# First Sign That Something Was Wrong



## Debles

Selka (11) began limping, we thought he pulled something so gave it a few days before taking him to the vet. He stopped limping for a few days and then started again. I was sitting on the couch cuddling with him on a Sunday night and felt a giant hard lump on the front of his shoulder. It was like it appeared over night!
The next day at the vet they xrayed his shoulder and told me they were 99% sure it was terminal osteosarcoma. We had hoped it would be a ruptured bursa sac. I was devastated. He really wasn't a candidate for amputation and we only got 8 more weeks with our beloved boy. He went to the Bridge on Sept.9, 2010. I miss him every minute.


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## DaisyGolden

Thinking back now the first sign with Daisy was when she started being really picky about food. She was never really food motivated but she would eat normally. She started to only want to eat her favorites and not her regular food. Some dogs get picky about food sometimes so I thought that's what it was but then found out later after we found a tumor on her that I was wrong. I would tell anyone if your dogs eating habits change go see the vet because you never know.


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## Karen519

*Smooch*

My Smooch, who was 11 1/2, started to cough, sounded like she was gagging, and a little blood came up. Also, she didn't want to eat and she didn't want to go upstairs much.


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## goldensrbest

With spencer, it was weight loss, i was so carefull, about his food, cause i did not want him to gain, but looking back ,i realize this was the first sign, then, throwing up, came next, he never threw up before, then not eating. Spencer had cancer ,of the intestines, it was in his liver, also rectum.


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## LDGrillo

With Mango, we felt a hardened lump on her stomach, more near her "lady area" (near that end). I actually thought it wwas just changes in her skin, since she was 9 years old. In a few more days, the lump had tremendously enlarged in size, to about 7 inches by 1.5 inches in length. We took her to the vet, and he said it was a tumor, but we did not know if it was cancerous or not. During these days, she was very lazy, but before we discovered the lump, she was still jumping in and out of my Ford Escape when we went for rides. It was a complete change after that lump formed. 

We had the lump removed... and even 1.5 days after her surgery she was very energetic, almost like a new lease on life for Mango. But... then about 5 days later, she got slow again... the cancer had spread throughout her system. One night, I noticed her bleeding in her mouth, basically internal bleeding. That was the night I knew we had to say goodbye It was a sad sight to see MY baby in such a bad position : (


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## Megora

With cancer of the spleen... I think that by the time your dog begins to feel uncomfortable, it's already too late. 

The best advice I can offer is to know your dog. Feed your dog set meals and know their eating habits. Exercise your dog every day and know when your dog is pulling back. Know what kinds of behaviors are normal or not for your dog.

With any terminal illness, I think the first sign is they stop walking or balk about exercise beyond walking around the yard. The next sign is picking at the food and/or leaving food in the bowl. The next sign is physical illness... vomiting. The next sign is restlessness and inability to get comfortable. 

All our past dogs exhibited the same signs and in rapid succession... more or less. 

Charmy stopped walking when he was 5. We think that was the time that he began having problems. We didn't know enough back then to have any health screens done and otherwise he was acting like a normal and healthy dog. Less than a year later he completely stopped eating and began vomiting everything he did eat. This was the time we had him checked and found out he was down to only one kidney and barely that. 

Sammy and Danny both stopped walking about 6-8 months or so before they exhibited the other symptoms. The other symptoms happened their last week of life. 

With Sammy he went a week without regular food and was being treated for suspected pancreatitis when his spleen ruptured. I have no idea if other people have experienced this with their dogs, but when the rupture happened he had a brief period of peace or relief. That last morning he got up and was almost his normal self, wagging his tail and dancing around. That was how I last saw him before I headed off to work. Within 20 minutes he crashed and started bleeding and going into shock. I'm so glad that my family was there and were able to rush him to the vet to have him put to sleep, because otherwise he might have died alone. 

Danny went a couple days without regular food and got the same suspected pancreatitis dx. In his case, he was treated at the vet with anti-nausea meds and fluids in the morning, came home in the afternoon, and by that evening we saw him moving around restlessly and trembling when laying down and rushed him back to the vet for the correct dx and surgery. Other than the vomiting earlier in the week and his discomfort, he did not suffer or even go through the extended period of suffering that Sammy and Char did. That is something that has given me a huge amount of relief.

This may be going well past what you asked, but when Charmy grew sick and began dying, Sammy was there watching his brother through all of those days and months. Through the rest of his life, he would get very scared and neurotic when he threw up or if Danny would throw up. And he was never like that before Charmy went through his decline.

When Sammy began dying at home that last day, Danny was right there with him. He never left his brother's side until we took him away. My sister's described Danny looking scared and confused, and just watching his brother. 

Jacks never went through that with Danny, mainly because the decline happened in less than three days and we rushed him to the vet before the worst happened.


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## musicgirl

With Teddy, when we saw it, it was too late. He collapsed on his walk and started panting heavily. Up until that moment, he was happy go lucky, energetic, loved his food, no weight loss, nothing. Poor boy..


