Tara,

I'm very sorry to hear about Zeus. We are going through the same thing with Henry. Two weeks ago today they discovered the cancer was in his lungs and gave him 6 to 8 weeks. Last friday we got another x-ray and the cancer spread in that short amount of time. Henry developed a cough and it almost sounds like he is gagging on something. Just going out to go potty tires him out. It's amazing how much he has changed in the last 5 days. We started Rimadyl tonight to help his back end out and he is getting weaker. Everything is happening so much faster than we thought it would. I wish you all the best

Wendy

I'm so sorry to hear that your dog, Zeus, is having some problems.  A good question to ask yourself is, if the x ray were free, would you do it?  It is possible that you really may not want to "know".  As for me, waiting for those test results is agony.  Every time my dog, Luna, had a test, I was on pins and needles waiting for the test results, because I knew that those results could literally mean life or death.  I think that often the people taking those tests and reporting those test results have no idea what emotional suffering you go through just waiting for those results.

I agree with Jerry, and others in the forum, who are advising you to get the x rays done.  At least it will give you a better idea of what was going on.  When we had Luna's chest x rays redone four weeks ago, the nodules in her lungs had doubled in two weeks.  That told us that at that point, the cancer was moving very aggressively.  Combining that knowledge with her "new" symptoms of stumbling and staggering, and we knew something was going on. 

As for the payment of the testing to the vet, I think looking for another vet who will work with you and give you a payment plan would be a great idea.  Sure, there are a lot of vets out there who won't do that, but there are others who will.  Make some phone calls and see what you can find out, it can't hurt to make some phone calls and you might find someone who could help you.

The other thing is that whether you use your current vet, or a new vet, it is important to have a "game plan" in place with the vet, or at least in your own mind, of what you would do in various situations.  I discussed these topics with our local vet right after Luna got her diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma.  Find out if the vet will come to your home and if so, what he would charge to do that.  Shop around if you have to, use the phone.  I know it's bad enough having to think about these things without "shopping around" but it might be the best thing you can do for your dog to be "prepared", just in case.   The one thing you don't want for your dog is for your dog to suffer.  Your dog won't suffer if you are prepared and have a compassionate vet on "stand by" to help you if you need it.

I agree, too, that sometimes symptoms can be something else.  At one point, we thought Luna was "dying" because she was acting so strangely.  She was whining and whimpering, we thought she was in pain.  So, did the vet, based on our account of her symptoms.  Luna would frantically go from one room into the next, and in and out of the dog house in the yard, and wasn't eating.  I was very worried.  This was after her first surgery to remove the femur bone from her right hind leg, but before her amputation.  At that point, we were just waiting for the inevitable.  When these symptoms showed up, I figured that this was "it" and that she was in the final stage somehow.  So, did the vet, and she gave us some very strong pain meds, including a Fentanyl pain patch.  They won't give you this patch to take home, they have to apply it at the vet's office which means shaving a little place on the skin so the patch will stick.  They figure you might use it instead if they just hand it to you.  At any rate, after a short while on the patch, Luna started staggering around.  The medication was too much for her, and that was what was making her stagger, but that still didn't explain why she was having these symptoms.  The vets did all kinds of tests on her, chest x rays which were ok, abdomenal ultrasounds were ok, bloodwork was ok.  Then we figured out what we thought was going on after we got her home.  Luna was in  heat and was going through "pseudo pregnancy".  She thought she was pregnant, or already had had "pups" and was running around trying to find a spot to "nest".  She also was carrying her toys around in her mouth constantly and putting them together around her.  I have a pet owners vet book which is excellent and we looked this condition up and it said to try squeezing her nipples to see if she had milk . We did and she had milk!  So, we had finally figured out what was going on (Luna was only 2 and a half years old at that time).  I called the local vet and told her what we had discovered and she said that she thought we were "right on the money".  So, that story goes to show you that we thought it was something bad, but it ended up being something totally harmless.  We had sat in the vet's office all afternoon, for five hours, while they did all of these tests on Luna since they had worked her in on an emergency basis.  I know I could have gone home, but I wanted to be there for the results and just be "near" her in the waiting room.  When the vet came in to tell us the results, I really thought that she was going to say that things were really bad and that we should put her to sleep right then and there.   It was a miserable and emotionally painful afternoon full of worry.  In the end, Luna was ok and could go home.  She had not been in pain and hadn't even needed that pain patch, but no one knew what was going on.  So, of course, testing can help show what is going on, but it can be costly.  So, I would say at least the chest x rays would be in order, with a vet who will work with you on payments.

Please keep us posted on how your dog, Zeus, is doing.  My heart goes out to you at this time; the worry is so hard to go through. 

Sandra