Hi

I wrote at the beginning of the month, about my 13 year old cavalier, Cherry, having an enlarged spleen.

This was picked up during a routine checkup, before we took the dogs away on a short holiday.

Since then, last Monday, Cherry seemed to have developed cystitis, and was being treated for that, but hasn't been picking up as we expected.
I took her back to the vet on Thursday, and he decided to have a look at the spleen and bladder by ultrasound, on Friday.

Cherry didn't need sedation, and I stayed with her. Vet found a mass in the spleen, which is what we had expected, but it doesn't seem to have spread to any other organs.Her bladder was also showing "thickening". She had full profile blood samples taken, and we get the results back on Monday. The vet wants to check for, amongst other things, anaemia, which will show if this tumour has been bleeding, causing the lethargy and weakness.

Vet thinks the cystitis is a bit of a red herring at the moment, probably caused by her reluctance to go out and have a pee when she should! (This caused us big problems when we took her on holiday.)

I've spent the morning on the net,researching "Splenic Haemangiosarcoma", and the prognosis, with or without surgery, looks poor for a dog of her age with a heart murmur.

Looks like a max time of 280 days, even if they remove the spleen, it hasn't spread, she survives the major op, and she responds to chemo.

The vet wants to give a GA and do a fine needle aspirate on the mass, to check if it's benign or malignant, but I feel that this is pointless, as we don't intend letting her have major surgery to keep her with us for a few months.

I'm going to ask for a referral to a well known homeopathic vet who is about 15 miles away, to keep her comfortable until the time comes when we can't. (My vet gave her a shot of Rymadil yesterday, and she was skipping around again by teatime,...but I'm not happy about keeping her on that, and she's "off" again today.)

Anyone else got any other ideas about how to keep her happy for whatever time she has left?

(Husband and I have,unfortunately got used to making these difficult decisions with our animals...we had to do it 3 times last year, and each time we felt we had left it later than we should have, so we're not going to put Cherry thro' the same.)

Thanks

Sami

(Edited for spelling!)

So sorry to read your post Sammi. A horrid position to be in. You have done wonderfully well to get a Cavalier with a heart murmur to 13 years old. Mine dogs have needed little veterinary help over the years, but my thoughts are once they get to 10 years old, if they have problems, then I would keep them comfortable and pain free without other major intervention or surgery. I also have a dislike for Rimadyl, having had personal, fatal experience with it, but given Cherry's age and condition, if other potential treatments offer not a great prognosis, and Rimadyl gives her comfort and quality of life, I'd probably go for that.
Make the best of the time that you have with Cherry and enjoy each other! Good luck.

Sammi

So sorry to hear about Cherry. I am glad though you have been sensible enough in your decsion about how you are going to progress on her treatment. Just enjoy the time you have left with her and cherish these days.

Lucy
xxxx

Thanks for replies Val and Lucy
Cherry seems happier today,...she's just begged for most of my lunch time steak....and got it!!

The cystitis has now cleared up, after 4 days on antibiotics, and she seems comfortable. (The heat of the last 2 days was probably getting her down too, but we have rain here today.)

Will keep you posted of her progress.

Sami

Hi All
We have had the bloodwork results back for Cherry, and they seem to point to a lymphatic type of cancer.
We have been giving Cherry half the lowest dose of Rimadyl twice a day for the last few days,and she is skipping about like there's not much wrong with her, which is lovely to see.
Despite our first thoughts of how we were going to deal with this, and as Cherry has been so well this week, we have now, after long discussions with our vet, decided to take her tomorrow for a biopsy of the bone marrow and spleen, and X rays of her heart and abdomen.
A friend of our vets is an oncolgist at another veterinary hospital about 25 miles away, and between them, they are planning to produce a chemo programme to hopefully keep her well for as long as possible.Vet said removing the spleen would be of no great benefit, as hopefully the enlargement would decrease under chemo.(There didn't appear to be a solid tumour.) So, at least no major surgery.

We actually asked if it would be kinder having her PTS yesterday,so that she doesn't have to have any discomfort from treatment. The vet, like us, looked at her big, bright eyes and waggy cavalier tail.....and said there was no way he would recommend that in an animal that was actually that well, and obviously wanted to be around for a while longer.

So.....she has made the decision for us, for the time being anyway.
I'm scared about the effects of chemo, tho.

I don't like the thought of her having a GA to have the biopsy taken, (she has a low grade murmur), but if she is meant to fight this horrible disease, then she will be ok with the GA. If not, then at least she will be asleep, and what will be, will be.....

Keep your fingers crossed for her tomorrow!

Sami

Good luck Sami, it does sound like your vet is very caring and will their very best. My understanding of chemo in dogs is that there is very little of the unpleasant side effects that humans experience.

Hi all
Well, took Cherry to have biopsies done early today....only to get call from vet, to say he had just had emergency , and wouldn't be able to do it until late today, which would mean leaving Cherry hospitalised over night.(They keep animals in for at least 6 hours after a GA when they are elderly.)

So, as the poor old girl hadn't had any breakfast, and they hadn't sedated her or anything, we drove straight back to the hospital, and brought her home, where she scoffed a large late breakfast, and just thought she'd been out for an outing!

Not a bad idea, actually, 'cos when we go for chemo, she will need to be at the hospital for a few hours every week, and perhaps this will help her relax there!

We've rescheduled for 16th June, as vet is going to be away for a few days next week, and we want continuity of just him and the oncologist treating Cherry.

The vet said today, that he is almost sure that she hasn't got a splenic tumour, but the spleen is enlarged because of the type of cancer. They are thinking it's a form of leukemia, which hopefully may respond well to chemo.

Will keep you updated.
Sami