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Thread: My Dog Was Just Diagnosed With Cancer and I don't Know How To Cope...

  1. #21
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    Feb 2016
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    Re: My Dog Was Just Diagnosed With Cancer and I don't Know How To Cope...

    Hi ,so sorry you are going through this it is heartbreaking
    , I went through a similar situation with our dog who was very much like yours an alpha dog who was comfortable in his own company, it’s a running joke with us that some dogs think they’re human but ours thought he was better than that .
    It started with a limp that turned out to be a tumour in his leg , we went to what turned out to be the worst money grabbing vets ever ,they convinced us to have his leg removed and a follow up of chemotherapy which would give him 6 months minimum, like you we couldn’t bear to lose him and went ahead , they let an inexperienced surgeon operate and didn’t keep us informed , ten hours later they rang and said pick him up , the bill had trebled but we still thought it was the right thing to do , his leg was healing after a week and he was running on three legs but he soon went down hill , in my heart I knew the dog I’d looked after for 11 years wasn’t right we slept down stairs with him , back and forth to the vets they kept saying different things , kennel cough etc , after 20 days he went down hill very quickly , we couldn’t get the vets to answer our calls and booked him in an emergency vets in the city , but I laid with him and knew he was dying so I stayed with him and he died with me and my daughter stroking him ( I’m still tearing up writing this after five years ) .We got the Royal college of vets involved and found out the surgeon knew the cancer had spread but didn’t tell us ,they also lied and changed documents to cover their tracks .
    with hindsight we would never have put him through the operation, we were never offered the option of palliative care and then being put to sleep when the time came but this is what we should have been advised to do which it seems your vet has , you know your dog better than anyone and I’m sure even though you would love to have him around for much longer you would not want him to suffer in any way , I’m sure you’ve given him a good life and you will know when he’s had enough , we have another dog who grew up with him and she’s now 15 so we know she won’t be around for ever , she has lumps and bumps all over the place but nothing that’s bothering her , she’s happy ish she still goes out and likes fuss but there won’t be any operations or messing with her now she doesn’t like the vets either so why upset her , it won’t be easy but we will lose her one day but this time it will be done right not trying to hang on to her for ourselves .
    ps our old dogs ashes are still in our living room because none of my family would let me scatter him because they didn’t want him being alone .
    Bloody pets they break your heart .

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    809

    Re: My Dog Was Just Diagnosed With Cancer and I don't Know How To Cope...

    @Catkins Thank you. Yeah, I can understand, and I'm having a hard time coming to terms with it at the moment, but I know I have to keep from crumbling because I don't want to stress him out.

  3. #23
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    Apr 2013
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    809

    Re: My Dog Was Just Diagnosed With Cancer and I don't Know How To Cope...

    @Buster70 Thank you for sharing that, and I am sorry you also had to go through all that, but glad your dog had you there when they needed you. Yeah, I think I'm just desperately in denial at the moment, and I extremely sensitive to things like this anyway, and I become withdrawn and very depressed. I'm working on that, as he is a very sturdy, robust kind of male dog. He doesn't like fuss, he doesn't like to be cuddled too much, though he enjoys us being around, he is very much his own boss and our two female dogs are his pack (though the little one thinks she's the boss). I think to him, he is more just irritated by not being able to do what he use to, like running etc as much. His lumps are in his neck, their quite swollen and hard so he is snoring when asleep, and I think that annoys him because when I try to comfort him he growls (he's always done this, he doesn't like mothering of any kind). I use to say to my mum ''he should have been born as a wolf in the wild'' because I think he honestly doesn't like being a ''pet'', though he is more family than a pet.

    He's going the vet tomorrow for a check up, to see if the Prednicortone is helping (day 3 today), as he is excessively panting which is a side effect. His appetite is great, he's eating organic wild salmon, mackerel, organ meat, mainly liver. And lean meats like chicken with rice and vegetables (broccoli and carrots mainly). Hopefully the vet will have the supplements for us as well. And if he isn't in much pain, he'll go for a walk in the forest tomorrow too, followed by an afternoon of napping and quiet time.

    My mum is being the rational one with this. I'm just hoping he gets more time than is estimated so he can enjoy some form of life, but that is me again being selfish (I know), but at the same time, I know I won't prolong any suffering if/when it comes to it. Not with the type of dog he is, who I know is very alpha like I said (reminds me of those tough old dogs in western movies). And when I'm going through a particularly emotional time, I try and think of this quote:



    “I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.”

    D.H. Lawrence, The Complete Poems of D.H. Lawrence


    Don't know why, but that has always stuck with me. And when it comes to my dog, it seems to fit him perfectly.
    Thanks again

  4. #24
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    Apr 2013
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    Re: My Dog Was Just Diagnosed With Cancer and I don't Know How To Cope...

    Update: My dog went the vets this evening. She was very overrun, and a little short today, so I'm going to make a phone consultation during to discuss more things I wanted to talk about. Anyway, he was weighed and he hasn't lost any weight, his throat is still clear, as is his lungs. Heart is good. The lumps have no gotten any bigger, which is a positive for now. He is still on his medication, and we are doing the high protein low carb diet, so tonight he is having boiled chicken with rice and vegetables. He had fresh mackerel for lunch and tomorrow he will have some liver for snacks.

