Dog advice needed - Putting to sleep/possibly saving it?

Question

I have a 12 year old mongrel dog (jack russel-ish), around 6 months ago she started coughing so we took her to the vets but after months of messing around with that vet i decided to take her to another vets. I took her this morning to the new vets for an ultrascan/2 x-rays and on collection the vet never even bothered with the coughing issue and told me to have the dog put to sleep because it has a tumour on it's liver, however i went against his advice and brought her home because 'there's nothing wrong with her' she is in no pain (yet) and rolls around at home like nobodys bussiness and i know she is happy, the vet made it sound like she has zero chance of survival and offered no treatment 'except death'.

I believe it's possible to have the lump/tumour removed theoretically and since that is the problem, the problem would be solved no?

I not quite sure but i have an idea that the vet thought it would not be worth saving her because she's 'old-ish' a 'mongrel' and the operation could be 'risky/costly'. I don't care about cost though, please let me know what you think...

Wow thanks for so many answers so quickly!

I will take this opportunity to be a little clearer, I have owned dogs all my life and know for a fact:

The dog is in no pain at present, and if she were at any time i would no doubt rush her to a vet and comply with their advice of either treatment or to end it's life (a vet is no more than 30 mins from my house 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) and i will keep the dog until the end is near, but i will not make her suffer (be in any pain).

Also i would like as many professional opinons as possible until i get a second opinion from a vet later today, i just want to find out as quickly as possible if she has a chance or not for my own peace of mind.

As far as the vet told it's just a lump/tumour (not cancer although it could be)

Also when i say money is no thing (it is) but the dog will get any treatment it needs (i will get the money)

Also i know the dog can cope with the sugery as shes had a few sugeries over the last few years (unrelated things) and always came out of the anaesthetic very quickly and without problems

I took her to another vet and they believe they can help and they also say the other vet didn't do a good job at all..

Answer 1

I would put your poor dog to sleep.See,your dog must be hurting alot and I think she would prefer to be up in heaven where she does not have to worry about her tumor than to suffer and still live another year or more.Good luck it will be a difficult desicion but I know your dog will be grateful.

Answer 2

I work for a vet. If the second vet saw a tumor in the liver there's a high chance that tumor is malignant. If you put her under anesthesia she may or may not survive it because of her age. Also if she has the tumor removed she can bleed to death because the liver is very vascular. Sometimes when the Dr.'s open up the dog and look at all the lobes sometimes there are a whole lot more little growths around the other lobes of the liver. Even though she looks good now and seems to be happy she won't be when that tumor grows to the size of a bowling ball and sucks all the blood from her system because that's what a cancerous tumor does. It will get so big that the tumor will start bleeding out into the abdomen. So it's not because the Dr doesn't care or the cost but he's trying not to give you false hopes. I've assisted in a lot of these surgeries and most of the animals don't even make it even with all the blood transfusions we give. It's just not worth it. So the only humane thing is put him to sleep before it gets worse and suffers or you can wait until it grows to the size of a bowling ball and watch him suffer in pain or you can find a vet or specialist who will do the surgery for you.

Answer 3

Go to another vet


But I can tell you, a GOOD vet would do a biopsy of the tumor - which will cost upwards of $800 and be a high risk procedure since it involved anesthetizing a 12 year old, sick dog.

The tumor may NOT be removable. You need your liver, and if the cancer cells have taken over too much of the liver, there ISN"T anything they can do except Chemo - which would be ridiculously expensive, painful for your pet and save, what 3- 6 months of their life?

Just because the dog doens't seem to be in pain to you doesn't mean it isn't. Dogs can hide a lot of things. I suggest you find an animal HOSPITAL, a clinic that specializes in surgery and issues beyond the normal vets office and have them take a look.

THEN YOU NEED TO BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF ABOUT THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF YOUR PET. And be ready to put the animal down when it is time. Anything short of that is pure SELFISHNESS.

