Cancerous tumor on Coffee's leg

[cuppacoffee]

Last Sunday I noticed that Coffee had a lump on his right front leg. I wasn't all that worried, but brought him into the vet yesterday just to be sure. She took a small sample and said that it was consistent with cancer, but she couldn't identify what type it was. We should have the lab results back in a couple of days.

My question is: If it is a benign tumor, should we have it removed? She was concerned that at his age (he's almost 7) it might be better to leave it because he might not heal very well. She's covering Coffee's regular vet, I wanted to get him to see someone as soon as possible. The regular vet will not be back before we get the results and the surgeon at this practice is days away from giving birth, so postponing a week to wait for his regular vet is not really a good idea cause then we'd be seeing a different surgeon in a different location.

We've currently got him scheduled for a Thursday AM surgery just in case, but should I keep that appointment even if it's not a malignant cancer? Could it develop into a malignant tumor?
Thanks,
Kate

[targonrotts]

wait for results. have a back up plan. if it is benign, not bothering him, not interfering with his normal life, maybe leave it alone.
if there is enough tissue to remove and cover the area, maybe remove it.
if it is cancerous-see an oncologist. see your options with them.
good luck! keep us posted.

[cuppacoffee]

That's a good idea. I'll ask the vet for a recommendation for an oncologist. It doesn't bother him, he doesn't fuss at it, and we can touch it without him even noticing. The surgeon went into labor this morning, so our surgery had to be rescheduled to a different surgeon anyway. I'll be back with pathology results soon.....

[cuppacoffee]

Well my optimism was misplaced. The tumor was malignant, but it was a hemangiopericytoma, which the vet explained is usually a local tumor. It is being removed today and hopefully they can get it all off. He may need radiation, but I'm not sure we can do that. Apparently this type of tumor has a tendency to re-grow in the same spot. The good news is that he is not sick at all, so hopefully he'll heal up very quickly.
Kate

[Sheenagirl]

Sounds like you caught it early enough and that the tumor could be removed. If at all possible I would recommend the radiation as a precaution to kill off any remaining cancerous cells in that area.
I'm so glad that Coffee is feeling good. My thoughts and prayers go out to Coffee for a complete, speedy recovery.

[onthedl74]

Oh Kate
I was so thrown off by your email. Not Coffee! is what I was thinking. I am glad things are looking up and he is not in any pain right now. Give that boy some scratches from his auntie!

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally Posted by cuppacoffee

The good news is that he is not sick at all, so hopefully he'll heal up very quickly.
Kate

That is good news - did the Vet give you any more information?

I found this:

Hemangiopericytoma - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company!

[Karyn]

I am so VERY sorry to hear this. Take heart, it is early. My prayers are with you.

[cuppacoffee]

Thanks all for your thoughts and good wishes. Coffee made it through the surgery just fine and they are releasing him to us this afternoon at 3. He is on a morphine drip, so is not himself at all, but we're hoping his recovery will be quick and as painless as possible. Apparently, he has a 12-14" wound due to the surgery and subsequent skin graft. They haven't had a whole lot of information for us since the surgery, but we were overwhelmed with it beforehand.

Lisa, thanks very much for that link. It's good to know what we're up against. I couldn't find much on dogs with that type of tumor, most of the pages I found were on people. I can't wait to see him!!

[targonrotts]

hoping for a speedy recovery!
keep us posted on his progress.
hope it can be nailed in the butt!

[my2boys]

I'm sorry to hear of Coffee's tumor, but it does sound like it was caught early which is always a plus with cancer. As always, thoughts and prayers go out to those with ill dogs. BTW, I just love the name Coffee.

[cuppacoffee]

Well Coffee came back to us on Tuesday night in pretty bad shape. He was totally not himself. He had been anesthesized an hour or two earlier to put a new cast on and he was still very drugged. Yesterday was a little better. He's not moving much at all and his scar is HUGE, but he's happy to see us and we don't take our eyes off him except when we're asleep to make sure he's not licking the wound. He's not allowed to be walked for a full month, which I'm sure will make him crazy in about a week.

How do I keep him from bouncing off the walls for the next 4 weeks?
Kate

[livertw]

Healing wishes and positive thoughts coming Coffee's way.

[cuppacoffee]

This situation has gone downhill so rapidly that I don't know what to do anymore. Coffee was not doing so great last week, and we had him in the vets office every day. Saturday was okay, but the wound from where they took the graft didn't look so great (his upper shoulder, near his joint) By Sunday, the staples had come out and it had opened about 3" long by 1" wide, and you could see his exposed muscle. We took him to the local vet clinic, (traveling just made it worse) who cleaned it and re-bandaged it and gave him a really powerful opiate painkiller. He is really in a lot of pain, although the painkillers help. He can't really stand too well on his own, he's very wobbly. We've got him on tranquilizers, painkillers and antibiotics. He is almost completely out of it, but every now and then will lift his head or shift positions. Dave and I have been considering putting him down, which breaks my heart every time I look at him, but he is not doing well, they can't close the wound (they're hoping it will heal on its own) and the skin graft that they put over the tumor location appears to be dying. Dave took last week off work, expecting that by now, he'd be able to go back (the cast was supposed to come off for good yesterday) but right now, it looks like it will be at least 2-3 weeks before the situation improves at all, if it does. I can't stand to see him suffer like this.

One thing I know for sure is that I will never do this again. We had a happy, relatively healthy dog 9 days ago. He probably would have lived another year or two before the cancer really started to make him sick, possibly longer, since it's not a cancer that normally metastasizes. Just a warning to all those considering surgery to remove a tumor - make sure all the risks are fully explained. Our doctor spent quite a lot of time reviewing the risks of leaving the tumor on, but not much time at all discussing complications of the surgery. This has been a hard lesson to learn.

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally Posted by cuppacoffee

One thing I know for sure is that I will never do this again. We had a happy, relatively healthy dog 9 days ago. He probably would have lived another year or two before the cancer really started to make him sick, possibly longer, since it's not a cancer that normally metastasizes. Just a warning to all those considering surgery to remove a tumor - make sure all the risks are fully explained. Our doctor spent quite a lot of time reviewing the risks of leaving the tumor on, but not much time at all discussing complications of the surgery. This has been a hard lesson to learn.

That is such a shame - I think it is kind of you to share this painful realization and help others who may face this choice in the future.