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Tell me about Cancer


Loving my Oldies
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About 18 months ago, the vet found a tumour at the base of Jeune’s spine, underneath the spine and “resting” on the colon.  It was almost impossible to feel going up through her anal canal and it was only because Jeune was lightly sedated and relaxed that she could feel it.  Fast forward to another check up a few weeks ago, the vet told me that the tumour had doubled in size, she had no difficulty feeling it, and consequently Jeune is now on daily Piroxicam which has been shown to slow down the growth of some tumours. 

 

Jeune is 17 so I will not be taking any invasive actions or even putting her through any tests other than the ones she has had to establish that this is a tumour.  My job now is to make sure she is happy and as well as she possible can be forever long we may have together.   

 

Naturally, I am watching her like a hawk and giving her as many cuddles as she will tolerate.  She has not shown any discomfort, she has an occasional throw up of bile as just about any dog I’ve ever had has done - and me too - and those episodes don’t seem to have increased.  Sometimes our guts and tummies are not happy.  She has always been a strange little dog: not playful, except for an occasional outbreak of levity evidenced by happy barking and racing around the yard; she is very contained and the most stubborn dog I’ve ever known.  And any long time follower of this forum will know that she and Tamar have almost driven me insane with their approach to food.  Ditto walking.  Jeune has to walk on the far left of the pack, pulling to the end of the lead, if another dog gets in front of her she will not keep walking, she could spend 10 minutes just sniffing in one little patch - I kid you not.  She will not be hurried and the strength of one little 6 kilo dog who puts the brakes on still amazes me.   

 

This morning when I put on their leads to go for our short and very slow amble around the block, I noticed that Jeune is very very slim about the hips.  Her weight loss has been obvious over the past few weeks, but to see her so thin around the haunches gave me a fright.  The walk was the same as ever: walking at a snail’s pace, sniffing, weeing, normal poo, but when we were close to home where Jeune likes to cross the road (pulling right out to the left, of course) I tried to hurry her a little bit to get out of the sun, on went the brakes and I had to practically drag her off the bitumen onto the grass.  You can imagine how bad I felt when she started to throw up - just a bit of froth and bile, no food because she didn’t eat breakfast (normal).  

 

When we reached home, she actually just stopped inside the gate and, when she didn’t come upstairs, I went down and carried her up.  After our walks she normally just wanders around the back yard for a little bit.    

 

She has always jumped onto the couch in the lounge room, but hasn’t done this for a couple of days just lies on the quilt with the other two. Ditto a little trampoline bed in the study which is so low she doesn’t need to jump, just step, but she still isn’t getting up onto it anymore.  This probably indicates she is tired and feeling her age and perhaps the cancer is starting to take it toll.  

 

Considering its ubiquitousness, I am not familiar with cancer. One of my first dogs, Nammu a Maltese, had cancer, but from the time it was diagnosed until he passed away was only 6 weeks and he was still a young dog and that was January 2001.  I haven’t even had a human someone close to me who has had cancer.  A couple of inlaws have but because they weren’t in my life, I didn’t see the progression.  No one in my immediate family has had cancer.  

 

It is impossible to miss in the media though and it seems that cancers can be very different with some people just fading away and others dying in horrific pain and everything in between.  

 

Obviously, I will be taking Jeune for another checkup within the next couple of days, because today has given me a fright and I am not sure what to expect or how quickly this may overtake Jeune.   

 

Nor sure if this will work, but here is a little video of Jeune showing her usual reaction to food.  This went one for much longer than the video.   

 

 

https://flic.kr/p/EjEkjm

 

 

 

Edited by Dame Danny's Darling
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Hugs to you DDD. It sounds like you might need to start thinking about making that decision for Jeune. Lots of love and support to you both.

 

My only experience with cancer in dogs was my 1st greyhound Sam with osteosarcoma and he was PTS within a few short weeks of diagnosis. If I ever have another with the same they will be PTS within 24 hours. I don't know if this helps you or not.

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Sadly it does sound as though this old darling is getting close to the end.   I've been lucky too in my dogs... although my 15.25 year old agility girl was diagnosed with Lymphoma earlier last year .. held at bay by Prednisolone for 6 weeks .. and thankfully no pain apparently.   She did get tireder and less active little by little, and with that cancer, she also had some neurological issues .. so some little collapse episodes, which gradually got more frequent.   The timing of her passing was pretty much obvious, thankfully .. although I did wait an extra day so that she could be helped out by her lifelong vet.

Friends had a young Sheltie with a tumour which sounds similar to Jeune's although in a young dog, it was more aggressive, so they only had a week.

I'd be guided by your vet, and your own observations.   It's the old quality of life thing .. when they start to struggle, and/or they're not doing the little things they've always enjoyed, we have to start planning how we're going to help them.

Thankfully we can help our animals in ways we can't help our human family members and friends.    Hugs to you .. it's always tough, no matter how old the dog is.