Answer 4

livers dont sense pain if the liver is too damaged there is no cure or surgery that could fix it the dog would only show symptons of the organs damaged by the liver. the vet is probably right and no one thinks cost is no object for someone or something they love but it really is.the vet is running a business and if he thought there was a chance he would gladly take your money. keep your money enjoy your dog until he becomes uncomfortable and then do what you have too. then use the money to get a new dog and enjoy it.

Answer 5

Hi Not to sure if they can operate on the liver. I know it can't be removed as they, like us, need it to live. It could be cancer but without more tests, they can't be sure. This may sound stupid, but has she been checked for heart worms? One of the symptoms of that is coughing. Also, check with the new vet and see what his opinion on surgery is even if it is only to do a biopsy to see if she does have cancer. At least you will have a little more to go on.
Good luck with your senior !

Answer 6

A LTO OF TIMES THE HARDEST THING IS THE BEST FOR THE ANIMAL. A DOG THAT OLD WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME SURVIVING THE ANESTHESIA LET ALONE THE OPERATION. DOGS HAVE A MUCH HIGHER PAIN TOLERANCE IF THE DOG STARTS WHEEZING OR COUGHING IT CAN BE A SIGN OF PAIN. IF YOU DO NOT TRUST THE VET ASK SOME FRIENDS AND RELATIVES WHERE THEY TAKE THERE DOGS TRY TO FIND A VETERINARY SURGEON AND TAKE THE TEST RESULTS WITH YOU

Answer 7

You paid for the x-rays - ask for them back. Take them to a 3rd vet for another opinion.

I know what it's like when your puppy is your child and part of the family.

Personally, I wouldn't suggest surgery. The dog is 12 and surgery will not extend her life that long. Also, she now has to go through recovery - taking up more precious time of her life. She might have another 2 - 3 years with the surgery - but please consider the quality of life as well. It's hard to hear but it's probably not worth it.

I had a similar thing happen to me. My dog had a tumor that had grown to big and was not worth operating on and the doctor suggested she be put to sleep at some point. So we were going to wait till she showed signs of deterioration because she acted fine for her age. One day - she finally just died. We knew it was coming but she showed no physical signs that she was getting worse. She took the decision of when to put her down out of our hands.

Just keep an eye on her. when it's time, you'll know. It'll be hard but you'll do the right thing by her.

Answer 8

You have to base your decision on how healthy (strong) the dog is right now. It doesn't matter how old she is, it depends on how well she will fair in surgery.

Also, do you want to submit her and do you believe she will do okay post-surgery? It sounds like pretty major surgery.

I would first start with a biopsy of the tumor to see if it is cancerous or not. Then I would make the decision to either have it removed or just to let the dog live out it's life as long as it's quality of life was good. If the dog starts suffering then you need to reevaluate what to do at that point.

Answer 9

I'm a vet nurse and i have to say operating on a liver is not possible i had a dog years ago with a tumor on the liver the vet advised me to put him down which i did i am not advising you to do that but i would never allow an animal to be put down if its not suffering your dog sounds like shes happy my advice to you would be to take the dog to a specialist vet that deals with things like that and ask about possible treatments vets are like doctors they have a round about knowledge of everything that's why i would go to one that specializes only in problems like your dog is having i wish you luck and hope it turns out OK

Answer 10

My dog had cancer and she was blind. Got around just fine. I told the vet I just wanted to make sure she was comfortable. He put her on medication and she lived about 2 months.

As long as she in comfortable and not in pain don't rush out and put her to sleep. Let her enjoy what ever time she has left. Ask the vet for something for the cough.

Answer 11

First off, get another opinion. If the cancer has spread, surgery may be useless. If it doesn't seem to have spread yet, and you can afford the surgery, then do it. Actually, being a mutt is in her favor, they live longer and have fewer medical problems than pure breds, which is why I never get pure breds, so maybe she would heal well after the surgery. If you choose to have the surgery, do it soon, the longer it stays, the more dangerous it becomes. If its incorporated into her liver, she really doesn't have a chance, livers are the one organ that doesn't seem to repair itself well, or at all. Good luck.