Dog with bladder cancer

[ChinchieRoo]

My heart is broken, I feel helpless. I found out today that my amazing 13 year old beagle mix has bladder cancer. I never would have thought I would have a pet with cancer. I feel lost. We are going to schedule an appointment with an oncologist. I was wondering if anyone has had a pet with cancer? If so, how did you deal with it?

Thanks

 

[Paws4Chins]

Our German Shorthair Pointer of age 8 had Osteosarcoma that was on the roof of his mouth. It was heart breaking as he was so young. Usually with Osteo you can amputate and do chemo and extend the dogs life for a few months. We could not eradicate it with amputation as it was in his maxilla and radiation was not a viable option either. We opted not to treat for the cancer as it was expensive and would not have been very effective. We treated with pred to help stop the growth and pain meds. Our dog lived about 2 months after diagnosis.
I am a vet tech and have seen many patients treated for bladder cancer. The oncologist will go over the options but usually they may want to re-sect the bladder to remove some of the cancer and then treat with cancer fighting drugs. Piroxicam is frequently used in treating bladder cancer. The treatment will depend greatly on how invasive and the stage of cancer as well as if it has metastasized. You also need to consider the age of your pet and any other health issues it has. Sometime, it may be in the best interest of the pet to treat conservatively and make your pet comfortable until the quality of life is in jeopardy. I really all depends on your pocket book and how far you are willing to go. I wish you luck as you go down this road. Here is a great site that explains bladder cancer.
http://www.vet.purdue.edu/pcop/CanineUrinaryBladderCancer.pdf

 

[fanofdmb84]

I've lost two cats, a rat, and a dog to cancer. My cats declined quickly and I made the decision to put them down. The dog was 13 at the time of diagnosis so we just made her comfortable for her last few weeks until she passed away.
It sucks. It also happens a lot. My advice would be to keep your pup comfortable until his/her favorite things don't elicit that "happy" response anymore.

:hug2:

 

[ChinchieRoo]

Thank you to both of you.

We spoke with the oncologist and we sadly cannot afford chemo. Our only option is Rimadyl. I was told by the oncologist that piroxicam is going off the market, so they don't prescribe that anymore. We are trying to just give him all the love we can, but it doesn't help heal my heart. I am still so sad and crushed that there isn't more I can do for him. He has some good days and he is improving his mood and I am greatful for every tail wag I get from him. I hope we get a long time with him.

 

[Kalandra]

As a long term hedgehog owner, I have encountered many cancers in our pet hedgehogs, I have also spent a great deal of time researching and reading about pet cancers because of it. I had not heard that piroxicam was going off the market though, I wonder why that is. I have read some articles about using NSAIDS for cancer treatment, I have to wonder if one of the others may provide some support.

My Rose was diagnosed with Mast Cell cancer in her lymphatic system this last January. We immediately changed her diet and started adding supplements to help support her nutritionally. Ask doc if a high protein/fat diet with low simple carb would be beneficial for your dog. Also ask about arginine, omega 3 fatty acids, and other supplements you can try. Both of these have had studies done that show they help to slow some cancers.

I don't know much about bladder cancer, but for some cancers prednisone can also help provide quality of time.

Definitely ask about changing his diet and adding supplements. They won't cure him, but they may help support him and give him a better quality of life while he is still with you.

 

[ChinchieRoo]

Hi Kalandra,

The oncologist had said that the company that makes it isn't going to be making it any more. I did look it up on the internet and did see some things about that. As for diet. I was told by three doctors that Magic has seen that there are not really any diet changes for a dog with bladder cancer. They said the grain free diets have only shown to help in dogs with another kind of cancer that I don't know how to spell, starts with an 'L'. I was told to not put him on a grain free diet due to the high protein and for a dog with bladder cancer, you want lower protein levels. I forgot to ask about the prednisone, I will though. In addition, I will ask about supplements as well. It's so hard to know what's right or wrong. Some things work with one dog and could make things worse for another. It all makes my head spin.

I am sorry to hear that you have to deal with so much cancer with your beloved pets. I had no idea that hedgehogs got cancer. I am sending good thoughts your way to you and Rose.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Paws4Chins]

To bad about the Peroxicam (sp). Check on if Pred would be beneficial I am not sure if it is indicated for Bladder Cancer. Also, there may come a point when Rimadyl does not control the pain completely. You might need to add Ultram and or some type of opioid. When our dog had osteo we also supplemented with Gogi juice and this seemed to pick up his energy level and appetite for a few weeks. Good

 

[ChinchieRoo]

Hi, Thanks for the reply. I haven't heard of Ultram. What is that? I will call the vet on Monday and ask if there is any other meds for him to take. I asked her the other day if there was anything else I could be doing for him and she basically said I am doing all I can at this point. I hate that, I just wish there was a list of things that I could do that might help. I will talk with her again. He is still wagging his tail, asking for food, and going outside. His accidents have increased, in the evening and he sleeps more than he used to, but his mood has improved since he started with the Rimadyl. I forget to ask all the time if the Rimadyl just helps the pain and that is it? Thanks again.

To bad about the Peroxicam (sp). Check on if Pred would be beneficial I am not sure if it is indicated for Bladder Cancer. Also, there may come a point when Rimadyl does not control the pain completely. You might need to add Ultram and or some type of opioid. When our dog had osteo we also supplemented with Gogi juice and this seemed to pick up his energy level and appetite for a few weeks. Good

 

[meghan]

My chocolate lab (7 yrs) has a reoccuring cancer. This is the third time he's had it. He is on Prednisone,Vitamin K,Sucralfate, Doxycycline Hyclate, and Azathioprine. The pred makes him crazy, he gains a lot of weight because he is always hungry, but never has the energy to walk anymore. The pred also causes him to get bladder infections, so he has a lot of accidents. Good luck with your little guy!

 

[ChinnyMom]

Chinchie, i'm so sorry you have to go through this i don't have any advice to give, but i'm sending all my good thoughts to you and Magic!

 

[Paws4Chins]

Rimadyl is an NSAID and will help with inflammation and helps block pain from some of the pain receptors. It is good for mild to mod pain but when you are dealing with cancer there comes a point when the pain is to much for just the NSAID and you need to add another med. Ultram also known as Tramadol is a synthetic like opioid that is used to help treat pain. Once the Tramadol stops working then you can always turn to a traditional opioid. Again, pred is useful sometimes but I am not sure if it is indicated with bladder cancer. And it is true that dogs will drink and pee more as well as get UTI on Pred. I would think that these complications of taking pred would not be a good thing if you had bladder cancer. It is good your dog is still happy, energetic, and eating. These are the things that indicate quality of life and once they start to decline on a consistent basis then you have decisions to make. It is such an awful thing to see the pets we love suffer and to make the decision to elevated their suffering. Hang in their this is not an easy road to go down and you are in my thoughts.

 

[ChinchieRoo]

thanks

Thank you to everyone. Your thoughts are much appreciated. I will ask the vet about the Rimadyl and get some more details. I guess I thought that it was also to help the tumor. I have been looking at Chlorambucil, the oncologist had suggested this oral chemo med as well. This is a lot cheaper than IV chemo, but still not cheap. I am trying to find some more info on this. Thanks