# Henry has cancer and I’m devastated. Please help with any info.



## mygoldenkids (Oct 4, 2010)

My beautiful, loving boy was diagnosed Saturday via ultrasound with cancer in his liver and also his surrounding lymph nodes. This all happened so suddenly in the past week or so. I noticed his energy levels weren’t the same, and he didn’t have the same appetite (always a red flag with golden.) He also started vomiting—mostly after breakfast, and it had a lot of bile. The diagnosis from the US is this:

“Liver is diffusely enlarged and heterogeneous in echotexture w/ irregular margins. Multiple ill-defined modular areas seen throughout the left, right, central liver. A small volume of anechoic effusion is seen adjacent to the liver. The hepatic lymph nodes are enlarged and hypoechoic measuring up to 2cm. Two hypoechoic nodules are seen in the mesentary of the cranioventral abdomen measuring up to 1.5cm. The spleen is mildly enlarged w/ a few hypoechoic nodules measuring up to .8cm. The gallbladder, stomach, pancreas, small intestine, colon are unremarkable. The kidneys, adrenals, prostate, and bladder are within normal limits. An aortic lymph node is enlarged and hypoechoic measuring 1.1cm.
The liver changes likely represent malignant neoplasia such as carcinoma or lymphoma w/ secondary effusion and metastasis to the local lymph nodes and mesentary. The splenic nodules may represent lymphoid hyperplasia or neoplasia. Tissue sampling needed for definitive diagnosis.”

They said I could get needle biopsies of the liver and/or lymph nodes. However, even with this, treatment would be invasive and prognosis and longevity would not be that great. They gave him prednisone to help his energy and increase his appetite, although they told me not to give him the steroid if pursuing the aspiration. I have decided not to pursue the aspiration.

I am breaking inside. I currently have 2 goldens—Molly will be 11 in June (she’s the loyal protector), and Henry will be 10 on May 31. We got Molly after my last golden Maggie passed suddenly at 11 1/2 from hemangiosarcoma of the spleen. Henry was given to me a year later as a surprise after I had brain surgery in 2011. He is my heart dog. Because of his loving and ever-clownish nature, he helped heal me. I don’t know what I’m going to do.
What should I do for him? Is there anything I can do for him? I’ve been giving him meals of ground beef (boiled to remove fat) and rice, along with probiotics, and of course the prednisone. I also give him very low-fat treats from Honest Kitchen to help keep up his energy/weight. How much time do you think he has? It’s hard for me to imagine a world without him. I know all dogs eventually pass, but I’m not ready. It’s too soon. I can’t eat or sleep. I can’t work. I can’t do anything besides look at him to see how he’s doing and then feeling hopeless because there isn’t anything I can do. Please help.
The photo below was taken yesterday.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

I am so sorry to hear this about your sweet Henry. I have seen people say that Henry doesn't know he's dying so try to make the most of everyday you have with him. I know you are overwhelmingly sad but try not to let Henry feel your sadness. As I type this though it seems very inadequate as helpful advice. Again, I am just so sorry.


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

I'm so sorry for the diagnosis. It's ok to not be ok right now. 

My Bear was diagnosed with cancer of the liver and spleen. We did a needle aspiration but all they could tell me was that it was malignant. We didn't get an actual diagnosis until his necropsy when the vet was able to get a solid biopsy sample. Bear was only 4 years old (almost 5 years old so still very young dog). And from diagnosis to death we got 10 days. I was a wreck the entire time. Idk if that will be experience. I have a friend whose dog has been fighting cancer for over a year now. It really depends on the cancer and what your dog can withstand and what you can afford. 

With Bear, I was ready to throw every dollar we had at his treatment, but the cancer had taken too much already and he wouldn't have survived the surgery let alone the chemo. So he was on palliative care since his diagnosis. I was the one who scheduled his euthanasia cause I thought it was time. He walked into his appointment wagging his tail and aside from looking gaunt I don't think you could tell he was sick. I remember feeling sick like maybe I did it too soon but my vet called me after the necropsy to tell me she didn't understand how he was still acting like he was fine cause his body was pretty much all cancer by that point and I swear he was fueled by some angelic love or something. 

Take each day as the gift it is. _hugs_


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I'm so sorry about Henry's diagnosis. 

Here is a thread that may be of some help to you-









Cancer Diagnosis--What Should You Ask the Vet?