 

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My thoughts are with you DDD. It was this time last year when Zena was diagnosed with cancer. Hers was very aggressive and from diagnosis to making that decisions was just 8 weeks. She went from being her normal happy self to a very tired girl quite quickly although thinking back she was probably acting a bit more lazy before that but I just put it down to the hot weather we were experiencing. I also had noticed she was losing weight. She went off her food about a month after diagnosis and I had to persevere and hand feed her. About that time she too stopped jumping up on the lounge etc and we took to carrying her up and down our stairs. I never once saw her throw up except 2 days before our decision and that was just liquid . The day we took her for her last vet visit she was very frail and could barely walk.    Although 2 days earlier she had been running around, literally running, while I gardened. It was like her last bit of energy. My last bit of happiness. I believe we left her go for a few days too long but it was over a weekend and our regular vet was away. I’ m not sure if any of this is helpful. It’s really horrible to watch the way cancer works. If only dogs could talk. Everyone kept telling us we would know when and believe it or not you do. In the mean time lots of cuddles and love. And I’m sure your little one knows how much you love her. Make the most of the time you have left with her. Will be thinking of you.:flower:

 

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Thank you for your responses, support and experiences.  Funnily enough, just before I checked this thread, I noticed that Jeune wasn’t on the bed on the floor and went looking for her thinking she might be sun baking.  Looked in the other rooms and when I came back I saw she was on the lounge.  So her several hours of rest after our little amble this morning obviously gave her the energy to jump up.  :love: :love:.

 

IMG_0631

 

Yes, I think my darling is slowing down.  She has been with me for 14 years (December 2003) and was listed by the pound as being 3 then.  So she has been with me through a lot of changes, many dogs, fostered and adopted.  

 

Jeune’s cancer was found very early in the piece and it was a real fluke finding it.  Because I don’t have them vaccinated anymore, I take them for annual total check ups and it was found then.  As it has doubled in size since first found, I imagine its growth will continue to speed up, but hopefully held in some check by the Piroxicam.  The med is in liquid form and chicken flavoured so as easy as anything to administer.   

 

While she is comfortable and not in pain, we will continue on this way with eagle eyes watching for anything that tells me otherwise.   

 

 

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:( She has taken that turn in the road  now - her age & the cancer will make that journey quite short I think .  Jeune sounds as if she is very tired  indeed ...

Cancer is  indeed an insidious destroyer of life, with no regard for age or status. 
You are very experienced with these dear oldies  ending their lives ...you will  , I'm sure let Jeune go with her dignity and spirit intact

So sorry, DDD

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I can assure you, persephone, that Jeune still has her dignity.  No one tells Jeune what to do - LOL.  

 

Joking aside, she will have whatever she wants (if I can guess what she is telling me :o :o) and whatever she needs.    

 

I’ve posted this before, but it still gives me a laugh and I am so happy I have this pic of Jeune.

36872695861_9d0cd133fd_q.jpgIMG_0312 by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr

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Jeune was pretty upset we me last night telling people that she was fading away.  She demanded I post this pic of her looking bright eyed and bushy tailed having eaten the biggest dinner she’d had for ages, and with ears at the ready to pick up any derogatory comments:  

 

39738533642_3413a7134b_q.jpgIMG_0634 by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr

Edited by Dame Danny's Darling
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Just gorgeous DD.  Can't add anything more to the wonderful posts and advice you have here DD.  Just all fingers and paws crossed for you here She's a lovely old girl and just love those photos.  Its so important to take a stack of them - here's a similar one I took of Sarah earlier in the week who is 16.5 years - and yes her time is coming too - but at the moment her quality of life is good - if a bit wobbly!  So important to have these wonderful memories of them. 

 

IMG_3075.thumb.jpg.2c402079fe0f6bdf75d7a14457b9cdbc.jpg

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Oh @westiemum, you are so so so so right about the photos.  I was always a hopeless photographer and have so few decent ones of my first little darlings.  Even with the iPhone I have to take heaps before getting a halfway decent one.  Love Sarah’s plump little rear view.   Is that your home with a lake in the foreground.  Green with envy.  

 

There are two little Westies in a rescue group somewhere (I’ll see if I can find) looking for a home together, but knowing your westie instincts, I am sure you know of them.   

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Yes, photos are the go, copy them into unusual places on your computer that way they pop up when you're looking for something else, it's sad but lovely at the same time.

I found a couple of photos of Penny and Mac the other day in a folder marked Garden Pest Info (subfolder 'Rats':laugh:

Thinking of you and Jeune.

Dog-oldness and cancer is the pits!

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22 hours ago, Dame Danny's Darling said:

I can assure you, persephone, that Jeune still has her dignity.  No one tells Jeune what to do - LOL.  

 

Joking aside, she will have whatever she wants (if I can guess what she is telling me :o :o) and whatever she needs.    

 

I’ve posted this before, but it still gives me a laugh and I am so happy I have this pic of Jeune.

36872695861_9d0cd133fd_q.jpgIMG_0312 by Cynthia Waters, on Flickr

I've got similar photos of both of my guys.

 

So sorry to hear she's not well DDD.  Give her a scratch behind the ears for me. :heart:

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