Here's Louise, another Embraced pet parent, sharing her dog cancer story:
My dog Molly was a 10.5 years old German Shepherd/Husky mix when on January 23, 2010 I brought her in for a check up and asked the vet to examine her anal area, as it didn’t look right. The vet manually expressed the right anal gland and felt two lumps aside of the gland. She said the lumps were cancerous and their location made them inoperable, non-resectable.
She suggested I get a second opinion and soon if I wanted to seek treatment but it was already too late. A week later, Molly met with a second vet who could feel at least 5 lumps in the anal tract. An ultrasound showed cancer that had already spread to Molly’s lymph nodes. I was told to go home and enjoy the time left with my pet.
I opted to bring Molly to a holistic vet. He changed Molly’s diet to real food, mixed with vitamins and Chinese herbs. Molly was like a puppy again, playful and happy and full of energy. The holistic vet had warned me that this was no cure. The goal was to see if there would be enough time to sort of corral the cancer and give Molly and me more time together. I was also told that when it was time for Molly to pass, it would come quickly and swiftly.
Two months later, Molly had a very rough night, trying to move her bowels and unable to do so. I brought her to my regular vet first thing in the morning and she was able to remove the blockage. She gave me a scrip for lactalose to make it easier for Molly to move her bowels, which she did with ease. Unfortunately, by that afternoon, she was piddling everywhere so I called my vet again. The vet examined Molly and with a sigh told me there was nothing more that could be done. The vet could feel the urethra being pressed upon by the cancerous mass. She said catheterization was not possible because it might rupture the tube causing terrible pain for my girl. With great sadness, I let her go. She passed away March 26, 2010.
What bothered me most was that Molly had an episode of vomiting that was uncharacteristic for her in Fall 2009. I brought her to the vet but it was deemed gastritis and nothing more was done. In retrospect, it may have been a symptom of the cancer.
Now I have a new vet who does wellness exams twice a year. While my three dogs are young and relatively healthy, those two wellness visits mean everything to me. It’s a chance to catch anything that may be developing early.
Thanks for letting me send you my story. I still miss Molly a year later – she was a wonderful dog!
Louise
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