Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hey everyone,
I hope this post becomes completely unnecessary and overkill, but since I know how helpful you all are, I figure it can’t hurt to get your advice.
My dog Arthas (6 year old lab/collie mix) has a quarter-sized lump on his rib cage. The vet has a strong suspicion it is a mast cell tumor. They did a needle aspirate yesterday and I’m expecting to hear back tomorrow (Thursday).
The vet said that if it is MCT, it will need to be removed. It’s an inch or two behind his front left leg and the he doesn’t have any concerns about getting good margins. I know many of you have dealt with MCT in your dogs. Are there any questions I should be asking? I understand this is a rather common problem – is it straightforward in dogs?
Of course when we hear back from pathology, this could go pretty far in either direction, so we’ll see. I have seen Sebastian go through cancer and lose a leg, I have seen my other cat go through skin cancer without much complication, and of course my worst nightmare would be to find out my dog has cancer that spreads. I’m crossing my fingers that it’s either completely benign or more similar to the other cat!
Anyway, if he does need surgery, we’re going to have to move really fast. I’m due to have a baby sometime in the next few weeks and I want the guard dog in tip top shape!! Seriously though, I don’t want my current baby to be laid up while hubby & I are busy with the new baby. Ugh.
Never a dull moment in our house!!
P.S. Sebastian is doing great and acting like his usual feisty self.
Geez, don't need this going on in your life!
My Happy Hannah had osteo so I don't have any input for you. I know from being on the site that the fact the vet said he could get clean margins is REALLY good! The "index" number will also give you some insight into what your dealing with. That's pretty much the extent of my very little "knowledge".
Karen (Stubborn Pug Maggie's mom) and others will chime in with really good first-hand insight.
Deep breaths.....you have a lot on your plate! It may end up just being a benign lump anyway.
I'm so glad to hear Sebastian is doing well! He's quite the Warrior!
Update when you can...and we'd love pics of all the lack!
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Oh my congrats on the baby, you DO have a lot going on! Your question is absolutely fine, we're glad you shared this with us. There are better MCT experts in this community than I, so stay tuned for feedback from them. If you have time you can also download this Tripawd Talk Radio podcast about MCT.
Try not to panic. You are an experienced pet parent and you know how to handle these things. MCT is common and manageable. This list of questions to ask your vet oncologist can help when the pathology report returns.
We'll keep our paws and tails crossed for a good report. And YAY for Sebastian! He's so pawesome!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Congrats on the baby- your first?
Did your vet look at the aspirate in house before sending the rest off to pathology? My vet does that and she has been right every time- 20 plus MCTs (the pug girls) and one time benign (pug boy Obie). Apparently mast cell cancer is quite distinctive with a certain stain on a microscope slide.
Unless there has been some changes over the past few years an aspirate sample will really only tell you yes or no, it can not tell grading or mitotic index (MI). Assuming it is a MCT then the recommended treatment will be surgical removal of the tumor and enough tissue to get clean margins. Sounds like the lump is in a pretty good spot to be removed. Be aware that they take a lot of tissue! Tripug Maggie had a tumor on her side removed about 6 months before the one in her knee led to her rear amp. The incision/scar from the tumor on her side was way bigger than her amp scar! The good news is that the surgery tends to be way less painful than something like an amp or a knee surgery, there generally will be no bones involved, just skin and muscle tissue. It is uncomfortable and the incision will probably pull but the pain meds should easily take care of things.
Then you wait for the path report on the removed tumor. The best result is a grade I with clean margins and a low MI, that result means no more treatment is needed. You have to always be on the look-out for new lumps with mast cell but many pups will only ever have one MCT. If the path report comes back results that show a more aggressive cancer then you talk with an oncologist and depending on the grade/MI they will develop a treatment plan.
Here's hoping that if it is a MCT that it is the low grade type!
Keep us posted.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Thanks for the replies!
The vet just did the aspirate and didn't look at it while I was there. It sounded like he was going to be handing it off to someone else to look at. So we'll see what they are able to determine from that.
Fortunately he did tell me the incision will be large if it has to be removed. He was thinking 6-8 inches. This vet office knows us quite well now so I just reminded him about Sebastian and said please tell me EVERYTHING.
I'll let you know what I hear tomorrow.
As suspected it is MCT and that's all we know. I convinced them to get us in Tuesday. We'll see what the report says afterward.
While any sick animal is really stressful, at least I don't have to worry about Arthas being stressed out...unlike Sebastian who tries to murder everyone the second the anesthesia wears off. Arthas loves loves loves the vet! Weirdo 🙂
Sorry to hear Arthas diagnosis. Good to know the vet can get good margins.
I wanted to let you know about what I call Comfort Cats and Comfort Dogs. At the vets my cat Mona, who's pretty relaxed about things, comforts my big cry baby kitty Eli. Eli makes a big fuss, doesn't try to bite, just hides and Mona climbs on top of him and the vet does the checkup that way. At home Mona doesn't allow Eli to touch her and she bonks him on the head. I met another family who brings in their dog to comfort their cat when the cat needs to see the vet. Could Arthas comfort Sabastian or would he get shredded? Just a thought for the future.
Wishing Arthas a successful surgery. Scratches for Sabastian.
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
Kerren,
That's really great about Mona & Eli. I wish that would work for us, but none of the cats are comfortable enough to provide him any stress relief. In fact, I've started taking Sebastian in by himself because it's usually worse with the other cats. We have made great strides with feliway and just being smart about things, but he's never going to be good at it. Even his non-stressed at home personality is all over the place.
Arthas is a lab so he is VERY hyper when happy. He would probably make a great therapy dog for people if we trained him for it & refocused that excitement, but for cats he's just too much. All of our cats like him, but even they know to run for the hills when he gets going. He's really smart and well behaved, practically knows English. But he's still a lab!!
Anyway, say hi to Mona & Eli for me! Thanks
Dang, I was hoping for something B9!
I adopted quad pug boy Obie when he was 4 years old. Two weeks after I brought him home he ulcerated the cornea in his good eye and we were at the vet every other day for a week, then weekly visits (saved the eye, but vision is poor). Every vet visit was a treat-a-thon so Obie learned that vet=food. He would tow me into every vet office for years after that- he couldn't wait to get into a room or better yet, behind the counter!
Good luck with the surgery Tuesday.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Sorry about the MCT confirmation for Arthas. Hope you have a solid plan for treatment approach as an outcome of your appointment on Tuesday.
Lisa, Minneapolis
On October 27, 2016, nearly 6 months after amputation, and 18 months since his cancer likely started, we lost Pofi to a recurrence of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his spine quite suddenly. His canine sister also succumbed to cancer on March 1, 2019 - we lavished her with our love in the interim, but life was never quite the same without her only real canine friend. Cliff kitty had to leave us, too, suddenly, in August 2019. Lucia kitty grieved all these losses, but helped us welcome two new Lurchers into our home and our lives, Shae and Barley.
Okay, time to get on with a treatment plan and move forward. Let us know how things go Tuesday.
Really glad Arthas likes the vet visits! I loke Karen's idea of each visit being a treat-a-rhon!
And you deserve a whole bag of CHOCOLATE as your treat!
Lots of hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
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