This is something I  have always said I would never go down.. but  it seems it may be something I will have to put my convictions to the test on, in the next few days...

So I just wonder if anyone can give me some positive opinions on their experiences.

I an still not convinced it will be the right option to take, but all experiences will be helpful.

Brief history... my boy  has been suffering with an eye problem since the end of September , beginning October.. started with what we though to be Conjunctivitis.. after a couple of visits to my vet , as it was not getting any better.. Will (my vet ) with more in depth investigation, diagnosed Glaucoma, which he had been successfully treating for a while now... over Xmas , Bandit developed an Ulcer on the eye..again , it has been responding to treatment...or so we thought.

On our check up visit on Monday of last wk,... Will was concerned that there is more to this than we can see... well thats not true... his eye is protruding...(bulging) out of the socket... according to Will when pressure is applied to the eye and surrounding area... you should have some "spring" to the eye.. (if you push your eye slightly , it will bounce back) this does not happen.

So with that in mind Will suspected a mass behind the eye.

On Thursday of last week we visited a eye specialist.. for more in depth examinations.

1) Bandit is completely blind in the eye.. and after couple of hrs of tests... and Ultra sound, she has identified a mass behind the eye....

There was a possibilty it might be just a cyst, but the results of the U S , ruled that out.

On Monday , we are saw a neurologist , and he had a MRI scan.... which has shown a large mass (tumor) behind the eye... thankfully it has not spread to his brain, or the nervous system  around his face, bu tit has spread to the muscle below the eye..

But the fact is.. there is a mass, it does not matter whether it is benign or malignant.. it is growing , and the nature of the position, will make it difficult to remove.

On Thursday  we are again down to see the eye specialist , where she is going to remove the eye and as much as the tumor as possible..

I have to say at this point, that I am extremely grateful to all vets involved , working so quickly for my boy... the neurologists said, that the eye will be giving him considerable pain, and it is imperative it comes out.. regardless of the outcome of all else...

She has also said that if the mass spreads into  the nerval system around the face, it will be time to call it a day..as it will be excruciatingly painful and they will not be able to control  to with any pain relief.

But with a little hope ,  and if what has shown up in the MRI is accurate (with no hidden extras)   they may be able to remove most if not all the mass.

Hence we come to the Chemo and Radiotherapy............do I dont I... I will make that decision when and if  it needs to be made.

My only experience with either has been negative,  from people I know who say,, they regret going down that road.

So i dont really know what I am asking... just reassurance I guess, and  some positive  opinions...

We need to take this last step, it has been roller coaster of a week, and I am exhausted with the worry...  I just need to know now...  and ge ton and deal with the outcome .

But the most important thing will be my boy... he quality of life will take president over all else.

Thanks for listening, and all experiences will be welcomed.

I can't speak from the point of view of having had a dog undergo this sort of treatment but I would also take into cosideration the life expectancy that is expected both with and without treatment. My OH had both chemo and radiotherapy - the chemo cycles were very long and very arduous but did extend his life by several years beyond the original prognosis. Having exhausted the chemo route he then underwent radiotherapy (whole brain radiation) and said that he would not have any more of that treatment if it was offered. His quality of life after the radiotherapy was not great and probably only extended his life by a couple of months and they were not good ones.

We were told that radiotherapy that involved treatment of the whole brain would help to relieve some of the pressure but could also impair other functions - this did in fact happen in his case and he did regret having that treatment. BUT no two cases are the same and a specialist would be able to give you more detailed information that is relevant to your case. So many different factors can affect outcomes that it isn't really possible to compare one person's treatment or  reaction to that treatment.

Making a decision on whether or not to proceed with radical treatments is very, very difficult but, for me if it were one of my dogs, I personally would not want them to undergo that type of treatment but am sure that other people would, and have, decided to go ahead. I think it is a very personal decision and I wish you strength and courage at this very difficult time. Whatever you decide to do will be the right decision because you have considered all possibilities, you know your dog better than anyone else, and you have faith and trust in your vet.

Sorry to hear about your boy.
I think you should ask to speak to someone involved in Oncology, At my place of work there is an oncology nurse who is more than happy to sit with you and talk through options, all side effects, possible problems and general quality of life. The dogs at my place of work who recieve chemotheraphy do not usually seem worse for wear by getting it. Most come in, get a quick blood test to check cell counts, and if all ok, get their chemo and go home within the hour. they get a big fuss made of them, and some lovely tasty biscuits at end, most of them enjoy coming in, and wag theit tails throughout.
the chemo drug used, and the protocol followed will depend on a lot of things, type of mass, aggression of mass, age, general health of dog, finances (some are expensive).
I would say most of the clients who agree to chemo for their pets do not regret it, most are happy we gave them a few more months/years with their pets. We would never keep going with a patient once it reaches a certain point, and we interact very closely with client at all times regarding quality of life of the patient. Our oncology ward is full of thank you cards.

it is a very personal decision, and you need time to think about it, but my opinion is that it can be a positive treatment, the dogs dont generally show ill effects, but its all an individual decision.
good luck in whatever you choose to do.