    The panting is due to the medication but also because he is a highly stressed dog, and gets excited easily. So far, he is doing well, but any changes we will bring him in for anything he needs. I'm still super stressed but working hard for him.

  5. #25
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    Jun 2014
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    Re: My Dog Was Just Diagnosed With Cancer and I don't Know How To Cope...

    You're a wonderful owner, Mischa..Look after your own health too though?

  6. #26
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    Feb 2016
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    Re: My Dog Was Just Diagnosed With Cancer and I don't Know How To Cope...

    You dog eats and gets looked after better than me , and they say it’s a dogs life like that’s a bad thing , he’s a lucky pooch , many a time with my old and current dogs I will end up sitting on the floor rather than disturb the dogs laying in my seat , years ago when I had a breakdown my dog was the only reason I got up and started going out again , I’ve always felt like he saved me and we saved him because like all of ours they were rescues that where having a shite life .
    Last night our alcoholic neighbour came round drunk and crying , she asked to borrow money because her dog was very poorly and the local vet that let us down wouldn’t see her dog with upfront payment , an hour later she was back and he’d been out to sleep ,me and my partner were in tears as we’d looked after him when she’s been locked up or in hospital, I’ve taken him home so many times when I’ve found him wondering the streets , he’d always get excited to see me because we’d take him out , he’d even jump in my van if the door were open , I’ve taken him to the vets in lockdown and only yesterday I was fussing him in the street , he was a Staffie and they have such a high pain threshold so you don’t know they are ill until they stop eating and there tail stops wagging , I feel that his owner will soon follow him she’s only 35 but in the last stages of alcoholism the dog was all she had left her partner is in prison and she lost her kids years ago , apart from the booze the dog was all she cared about and the only one that stayed loyal to her , dogs are incredible creatures I can’t imagine my life without them .
    If your dog is still eating , drinking and wants to go out then he’s still okay , you only have to look in their eyes to know when it’s time but hopefully that won’t be for a while and you can spoil him rotten , don’t write him off just yet we’ve done that earlier this year with our old dog and she’s okay again now being a stubborn pain in the arse that she’s always been .
    Like Pulisa said make sure you don’t neglect yourself while Looking after him .

  7. #27
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    Jun 2013
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    Re: My Dog Was Just Diagnosed With Cancer and I don't Know How To Cope...

    Hi, just to send you lots and lots of love. All you can do is enjoy every day. I completely agree with what you're doing. It is dreadful to lose our pets but in my opinion it's not the kindest thing to prolong their lives with interventions they don't understand and probably wouldn't choose.
    As far as we know, animals don't sit there worrying about dying one day - death is just what happens. So your dog isn't suffering psychologically (and will know you are hiding tears, just cry them and let him comfort you or he will be worried).

    The only other thing I would say is, think ahead NOW so that when the time comes you have made your hard decision. I once read that it is better to take an animal to be put to sleep a week early than a day too late, and I can testify this is true, having done both.

    Talk to the vet about whether they will be able to come to the house so that your darling dog never has to make that dreaded trip again. You will be in bits and your dog will be so much more peaceful.

    God bless. One day your dog will leap over to meet you and you will run together for ever. XXX
    __________________
    All manner of thing shall be well... (Julian of Norwich)

  8. #28
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    Oct 2016
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    Re: My Dog Was Just Diagnosed With Cancer and I don't Know How To Cope...

    Quote Originally Posted by mischamoonlight View Post
    Update: My dog went the vets this evening. She was very overrun, and a little short today, so I'm going to make a phone consultation during to discuss more things I wanted to talk about. Anyway, he was weighed and he hasn't lost any weight, his throat is still clear, as is his lungs. Heart is good. The lumps have no gotten any bigger, which is a positive for now. He is still on his medication, and we are doing the high protein low carb diet, so tonight he is having boiled chicken with rice and vegetables. He had fresh mackerel for lunch and tomorrow he will have some liver for snacks.

    The panting is due to the medication but also because he is a highly stressed dog, and gets excited easily. So far, he is doing well, but any changes we will bring him in for anything he needs. I'm still super stressed but working hard for him.
    Sounds like you are doing everything right and that he is definitely being pampered. Like Pulisa said though, look after yourself too so that you have the strength to look after him x


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  9. #29
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    Apr 2013
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    Re: My Dog Was Just Diagnosed With Cancer and I don't Know How To Cope...

    @Pulisa I'll try, I'm probably a little run down at the moment, but am managing it. Thanks Pulisa

  10. #30
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    Apr 2013
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    809

    Re: My Dog Was Just Diagnosed With Cancer and I don't Know How To Cope...

    @Buster70 I try too lol! Yeah, many of my animals are because they've been dumped or simply abandoned by people, and left with us. The last time was a neighbour who had a drug problem, and he had left his dog so long, that by the time I got home from work, myself and my mum had to pressure him in us taking him to the vets. Sadly, that dog died in our arms at the vet. I had been paying his dogs medication bills just because I knew he wouldn't, and it was a heart medication for a couple years before this.

    My dog is doing okay today, he was really well when out walking today. He was like a wolf today, intensely on the sniff of something. Tired by the end of it, so we got the steps for the car out today. Thanks again, and you are a good owner too, that's very clear from what I've read

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