Oh, I should have mentioned, that her appetite is GREAT. In fact, one of the symptoms of EPI is a ravaneous appetite, which our Goldie has. I guess I could ask if the EPI test has a lot of false negatives, or, what the harm would be by treating her as though she has EPI to see what happens...




www.goldenretrieverforum.com


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## Hildae (Aug 15, 2012)

I lost a dog to Hermangiosarcoma. We only got a few days after diagnosis. Whatever you do just love him as much as you can and try not to be too sad in front of him, which is a nearly impossible task, I know. 💕


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## Visitador (Aug 12, 2011)

I lost Cody last month to a malignant form of liver cancer called Cholangiocarcinoma, which is cancer of the bile ducts within the liver. My only advice is to do a needle biopsy of the liver to make sure what kind of liver cancer he has. The liver is one organ that can regrowth after surgery. That is assuming the cancer has not metastasized. From my research, even with surgery, the chances are not great for a long life. In my case, the cancer already spread to the nearby lymph nodes. It is going to be tough on you and you can reach out to me directly if you want to discuss more with the little info I have.


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

I'm very sorry about Henry. My Luke died in August of 2019 after a four month battle with cancer. His was histiocytosis which was first found in his spleen and moved to his liver. We went the chemo and steroid route as Luke was eight when he got his. It's such a hard decision and my heart goes out to you. Whatever you decide to do, it will be a decision made in love and with Henry's best in mind.


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## Lovin'Goldens (Feb 17, 2021)

I am sorry to hear about Henry. I don't know the cure to cancer, but I do know that Henry deserves all the love you can provide for the rest of his days. I know you must be very upset right now, but try to be positive for Henry (I know he must not like seeing you like this). 

Everything happens for a reason and all things will eventually fall into place. Don't give up hope, Henry is fighting for you, and he will try his best to be here for you for as long as he can. And when it's his time, he will meet you one day and be the loving boy he is now. 

My thoughts are with you and Henry.


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## whemtp (Oct 18, 2009)

I am so sorry to hear about Henry. I lost my 10 year old Golden, Lucy in December from lymphoma. Same deal, it came on quickly and we noticed the swelling of her lymph nodes. We did do the needle biopsy just to see what exactly we were dealing with as we did not want her to suffer. We decided on palliative care and treated her with the steroids (prednisone). She did well for about three weeks and the steroids gave us all good days. They did estimate she could get a few weeks to a few months. Three weeks into it, she decided she did not want to go for a walk which I knew as not good, and that night, she seemed to be uncomfortable when trying to sleep. The following day, she started to vomit and she came and laid on the floor next to me. She no longer wanted to do the things she loved and it seemed she felt really weak. It was time to let her go. It is a horrible decision to make and none of us want to do it. My advice is to investigate as much about it as you can and have a plan. Even with the plan, the time still comes and it is still so hard.


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

i'm so sorry to hear that, sending prayers your way.


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## mygoldenkids (Oct 4, 2010)

To everyone that has taken the time to respond—thank you. We met w/ our regular vet yesterday, and he said the cancer has just spread too much (liver, lymph nodes, etc) to make any treatment like chemo a viable option, especially given that he is a month shy of 10. We are giving him prednisone and have chosen home care for his final days. We want him to be in his familiar places with his familiar smells. We want him to be with us and his golden sister Molly. We are giving him as much love as we can, but no matter how much we give him, it can’t even come close to what he has given us.


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## Ginams (Jan 20, 2015)

I’m so sorry. 

For Henry, keep loving him. Dogs live in the moment, so make his moments amazing. 
A bit of advice I got as we were dealing with a cancer diagnosis in our GSD was to try not to grieve while they’re still here. It was nearly impossible to follow through, but we made some really good memories while we had her still. 

Sending you so much love.


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## whemtp (Oct 18, 2009)

That is a great picture you included in your post about Henry.


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## Golden Glory (May 11, 2020)

If my current golden should develop cancer I plan on trying salvestrols. There is growing evidence that suggests cancer is basically yeast overgrowth gone wild. I posted another thread somewhere on here discussing it. You may or may not be interested in looking for it. In the mean time there is this salvestrols at DuckDuckGo 

I'm also really sorry about your dog, I know how it feels too. 


https://www.youtube.com/c/DanielleMacKinnon/videos


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