Really sorry to hear about your boy. Refer to my other post re cancer but My flatti was treated twice for tumnours both completely different types. We were give various options to consider, the first tumour being on her thigh. Amputation (oviously not an option for you) radiotherapy or a combination of amputation followed by chemo.
We chose radiotherapy which was totally successful. 3 years later she unfortunately developed a 2nd tumor that story became very complicated and not relevant. the op was successful but we lost her from a gastric torsion shortly after..
Sorry I have got off your point.
My experience ; radiotherapy v.successful and well tolerated (no problems seen at all at any time) I wouldn't hesitate to use it again if it was suggested
Chemo ; I have been told by more than one vet is tolerated much better by animals than humans,and can be successful. Also local vets can administer.
I would add both are expensive but fortunately for us we were insured and the bill which came to about 6k was fully honoured by the insurance company. Not something you really want to have to think about I know.
As I have said in my other post if you want to talk to the specialist we were reffered to please pm and I will forward their number.
Hope your boy can be helped and made comfortable as soon as possible..

Thak you for your kind words and experiences... I will store it all , for when and if!!

[url=]As I have said in my other post if you want to talk to the specialist we were reffered to please pm and I will forward their number[/url]

Again thanks for that, as far as I am aware they have an oncologist at the clinic.. so depending in the result , I will be able to discuss options with them,

The ophthalmologist, and neurologist , seem to think that most of the mass is contained ..but as you know, till they actually get at it ,  they cant say 100%.

The options will then have to be looked at , depending on all results and his life expectancy.and whether it is palliative or curative

Firstly sorry to hear that you are in the position, very scary. Cannot help on the radiotherapy info but as for the Chemo. My dog received Chemo last year for Lymphoma. Now I knew at the beginning that all I would be doing was hopefully prolonging her life as Lymphoma is not curable. She went into remission immediately but unfortunately came out of remission after only 8 weeks. She tolerated the Chemo very well, yes, we did have nauseous days but that can be pre treated with tablets and medication. Whilst on Chemo I fed her anything that I could get into her on the days that she felt like eating. She actually had lost weight  and while on Chemo put on 2 kgs because I fed her really well. Okay, Chemo didn't work a miracle for me however ask me would I do it again, yes, yes and yes again. It gave me an extra 8 weeks of mainly quality time with her and I wouldn't miss that for the world. However, one thing that I would do next time (I hope that there is never a 'next time') would be to have as much of the treatment done at my local Vets instead of the Oncologists. I had some of the treatment done at my local Vets and obviously being closer to home she was back with me much sooner than when she was at the hospital. Great for their expertise but I would use them for that and have most of the treatment done more locally and have more time spent at home. Good luck, it is a rollercoaster ride trying to make these decisions and very scary just knowing that you are dealing with these problems. There are yahoo groups which contain lots of very good info and have people in the same situation who are undergoing treatment with their dogs and are very supportive and have great knowledge.

There are yahoo groups which contain lots of very good info and have people in the same situation who are undergoing treatment with their dogs and are very supportive and have great knowledge.

Would have the addy , if you do , could you possibly pm it to me.

I  agree with the "staying at your local vet"  if at all poss, I will do.

Tomorrow is a 5 hr round trip, dropping him off, them the same on Fri, when we have to pick him up.

I hoped to be able to bring him home on the same day, but thy they want to keep him over night, apparently the nature of the surgery, will amount to a lot of bleeding, and they wont to monitor it.  I suppose he is better off there in case of an emergency.

My boy had his op  yesterday, not the news we would have liked to see.  the mass has spread  , resulting in only a small amount being removed..along with  the eye.

Vet said it is very invasive and has spread to all the muscle on his right side of the face.. as yet it is not in bone.

So waiting now for the histology report to determine the nature of the tumor.. as in how aggressive.

and what is to be done next.. or at least how much longer we can expect to have him with us.

So very sorry to hear that it is not great news. The most important thing is quality of his life and I am sure whatever you decide then you will be doing the right thing. It is such a tough call, very hard. All I would re-iterate is that Chemo can be tolerated quite well, but I would only go down that route if the news comes back giving you that as a good option. Good luck for some better news.

Good luck for the results, chemo ect do you wish to try and prolong your dogs life, do you need to try whatever you can? I think judging by what others have written there has been mixed results, I think if it was my Cocker I would take advise from my vet (whom you have a good relationship with) and base your decision on his advice and if it would prelong a "good life" in years rather than months I'd go for it. For months just holding the enevitable and not a "good life" extension of just time. I would choose another path for my beloved friend. But thats what i would do.
Whatever you decide there's a lot of love and prayers going your way.

Viv