dog has inoperable malignant adrenal gland tumor

[Anonymous]

My 12 year old dog has been diagnosed with an inoperable tumor. We live in northern VA but were sent to Dr. Justin Gangei in Gaithersburg as he has the reputation for being the most competent veterinary surgeon in the area. Sadly, the CT scan showed that the tumor is inoperable due to too much protrusion into the vena cava. We are going for a radiation oncology appt at the same facility (also supposed to be tops for radiation oncology).

Has your dog had radiation for an advanced tumor? How did he/she do? Money is not an issue but I want to give my dog the best quality of life I can. Thank you for replies.

[Anonymous]

Oh I'm sorry to hear this. I would chose to have the dog put to sleep in order to prevent further suffering.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your reply. He doesn't appear to be suffering at all. We only started down the testing path because he was drinking a large amount of water and peeing a lot more than usual.

[Anonymous]

We just lost our beloved 10-year-old Lab to a very aggressive sarcoma protruding from her shoulder area. Inoperable without taking her leg off and only 50-50 chance of surviving a year if we did do it. We did four weeks of radiation at Veterinary Referral Associates in Gaithersburg and while there were minimal side effects, it didn’t help reduce the size of the tumor or even slow its growth, and we skipped the last treatment. While it wasn’t helpful for us I thought the hospital and the radiation oncologist were wonderful.

[Anonymous]

My sympathy in the loss of your beloved pet. And thank you for sharing your experience about Veterinerary Associates. We will proceed with the exploratory appointment with Dr. Ben and hope and pray for the best results.

Again, I'm very sorry about your dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sympathy in the loss of your beloved pet. And thank you for sharing your experience about Veterinerary Associates. We will proceed with the exploratory appointment with Dr. Ben and hope and pray for the best results.

Again, I'm very sorry about your dog.

Thank you and good luck. Dr. Ben was the best of all the specialists we ended up seeing.

[Anonymous]

I'm so sorry OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh I'm sorry to hear this. I would chose to have the dog put to sleep in order to prevent further suffering.

Me, too. ^

I’m so, so sorry to read about your sweet pup, but I wouldn’t put my dog through radiation, OP.

[NP]

[Anonymous]

I’m so sorry, OP.

[Anonymous]

I have a 12yo dog with a very invasive tumor as well, in one of his anal glands. We are choosing not to treat as it’s most likely spread and would cost $7k-$9k to remove. He is on an anti inflammatory and something else which are definitely helping with how he feels. Once he has trouble pooping though the vet said it will be time and at that point we will
Say our goodbyes. I’m sorry OP but your older dog doesn’t want to go through cancer treatment. I’m sure you love him but do the right thing.

[Anonymous]

What does suffering look like to you, OP and how much of it do you need to see before you can be humane?

[Anonymous]

To those of you who questioned why I'd put my dog through radiation, first of all, we are only having a consult tomorrow. If I thought the radiation would cause my dog any pain or suffering in itself, I'd never proceed. He's just as important to our family as any other family member. But if the radiation can shrink the tumor to give him better quality of life, and won't cause him any discomfort, I'm wholeheartedly going forward. I want his last days to be as comfortable as possible.

[Anonymous]

Even if money was not an issue, I would not subject a 12 year old dog cancer treatments. Any size dog is well into advanced age at that age, so the gain in time will likely be minimal. Dogs do not understand the treatment and why they are in pain, they live entirely in the moment so there will be many moments of discomfort ahead during cancer treatments. Dogs are very good at masking pain so they likely experience a whole lot more than we realize, and suffer silently. Most dog owners are not very good at judging their dog’s pain for this very reason.

You adore your dog who has been a huge part of your life for many years. The anticipatory grief at a time like this is huge. Please make your decision based on what you truly think is best for your dog, not for you. Your dog will not be angry if you don’t try everything. Your dog will not resent you for letting him enjoy a little more time with you and then letting him go peacefully when the time is right - the veterinarian can help you know when that is. Let you and your dog have happy good times together until then, not days and weeks of treatments and visits to the vet hospital and time feeling poorly from the effects of treatment.

You have my deepest sympathy, I have been there before more than once and it is always extremely difficult. There is no such thing as just a dog.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your very kind reply. My dog has been my constant companion since they day we brought him home. I lost my father last week and my husband had cancer earlier this year and is currently in remission. I will absolutely do what is right for my boy. I can't imagine my life without him, but I will choose whatever decision is best for him. My husband and I had that conversation last night.

[Anonymous]

My biggest regret with my last dog is that I waited too long to put her down. You should think about your dog’s quality of life and do the right thing.