to you and Carl.

[silky boy]

Thank you Bulldaisymom ,I will watch his treats , he just stole my hat of the coat rack,broke the little treat in half this time,for the safe return of my hat. I think this eat all you want is just in the flush of the young diagnosis. I will become more sensible ,when I catch my breath about this.Thank you again it is a big help to speak to someone that has been there.

[woward]

I agree: enjoy Carl as much as you can while he's showing no symptoms. Bob was slightly lethargic on the Pred and was not always his normal enthusiastic self, but otherwise acted pretty much normal. He did not seem to know he was terminally ill and especially enjoyed all the attention as his friends came to say goodbye at this last dog show. It was only on the day he died that he obviously was failing: he woke up, could not/would not eat and was morose. We knew it was time. Best wishes to you and Carl.

Bill