My healthy, fun-loving 10 year old dog was diagnosed on Friday with oral cancer. I can't believe I never saw it - it is a huge tumor in the back of his mouth. I am so upset about this that I feel physically ill all of the time. From what I can tell, this tumor will eventually choke him if I don't euthanize him first. How in the world will I ever know when is the right time? He is so intelligent and alert, and we have an almost psychic connection - I just can't imagine putting him in the car to bring him to the vet for the last time. Does anyone have advice for me? This is unbearable. Last night he lay by my bed making swallowing noises all night long, and I was awake all night long, just listening to him and wanting to scream. How will I know when enough is enough?

I wanted to add that I do have an appointment for him next week at the University of Minnesota Veterinary program (soonest they could take him), but I worry that he will last that long before he is horribly uncomfortable. Also, it is a six hour car ride (one way), and I don't know how he will tolerate that either. However, I would feel guilty if I didn't even try to help him medically somehow.

I am terribly sorry to hear about your dog. On Saturday, I had to euthanize my dog, Sally because of oral melanoma and I had the same concerns and uncertainties about how to care for her. I had her for 10 years and I can tell you it was probably the hardest thing I've ever done. She was diagnosed in August, but I think she may have been showing symptoms as early as May. I missed it initially because she had bad teeth most of life (rescue dog) and I figured that's what was bothering her. But, these tumors can grow very fast and it would be difficult of anyone to find them unless they were doing a complete oral exam on a daily basis.

I'd like to tell what I experienced with Sally. It may be difficult to hear, but I hope it helps. Sally went through periods of not wanting to eat. I changed her diet from hard kibble to soft food..Little Cearsars and homemade chicken and rice. I also found softer treats. Her appetite seemed to pick up from the change. All of these are easier on their pallete and may help control bleeding and irritation. The tumors are very vascular and easily irritated. Some vets recommend a diet higher in fat because the tumors alter the metabolism and target protein and carbs primarily. There is a possibility of infection around the area and I treated that intermittently with a clindamycin prescription. Clindamycin can have serious GI side effects and Sally did have periods of diarrhea. Be on the lookout for very bad breath, thick saliva, and a decreased appetite if you suspect infection. You may notice weight loss. Sally became very skinny towards the end. I'm ashamed to say her ribs were showing. But, she was eating 3-4 bowls of food a day and didn't seem to be in pain until the very end. My vet also gave me prednisone in early September. It did seem to improve her appetite and keep the tumor size stable for a while.

In October, she started to have some difficulty breathing through her nose. She would make little gasping sounds but she figured out how to breathe through her mouth. About three weeks ago she started snoring at night and she had blood-tinged drool. I just placed her on soft towels at night and propped her head a bit to help her breathing. The oral cancers can metastasize early, especially to the lung and Sally's breathing seemed to get progressivley worse. Sally seemed to have difficulty smelling her food so I would stick around while she ate and feed her from my hand if she lost track of her bowl. This last week she was getting lots of food in her nose and I would clean it out when she finished.
During the past two weeks, I noticed bloody mucus from her nose. She slowed down quite a bit and started sleeping most of the day. She was still eating heartily. The last few days she would wake up at night and couldn't seem to get comfortable. My vet gave me metacam liquid for pain and she took that for the last week. I decided it was time when she wasn't sleeping well and starting to bleed from the nose. I was able to see in her mouth and within about 2 weeks, the tumor had grown very rapidly.

This may be more information than you wanted, but again, I hope it helps. A few weeks ago, I did some research and found that vet schools have had some promising results eith this type of cancer using DNA vaccines. It's still somewhat experimental, but even later stage cases have shown improvement. I believe the average life-span after treatment was about 8 months, with very few side effects unlike radiation. Sally really wasn't a candidate because she also had congestive heart failure. I believe I called Univ. of Wisconsin, but there were other schools around the country with clinical trials.

Lastly, I'd like to let you know that in the end it hurt me very much to look at Sally and see her in pain. Her demeanor changed on Friday and I know it sounds weird, but I felt like she was telling me I've had enough of this and it's time. I held her during the euthanasia and as he gave her the sedative, I saw a look of contentment and I knew she was no longer in pain. In fact, I think that's what kept me from becoming hysterical. Please email me if you'd like more info or a sympathetic ear.. Jennifer_K_Griffin@rush.edu

Good luck and many blessings to you and your dog.

