One of my boys has developed a lump in his throat/neck, it feels very hard to the touch. We have an appointment at the vet at 5.00pm this evening and I am praying it is nothing too serious although I have to be realistic as he is 11 years old. Having already lost Jamie in October, I am not sure I am ready to lose another one. Please keep Oliver in your thoughts. Thank you.

im so sorry to hear this but will share this with you as it may shine a positive light for you.
my grandad had a chi years ago that suddenly developed a hard lump on his throat, the dog was about 11 at the time and the lump was like a half a golf ball pressed under the skin and it seemed to appear almost overnight. anyway, it turned out that the dog had an infected teeth at the back and the lump was a hard abscess. he had about 8 teeth removed, they looked normal on the outside until they were removed. the abscess was drained and he had anti bios for about a week. he made a full recovery and til about 15ish.
i know its hard but please try to keep up beat. let us know how you get on, will be thinking of you (((hugs))) xx

What you have described does sound very much like Olivers lump. I would be delighted if that is what it is.

I was thinking abscess too as I have something similiar myself at the moment!!  Got everything crossed for you both.

Best of luck for Oliver, what a worrying time.

Fingers x here too for Oliver xx

Everything crossed here too. Will check back later for news.

fingers and toes crossed

Thank you all for your kind words. The vet has done a needle biopsy on the lump and expects the results in around a week. At the moment there are conflicting ideas as to what it might be. The vet said if it is Lymphoma he would expect the swellings to be on both sides of the neck not just the one, but equally if the lymph glands were up because of infection in the teeth or otherwise he would expect Oliver to be in more pain than he is. My worry at the moment is that this lump has almost trebled in size in a week and I am worried that it may get a lot bigger in the next week while we wait for the results. Typical also that we have the New Year closures in between.
On the plus side, Oliver has just eaten a good meal and with my limited knowledge I think as long as he is eating well (albeit slower than normal) he can't be feeling too bad.
He also decided that he wanted to walk home from the vets in the rain and would not get into the car so I had to out in the rain again to retrieve my car once I had walked him home (Luckily not too far)
Thank you all again, I will update when I have more news.

Ahhh Bless him,fingers and paws crossed here.

Sheila.

Best wishes to you both for 2010, thinking of you and hoping you have good news soon x

Fingers crossed for Oliver.  I really hope that the result is one that can be sorted.  Sending positive vibes.  Jean.

Oliver has not eaten much today and yesterday, he doesn't seem to be able to open his mouth properly. I have been hand feeding him last night, this morning and this afternoon but very small amounts. I went to the shops this morning to get some tinned food to see if that would tempt him but he barely picked at it. Tuesdays results cannot come quick enough.
On top of this, my 13 year old bitch went off her food this morning, I managed to tempt her with about half a sausage but that was all she would take. A younger dog I would not worry so much about but these are my two oldies.

im sorry things arent improving for you. fingers crossed for tues, im sure you girl is just worried about your boy. xx

The oldies are so precious aren't they?

I do hope that you can get a small amount of food down him while waiting on the results.   It must seem like forever for you.  It's why I use a practise that has it's own veterinary hospital, as so many of the tests can be done in their own labs.

Keep positive.   {{{{  HUGS  }}}}

> Oliver has not eaten much today and yesterday, he doesn't seem to be able to open his mouth properly. I have been hand feeding him last night, this morning and this afternoon but very small amounts

You need to take Oliver back to the vets before Tuesday -even though it is holidaytime, that is what they are there for.   A dog that is not eating is a dog that is not well.  He should be able to open his mouth.   The glands in the neck and under the jaw could be involved which would make opening the mouth very painful, the vet will be able to give Oliver something to help.

I agree I would take him back to the vet ..my vet is also a vet hospital ..which is what I think you need.

sending white light to your boy

Roni

He ate a good breakfast this morning, I had to hand feed him but he ate about three quarters his normal meal. I will ring the vets first thing in the morning to see if the results are back and to let them know how he has been the last few days.
Robyn, on the other hand ate every scrap of her breakfast and wanted more, poor baby must be starving after eating nothing yesterday, so hopefully she is OK now.

good luck crinklecut, how hard for you both to wait through this--big hugs to Oliver.

Heard from the vet earlier today, the needle biopsy was inconclusive so they want to have him in to take a chunk from the lump to examine it properly. He is booked in for Wednesday morning. The vet did say that they would not normally expect an inconclusive result if the lump was a lymphoma so I am keeping everything crossed. The lump has grown in size a bit more so the sooner they find out what the problem is the better. Of course, I am worrying about his age now and a general anaesthetic but I think it has to be done so I don't really have any other option.

So sorry your wait continues, let's hope it results in some better news soon for both of you. Big hugs again from all of us and we are keeping fingers crossed here.

an old boy of mine had a anaethetic at 14 to have teeth removed to give him better quaility of life ..it is worrying when they are getting on just insist they weight him for the anaethetic some vets guestimate and thats when the trouble starts .

Hope the results are not too worrying and he can be treated.

Good Luck

Roni

Hope you have got your boy back from the vets and all well,fingers and paws crossed here.
Sheila xx

He is on his bed in front of me sleeping off the anaesthetic. He has had the surgical biopsy, I can see now just how big the lump is. The results should be ready on Monday. He has also been put on three different types of medication which is very difficult as he is not eating but I am hoping that after he has had a good rest he will be looking for something light to eat.
Thank you so much for all your enquiries and positive thoughts, only time (and results) will tell now.

