Diesel's Dilema *GOOD UPDATE*

[Wildsky]

 

[AK Michelle]

I'm useless here, I don't know anything about this but I'm here for ya saying more than a few prayers for you and D

this one's for DIesel

 

[dinahmoe]

don't think the worst.it could be anything from an infection,lipoma or cancer.your description of where it was sounds like the lymph node but does not mean it is cancer.lymphosarcoma usually invovles all the lymph nodes(hence the name).you would have them swelling on the neck,chest,inguinal etc.
a simple infection will cause 1 node to swell if the infection is around that node(cut on the leg,paw).the vet is just covering all the potentials.

yes chemo is rough on them,especially the drugs for lymphosarcoma.

btw-i have worked with alot a vets through my travels and 15 years.please try to educate yourself as much as possible about any decision made.there are some really good vets out there and alot of bad ones.

if it is cancer and you decide to treat,you should go to a specialist.

 

[BarkerChickens]

I am so sorry!!

I hope it is not Lymphoma.

In 2006, I took Sam, my Bernese Mtn. Dog/straffordshire pit mix, for her seasonal allergy shot. Just a basic routine visit, right? Well, she hadn't bene in for a while, so our vet, Dr. McClaine asked if she could do a physical. Sure, why not. Well, Sam's lymph nodes were swollen in her throat...the size of grapes. Dr. McClaine did a quick Xray, which revealed inflamed lymph nodes throughout her body and an inflamed spleen. She aspirated the lymph node in the neck and sent it out for testing. Before the results got back at the end of the week, she was laying on the bed with me and when she lifted her paw, a toe nail came off. I don't mean bleeding, torn, etc..just off. Like a fingernail just falling off. We knew at that point and sure enough, it came back positive.

Mind you...Sam is only 5 yrs old at this point! Well, we were explained the options. Chemo works on dogs, but it is hard on them. Additionally, it has a high chance of recurrence after a year. The other option (less stressful for the dog) was steroids. Without steroids, given the stage that Sam was in, she had ~2 weeks. With steroids (which reduces the inflammation caused by the cancer), she could have closer to 8 weeks. We went with the steroids since we didn't want to put her through the stress of chemo, not to mention the expense with the chance it'll come back. We didn't want to stress Sam when the inevitable was going to happen anyway. We spoiled her for her remaining weeks (giving her her very own steak, taking her and the rest of the pack down to the lake more often than we normally did, etc). The vet said that the steriods would just all of sudden stop working on her. I was flying back from Iowa to see my Great-Grandfather (he too was days from passing of cancer) and DH called me with the bad news. He got home for work and Sam's throat was swollen and she was having trouble breathing. But, typical of Sam, she was wagging her tail and as happy as could be. She was acting like nothing was wrong. DH didn't want her to suffer and he took her to the ER vet to have her put down before she could suffer in pain. He held her in his lap until her soul was free of the cancer-ridden body. I didn't get home in time, but I think DH did the right thing. She was diagnosed on August 4th, 2006 and we lost her on October 9th, 2006...just a few days past 9 weeks. We later found out that lymphoma at a young age is common in Bernese Mountain Dogs.

Here's my Sammy. (taken just 2 mos before her diagnosis)

 

[chickerdoodle]

Yes. We had our 15 year old terrier diagnosed with lymphoma 8 months ago and due to her age we decided not to do chemo. However, we adore

this little girl and couldn't stand by and do nothing to help her. I did some research and changed her diet to a "cancer starving diet" which means really low carbs (cancer cells feed on carbs) and a high excellent quality protein (ask vet first if OK). Since Emma has a problem absorbing fats and needs extra fiber I decided to mix EVO's new ultra low carb and low fat diet with some high fiber. I also give her Mycoplex 7 which is a holistic mushroom complex that studies have proved help blood cancers as well as other cancers. It also has heteropolysaccharide immunomodulator compounds to reboot the body's system to filter out the old lymphocytes which is what causes lymphoma. Check the link http://www.gmushrooms.com/Health/Pets.htm

Emma's lymphocyte count had been going higher and higher and what would be considered end stage many months ago but blood tests 2 weeks ago they found her lymph count was high normal! She felt better fairly quickly after I started this regimen --active (yes, she is quite active despite her age), eats well and has an excellent quality of life. My veterinarian is amazed!

I would recommend a biopsy and possible removal of the lump as well as comprehensive blood tests before worrying too much. The good thing is that the diet and Mycoplex 7 typically won't harm the dog (ask vet first!) but if it helps then its worth it to try. They are also not too expensive.

I wish the best for your dog and keep us posted.

 

[jerseygirl1]

I am so, so sorry for all of your losses - they all had good lives with all of you, I am sure