Jennifer

KK -- Jennifer gives a lot of good advice. Maybe you are able to line up your dog's current state with the time line Jennifer presented, you can get a rough idea of how much time you have left. My baby, Punky, also died of canine oral melanoma. He really beat the odds, surviving about a year after initial diagnosis. We had the growth removed about a month after diagnosis. I too researched the experimental treatments...talked with the folks at University of Wisconsin, and there is also a different one in New York City. My experience with taking Punky to the University of Florida (the equivalent to your trip to University of Minnesota) is that I didn't learn a lot that I didn't already know, they generally discouraged the experimental treatments, and they did not spend a lot of time with me. Is surgery is not an option for yours? Within the last month of Punky's life, he became 100% blind and pretty much urinary incontinant (renal failure). Starting two weeks before his last day, he began seizures, he stopped eating his dog food, and I started hand feeding him anything he would eat. Also he was incredibly restless and couldn't sleep well. He would wander and get stuck in corners. It really doesn't sound like your guy is close to these stages yet. As long as your boy can breathe and he has an appetite, and he is still happy, you might still have a little time with him. Hope this helps.

P.S. Every few months I had Punky's surgery site aspirated (looking for new cancer cells) and had x-rays done of his lungs. Might keep that in mind to track your guy's progression.

Good Luck. It's not easy.

I am SO sorry. Perhaps the tumour can be removed? Let us know how he is doing. I don't know if this helps at all but when my zody had the abdominal tumour I contacted a homeopathic vet and even though it was too late, he felt great for the 2 months he had left. The medications are inexpensive and help them to feel good while they try to shrink the tumour.

MY CAT KIKI WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ORAL CANCER. IT IS A MASS IN THE BACK OF HER MOUTH. MY OTHER CAT BEAU DIED 3 MONTHS AGO, BEAU WAS 20 1/2 YEARS OLD, 1 MONTH SHY OF HIS 21RST BIRTHDAY. WE CALLED THEM MAN AND WIFE. WHEN BEAU DIED KIKI MOURNED. I NEVER SAW A CAT MOURN, BUT SHE DID. SHE WENT DOWN TO 3LBS, SO WE RUSHED HER TO THE HOSPITAL. THE VETS WERE GREAT, FED HER THROUGH INTRAVENOUS, FORCED FED HER, AND FOUND A MASS IN THE BACK OF HER MOUTH. WE WERE HOPING IT WAS A IMPACTED TOOT, BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE ORAL CANCER. MY KIKI HAD TO BE FORCED FED, ALTHOUGH I DON'T FORCE HER I HAVE TO FEED HER THROUGH A CYRINGE. SHE CHEWS ON IT , AND EATS BUT I HAVE TO PUT WARM WATER AND MASH IT UP. IT TAKES ME 45 MIN EACH MEAL AND I PUT A HEATING PAD UNDER HER PILLOW. I LOVE HER. PEOPLE SAY TO ME PUT HER DOWN, BUT I SAID NO. I GIVE HER PAIN KILLERS, AND GIVE HR INTRAVENOUS EVERY OTHER DAY. I ASKED THE DOCTOR WHEN DO I KNOW WHEN IT IS TIME, THE DOCTOR SAID WHEN SHE STARTS COUGHING, BECAUSE THEN IT SPREADS TO HER LUNGS. I HOPE WE HAVE MORE TIME. I LOOK AT IT LIKE THIS, SHE GAVE ME AND MY FAMILY 15 YEARS, ALL HER LOVE, AND ALL HER LOYALTY, I CAN GIVE HER THIS. NOW SOMETIMES SHE GETS CRANKY , AND BEFORE BEAU DIED I FOUND A KITTEN THAT SOMEONE THREW OU, SO WE HAVE TO SEPERATE THEM, BUT I AM TRYING MY BEST TO KEEP HER AS COMFORTABLE AS POSSIBLE. I WILL BE WRITTING INTERMITANTLY, TO KEEP YOU UPDATED. SHERI

Good luck Sheri...keeping her hydrated is one of the best things you can do.

how is kkofthemilkyway doing??