# advice on surgery for a white face.



## billythekid (Aug 1, 2012)

Hi, guys.

I could really use some advice or guidance, and I'll try to keep a long story short for all of our sakes 

A few weeks ago I found what has ended up to be a very large tumor on my old golden. Her name is Lizzy and she has a pretty white face. She's about to turn 13 (I've only had her for 4.5 years, thought). So after a couple Biopsies, X-rays and a CT scan, it looks like its a 7" diameter almost perfectly spherical tumor on her left ribs. It encompases 4 and almost 5 ribs and has grown inward to her chest cavity and is touching the preicardial sac of her heart. The specialist seems to think that due to her otherwise great health that they could remove the tumor as well as a required 3cm of surrounding tissue, 4-5 affected ribs and implant a mesh or some sort of structure to replace the ribs. I mean, I'm no vet or dog expert, but that sounds like it would be alot for any dog or human or animal of any age to recover from.

Has anyone had to put an elderly dog through an operation like this before? Was it worth it? What is the quality of a dogs life expected to be like after such an operation? Would I likely make her last few months/years harder by delaying the inevitable? I dunno. 

I'll be able to talk more with my vet and the specialist in a few days, but if anybody has some real-world advice or info from thier experience in a situation, I'd apreciate it.

regards,

Bill


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## PrincessDi (Jun 8, 2009)

Bumping up


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

That is a hard one. Good idea to talk to the vet and specialist more. Really try to pick their brain and get some real answers. 
Good luck to your furbaby!


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

I am sorry you are dealing with this with your sugar face, Lizzy. I would love to see pictures.
I think a real heart to heart talk with a trusted vet about issues regarding recovery, pain management and your dog's prognosis with and without surgery would be a good idea if you already haven't done so.

I had an amazing Golden, Beau, who at the age of 9 was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. A few specialists suggested amputation but due to his other frailities and after discussion with my trusted vet, I elected to enjoy and cherish his remaining days instead of surgery. This decision was one of the hardest I ever had to make but I knew that for Beau it was the right one. I miss him terribly but I can feel assured that he did not suffer during his last few months in my home.

Every dog and situation is different and only you and a trusted vet that can weigh all of the ramifications for you and your dog can make such a difficult decision.

My heart goes out to you and I wish you and Lizzy the best.

Please send pictures of Lizzy.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I have no experience with this.. but the specialist's opinion that the surgery would likely be successful would likely give me the encouragement to try. Or at least talk seriously about it more with the vet and specialist. 

Please let us know what you decide.... sending positive thoughts..


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

Any updates on Lizzy?


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## billythekid (Aug 1, 2012)

hi guys. so its been a busy month and a half! i'll just put the bad news out there though... Lizzy is gone now. after i found the tumor, i had taken her to a specialist on at the advice of her vet. long story short, i decided against the operation based on the feedback i had gotten from friends/family that have also gone through similar situations. She was fine up untill yesterday -- we even went for our normal walk on sunday and she seemed to be ok, but when i got home from work yesterday, she had taken a serious turn for the worse. she was in shock and sprawled out on the ground. she couldnt and wouldnt stand up. her nose was all dry and she was breathing shalow and rapid. i picked her limp body up and took her to emergency care and another xray and blood test showed that her chest was full of fluid and her bloodpressure was too low as well as her red bloodcell count -- she was bleeding internaly. it was time for her to go. i signed the papers and went back to say goodbye. she looked so pitiful on that operating table. she shook the oxygen mask off and gave me a look that will stay with me untill my dying day. im not sure what it was. it was a look of love/fear/pain. then she put her head back down. i knew there was nothing more to be done so i asked the doctor to get the show on the road. it was a pretty traumatic experience. she was such a great dog. even when i got home and she was dying she managed to wag her tail and give me a smile for a moment. that almost gave me some hope that i could at least take her back home to die peacfuly, but she was declining too fast. i think she was waiting for me to come home so she could go. ive been preparing myself for this day for some time, and it didnt seem to help. or maybe it did -- i dont know. a part of me will always wonder if there was something i could have done better, if that operation would have helped her out, or if this was the best option for her. 












either way, she was an awesome dog and i thank her for letting me have her while i did.








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## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

I am so sorry about Lizzy! There is nothing harder  I'm glad you were able to be there for her at the end, I believe it means the world to them.
No words will help...sending hugs!


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## Wagners Mom2 (Mar 20, 2012)

I'm so sorry for your loss. Lizzy was beautiful. (((HUGS))).


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Lizzy*

Rest in peace, sweet Lizzy. My Smooch and Snobear are playing with her.
You did what was BEST for Lizzy!


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

My Carmella, who was 13.5, had a thymoma the size of a tennis ball lodged against her heart. She had a sternectomy, where they cracked open her rib cage and removed the thymoma as well as part of her pericardial sac because it was quite thickened.