Hope you both feel better tomorrow, crinklecut, we are thinking of you.

Sorry to hear about your boy, positive thoughts for both you and your boy.

Hi hope all ok,have you got biopsy results yet?

Sheila

Rung today for the results and was told they were delayed because of the weather, should have them by Wednesday. I hate all this waiting.

Is there any news about Oliver yet...Fingers legs and eyes crossed for you and Oliver, crinklecut.

Me to whats the deal OH wednesday and its tuesday, forget that i will look again tomorrow.

Olivers lump has been diagnosed as Chronic Active Steatitus which is basically inflamed fat tissue. There were no cancerous cells at all in the biopsy that was taken which is good news. Ideally the vet would like to remove the lump but because of where it is he is reluctant to do that. He also said that we need to find out what has caused it so can hopefully give him the right medication.
So, not out of the woods yet but much better news (I think) than we were looking at last week.
Has anyone had any experience with this condition? I have googled it to get as much info as possible but nothing beats talking to someone who has experienced it with their own dog.

what a relief, hope things pick up soon xxx

So glad that your boy can be treated,hope things are sorted soon

Sheilaxx

Hope someone comes along with experience of this condition for you.  Just wanted to say I have been sending positive vibes, and I'm so glad that it wasn't a malignant tumour.  Worry wears you out doesn't it?

Thanks Jean, and you are so right about worry wearing you out.

Hurrah not fatal then thats good, bit like a fatty cyst then? Im no help but your post made me feel better!

lol Whistler !

so glad to hear it's a fixable problem,  hope you and Oliver have had a GOOD day! xxx

Just to say how glad I am at your good news. Having lost a dog to lymphoma, although it didn't sound like that I didn't want to make any comments. Lovely to hear the good news.

Just a quick update for those of you who were following Olivers story. After saying that the biopsies and chest x-ray were clear of cancer cells, the last vet we saw (last week) said that the lump can only be Cancer. He said eventually the lump would be so big that Oliver would not be able to swallow and that it when we would lose him (he was talking a couple of weeks). Well up to this morning Oliver has been eating well but only picked at his breakfast today. Having said that, he did have a piece of my toast and a left over sausage.
The lump has now doubled in size, it is not growing outwards any more but it is growing underneath his throat. In himself he is still bright and happy but of course now I am thinking am I keeping him going for my sake. Am I wrong in thinking that while he is OK in himself and eating well ( I am praying this morning was an exception) that it is OK ? He has another appointment at the vet tomorrow. Do I persevere with him? How do I know how he is feeling? This is without doubt, the worst part of dog ownership.

Feel for you so much.  My eldest boy is not looking good these days but he's still happy in himself and loves his ball still.  Whilst he's still happy and mentall alert I've decided to keep him going, once he shows signs of not being happy mentally then I will know that the day has come.

Are they sure it's definitely not an abscess,that may need regular draining?

oh im so sorry for such bad news. thoughts are with you at such a difficult time xx

Thanks for your reply Perrodeagua,I will insist on a blood test tomorrow, friends have been telling me that a blood test should spot Cancer. I don't know why they have not done one as yet. The lump is very hard, would an abscess not have some 'give' ?

Sorry to hear your news - you are entitled to ask for a referral to a specialist.  Though it may be costly, is he insured?

Not insured unfortunately.

I've been following - and I am so very, very sorry.  Being given conflicting info must have you in a whirl.

As for keeping them going, I had to have my 17 year old PTS in June last year.  She told me it was enough, I think they do.   Gutted, obviously, but my vet said "Jean, the pain is yours, she is free from it."

Do let us know what a blood test reveals, I wouldn't be happy about not having one done.  I have everything crossed for you and Oliver.   Jean

So very sorry, crinklecut, I don't know to say that could give any comfort other than to say we are thinking of you and Oliver and hoping that you still have fine days to enjoy together. Big hugs xxx 

So sorry,awful worry for you,sending hugs to all concerned.

Sheila.xx

Im checking in every day and hoping for a rogue cyst or something.....

Spoke to one of my normal vets this week, he said there was really no point in doing the blood test as the white cell count could vary equally with Cancer or an infection so it would still not give an answer.He did say that if it was a cyst or similar we would be seeing some sign of a discharge by now and there isn't any. He has taken him off the anti-biotics as they didn't seem to be doing anything anyway. On my request he has doubled the dose of steroids to what he was on initially because I feel the lump has grown quicker since halving the dose. He has also given me more painkillers to give as and when I feel Oliver needs them.
He was not all doom and gloom as the last vet was and said there is a possibility that the lump could grow around the windpipe which of course would not affect his breathing or swallowing at all. I am clinging to this small ray of hope.
At the moment his appetite is good (although he had lost just under a kilo when he was weighed on Tuesday in just a week), I am still giving him tinned food as he finds it easier and am re-introducing a small amount of soaked kibble.
The vet wants to see him in two weeks unless anything happens before.
Thank you all so much for your continued interest in Oliver, it does make it easier to know that people have him in their thoughts.
Gill