Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello Everyone,
I am just checking with anyone that has gone through lung mets. Sweetpea has always had clear xrays- even though she mets to another area. My question is - she will cough (dry) and then maybe not again for a couple of days. I know I work with people but it doesnt sound like it comes from her lungs and it doesnt seem to bother her. Is it possible it has gone to her lungs if it sounds dry like that? We had promised her almost 6 weeks ago- that she didnt have to have anymore tests, so going for yet another chest xray is not an option. Thank you for any advice!!!!
I think you will probably get a lot of different replies to this one, but here is our experience with lung mets. Max was diagnosed/amputated in November 2008. X-rays disovered a lung met in October 2009. He never showed any physical symptoms of the mets until January 2010. This was right before he passed, however, the lung mets never got to the point where he had major trouble breathing. Anyway, a couple days before his passing, Max began to cough/hack. It was a dry sounding cough/hack, like it was coming from his throat. He never coughed up any blood, as some other members have wrote about in their posts. Hope this helps, but again, I'm sure plenty of other members will give their experiences.
I agree with Maximutt. I think there will be lots of different replies because the cancer can show up in so many different ways. For us, Magnum gave a little cough 3 months before lung mets were even detected. After they were detected she still didn't cough much, just the odd little cough every week or so. Se didn't cough at all on her last day. But what I did notice on her last day was a strange "popping" sound in her chest every now and then. But, lung mets is not what eventually took her.
Karen and Spirit Magnum
Magnum: 30th May 2002 to 5th May 2012. Lost her back left leg to osteosarcoma on 5th Sep 2011. Lung mets found on 20th Mar 2012 but it was bone mets in the hip that ended her brave battle. Magnum's motto - "Dream as if you'll live for ever, live as if you'll die today" (James Dean). Loyal, loving, courageous and spirited to the end. My beloved heart dog, see her memoirs from Rainbow Bridge ...... http://princess.....pawds.com/
Abby had a lung met almost right from the get-go. It wasn't until, gosh, 14 months or so later that we finally heard 'the cough'. To me it was a big odd sounding - not even really like a cough - it was more like she was gagging on something that was right at the back of her throat. So, I'm not sure if she really had the usual "cough" that is associated with mets. She never got to a point where she would cough stuff up. It would just be a hack, maybe two, and then that was it.
The lung mets were what took her because one was too close to her airways in the end. She couldn't breathe well when she would lay down.
Best of luck,
Jackie
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
It's so hard to say that metastasis will happen in a specific way, it's so different for each dog. It does seem like the most common way it happens is via the lungs, but the symptoms can be different for many dogs.
For me, I had a dry cough that took a very long time to develop (about 22 months past diagnosis). My pawrents and the doctor both thought it sounded like allergies, just a light little hack every now and then. It is much different than a traditional cough that you would hear in a human.
Keep in mind that even if this is why Sweetpea is coughing, you have to ask yourself, what would you do differently if you found out that it was mets? If you wouldn't change your current routine, and she doesn't appear to be in pain, are -x-rays something you would find beneficial?
When it came to my case, my people decided not to do follow-up x-rays. We knew what the inevitable conclusion to ostesarcoma would likely be, and as long as I was happy and not in pain, they decided to hold off on more vet visits. It wasn't until my cough developed and my appetite/stamina greatly decreased, did they take me in, and heard the news we knew would happen eventually.
I hope this isn't the case with Sweetpea. I hope that she is one of those dogs who beats the odds and shows cancer where to stick it! Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
My last dog who had lung cancer initially had a lung lobe removed and chemotherapy. I did not follow up with chest x-rays after that because I knew he could not take anymore chemo, so we were just happy as long as he was happy.
We ended up taking X-rays about 12 mos after his chemo was done (because of a different problem) and his lungs were completely full of tumors... but he had no cough at all at that point. It wasn't until about 3 mos later that he started coughing up blood, but only occasionally.
So I guess dogs are all different in how they react when they get lung mets.
Hoping the very best for Sweetpea. 
Right hind limb amputated 7/3/12 for OSA, started on alternating cycles of Carboplatin and Doxorubicin and oral Palladia. Single lung met 9/1. Met in the neck muscle removed 9/30. Large mass in sublumbar lymph node 10/2. Rescue chemo with ifosfamide 10/6. Mets to the rib and axillary lymph node 10/21. Started Leukeran and Pred 10/25. Wookie left this Earth for a far better place on 12/4/12. I miss you, Boo, you were my heart.
wookie524 said
My last dog who had lung cancer initially had a lung lobe removed and chemotherapy. I did not follow up with chest x-rays after that because I knew he could not take anymore chemo, so we were just happy as long as he was happy.
Thanks for sharing this info wookie. I'm really curious to hear more about the lung lobe surgery. This was presented as an option to us but we didn't do it. Would you be interested in writing a guest blog post for Tripawds News, about your experience? I know it could help others if they had to make that decision. So far I'm pretty sure there have been few, if any people and pups here who have been through it.
If you'd like to blog about it, it doesn't have to be long. Please PM me and I'll send you the details. Thanks for consdidering it.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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