She recovered beautifully, and bounced back so quickly from the surgery. We had another year with her before she passed away from old age.


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## Mayve (Aug 21, 2012)

I'm sorry for your loss. The "what if's" got me too a few months back when we put our Maggie down. It took me a while to work through it all and make peace with our decision, but honestly I knew I did the right thing, I just couldn't except that she was truly gone and while I will miss her every day, I am blessed to have had 13 years with her. (She wasn't a golden btw...but she was an awesome dog)....


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## Wendy427 (Apr 4, 2009)

I'm so sorry for the loss of your precious Lizzy. Rest in peace at the bridge, dear girl.


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## Brinkleythegolden (Jun 18, 2012)

So sorry about Lizzy. Please don't ever second guess yourself--you did what was right for you and your girl. She's not in pain anymore. I'm sure my Fozzie was there to greet her at the Bridge.


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## GoldenMum (Mar 15, 2010)

I am so very sorry, Lizzy was a beauty! My Clyde, who just turned 12 last week looks a lot like her. RIP sweet girl, my thoughts go out to you!


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

I am so sorry for your loss!


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## PrincessDi (Jun 8, 2009)

I'm very sorry that you lost your girl as well. You did what you thought was best for her. There is no guarantee that she would have survived the surgery. I think I would have been afraid as well.


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

So sorry for the loss of your beloved Lizzy.


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## k9mom (Apr 23, 2009)

I am so sorry for your loss. Lizzy looks like my Nugget. It will be 2 years this Nov 5, I lost her to hemangoscroma.


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## Buddy's mom forever (Jun 23, 2011)

I am very sorry for your loss of Lizzy. 
Run free, play hard, sleep softly sweet girl.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Godspeed sweet Lizzy. I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you find comfort in the fact that she left knowing how loved and special she was.


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## billythekid (Aug 1, 2012)

Florabora said:


> My Carmella, who was 13.5, had a thymoma the size of a tennis ball lodged against her heart. She had a sternectomy, where they cracked open her rib cage and removed the thymoma as well as part of her pericardial sac because it was quite thickened.
> 
> She recovered beautifully, and bounced back so quickly from the surgery. We had another year with her before she passed away from old age.



I'm glad you had a happy extra year with her after the operation. Everything i had heard from people made operations on older dogs sound so bleak. you know, I sorta hate to be encouraged by the thought that she could have made it at this point though  I didnt expect her to go so quickly.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I'm so sorry you lost your girl. At least you were able to be with her in the end, and I know that brought her great comfort. So sad. I'm sorry.


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## billythekid (Aug 1, 2012)

Mayve said:


> I'm sorry for your loss. The "what if's" got me too a few months back when we put our Maggie down. It took me a while to work through it all and make peace with our decision, but honestly I knew I did the right thing, I just couldn't except that she was truly gone and while I will miss her every day, I am blessed to have had 13 years with her. (She wasn't a golden btw...but she was an awesome dog)....



I hope i cann work through them quickly. All I can think about is what i could have done better for her. She went so quickly. She was doing pretty well on sunday, rolled in the grass 1000 times on our walk, jumped up on the couch to lay down, and now that i think about it, she came over and did this cute thing she used to do, which was come over and put her left paw on me like she was petting _me_  she hadnt done that in a long time. 

Such a great dog.


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## billythekid (Aug 1, 2012)

PrincessDi said:


> I'm very sorry that you lost your girl as well. You did what you thought was best for her. There is no guarantee that she would have survived the surgery. I think I would have been afraid as well.



thank you. I didnt realize how quickly she was going to go. Its only been weeks since i found the problem! I almost feel like the surgery would have been worth it now. Thats probably my guilt complex talking though


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## billythekid (Aug 1, 2012)

Sweet Girl said:


> I'm so sorry you lost your girl. At least you were able to be with her in the end, and I know that brought her great comfort. So sad. I'm sorry.



Thank you so much, again!

I really hope she knew. Even when she was laying on the ground when i got home -- she was already in bad bad shape at that point -- she managed to give me a tail wag and a smile. that confused me at first. i just thought i had caught her in the middle of a nap. I went to the fridge and when i realized she wasn't getting up to come get her share of whatever i was eating (peanutbutter), I knew something was wrong. At the very end when I decided to send her on and went back to see her for the last time, she managed to muster up enough strength to shake off the oxygen mask to look up at me. I didnt know what to think of the expression on her face, but I think now it might have been her feeling bad for ME! I think she was concerned for me. I tiold her it was ok and petted her ear as the doctor did his business. 

I cant forget that no matter what I would have done, that at some point she would have died anyways. I couldnt make er live forever.


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