# A rare type of Cancer - Cholangiocarcinoma



## Visitador (Aug 12, 2011)

I lost my best buddy, companion and friend of nine years a couple of weeks ago. The first week was painful but we are feeling better now.

I noticed that I stopped posting in this forum around 2013. Why? Because there was really nothing to post. Cody was a perfect companion and friend. All those issues relating to puppyhood allergies disappeared.

Anyway, the purpose of this post is to make members be aware that golden retrievers seem to be susceptible to all types of cancer. I knew about Lymphoma and was prepared for it. However, I never heard about Cholangiocarcinoma until he finally got diagnosed with it. It is a rare form of liver cancer. Chemotherapy is not workable. There may be a chance of surgery since the liver can regrowth. However, if the cancer has metastasized, then the prognosis is quite poor.

You may ask what kind of signs are there? Well, you can't. Until a couple of weeks before the diagnosis, my Cody was behaving normally. He started drinking a lot of water and lost his appetite. But those are signs of a lot of diseases. When the veterinarian did a panel sample of blood and urine, he found Cody had high cortisol. This made him believe it was either Cushings disease or pancreatitis. However, when he ran the tests for Cushings, it came inconclusive. It is only after he did an ultrasound and biopsy, that he found the lymph nodes around the liver were affected. The biopsy of the liver came back with Cholangiocarcinoma. This cancer is supposed to affect female dogs 10 years and older. But Cody showed it can affect any golden.

There is only one fact that I think may have caused me an alert and that is why I am writing here: There were a couple rare occasions during the prior months that Cody would try to throw up at night. But then he didn't. I thought maybe he had some acid reflux.

So, if you see symptoms of throwing up the food, drinking lots of water or losing appetite, please think of Cholangiocarcinoma. Your precious one's life may be extended if caught early enough for a surgeon to remove the cancerous part of the liver.

Thanks for reading


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## CCoopz (Jun 2, 2020)

Thank you for sharing your story with us and raising the golden communities awareness of this type of cancer.

I am very sorry for your loss. Cody sounds like a wonderful companion that will be sorely missed but fondly remembered.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

Thanks for the information. I have never heard of this. I am so sorry for your loss of sweet Cody. We all hope for more than 9 years.


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## Visitador (Aug 12, 2011)

CCoopz said:


> Thank you for sharing your story with us and raising the golden communities awareness of this type of cancer.
> 
> I am very sorry for your loss. Cody sounds like a wonderful companion that will be sorely missed but fondly remembered.


Thank you for your kind words. Cody was the first dog that I raised through puppyhood. Always brought smiles to neighbors and strangers


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## Visitador (Aug 12, 2011)

cwag said:


> Thanks for the information. I have never heard of this. I am so sorry for your loss of sweet Cody. We all hope for more than 9 years.


Thank you for your kind words. Yes, I was hoping for more than nine years. Though nine years of memory were magical, though


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I'm so sorry for your loss of Cody and everything you went through.

Thank you for sharing this information with us.


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## Visitador (Aug 12, 2011)

CAROLINA MOM said:


> I'm so sorry for your loss of Cody and everything you went through.
> 
> Thank you for sharing this information with us.


Thank you for your comforting words


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