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## Laurie

With Reno...I had just let him in the house from being outside after supper. He came in and was rather slow moving. He lied down on his blanket and just seemed uncomfortable....moving around from side to side (trying to get comfortable). I continued to watch him for a few minutes and then noticed him trying to get up and when he did, he dribbled a bit of urine on his blanket. Reno is one who could hold his bladder for an entire day if need be. I immediately thought that was odd for him and decided there and then to take him in to see the vet. That was a Saturday evening. Sunday he had an ultrasound and more x-rays and Monday he had his splenectomy. The vet said if we had of waited, Reno would likely not be here today.

Because we know our dogs so well, the first little thing that seems out of the ordinary is enough to send me to the vet!!


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## dexter0125

I have not personally dealt with this, knock on wood, thank God. However, my sister in law's lab was diagnosed with bone cancer about 2 weeks ago. Her first sign was that she was favoring that leg, and then she couldn't walk on it hardly at all. At first I think they thought it was just a pulled muscle or because she is 9 or 10 yrs old. Then when she went back, unable to use the leg at all, they found it was cancer. They amputated the leg and are going to do chemo. They said the inside of the bone was like a sponge!

I dread Dexter getting older. I worry so much. I want him to be my baby forever.


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## Dallas Gold

The first real sign for both of our hemangio dogs was collapse, early in the morning. Beau collapsed when he first got up, Barkley collapsed about 2 doors down from our house, just as we were starting the morning walk. If I really think about it though I heard Beau cough a few months before--it sounded like a really old chain smoking man broke into the house and was hacking. It stopped almost as soon as it started so I didn't take him into the vets. Four months later--the collapse. With Barkley, he decided to "rest" on the staircase rungs about a week or two before his collapse. His head rested at the top landing and his body stretched along two or three stairs. We thought it was cute--and took photos.:doh::doh: Then a few days before the big collapse he declined to go for his afternoon walk--a huge clue I missed. :doh: We thought he was tired because he was recuperating from a spondylitis episode. The next day he was eager and ready to go when I asked him, so we didn't think any more about it. 

Poor Toby--if there is anything that worries me about him--we're calling or off to the veterinarian for exam and consultation. I'd rather look silly and spend some money for a normal report than delay and have it turn out to be something serious that we could prevent had we gone in the first time we noticed it.


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## kwhit

Savanah showed no signs until the _very_ end. In fact, she had been in for a senior check up 10 days before she passed. Complete physical exam and extensive blood work...all came back normal.

The day we took her to the ER was just like any other day. She ate her breakfast, played with Chance, was her same wiggly happy self. No signs at all...until about 5 pm that night. I was at work and my daughter called to say Savanah was outside and wouldn't come in the house. Very unlike her to do that, so I had my daughter check her gums and they were pale. 

I came straight home and had her at the ER vet before 6 pm. Less than an hour from the start of her symptoms. They did an ultrasound and said she had a tumor on her spleen. She had to receive blood transfusions before they could operate. Her platelets were so low. 

I stayed with her until about 11:00 pm. She went into surgery at 1 pm the next day. Her vet called me at work and said that there were so many nodules that Savanah would keep bleeding out and that she felt I should let her go while she was already under. I said ok and that was it. I never got to say goodbye to her. Savanah was gone in less than 24 hours from the onset of symptoms. 

It happened so quick. I was in shock for a few days. I couldn't believe she was gone. I will never get over losing her. It has gotten easier to think of her without crying, but the pain is still there and it's been over 3 years. I think it's because I never got to tell her I loved her one last time and I didn't get to say goodbye...


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## BayBeams

Beau had survived two cancers but it was the third that took him away from us. One day he was walking up the steps when he tripped and started limping. I thought that he had injured his knee. When I took him to the vet my vet wasn't going to x-ray him because he thought he must have strained a muscle. I pushed for the x-ray just to ease my mind. 
I could see in my vet's face when he came back after looking at Beau's x-rays that the news was not good.
Beau was diagnosed with osteosarcoma but I didn't want to believe it. I took him to an oncologist and had a bone scan done on him and the verdict was the same. He did so well for a few weeks that I thought they had all made a huge mistake. Beau lived, joyfully, for almost 5 months from the day he was diagnosed. I had to say good-bye to Beau on 1-17-11, a day I will never forget, but he remains a happy, loving memory in my heart.


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## caseypooh

Looking back now, Casey's signs were sores that wouldn't heal, trouble with her back legs that at the time we thought was arthritis (she was 12) but now know it was a brain tumor (her rear paws would turn in and buckle), not eating all of her food (this was a big sign as Casey loved to eat) and then finally grand seizures with a tumor on her spleen. When her rear legs started having problems, part of me wishes we would have seen a neurologist. The other part of me is grateful I had almost a year with her not knowing of a brain tumor or something else. If I had of known, I would have been worse with worry. I already worried myself sick over her as it was and I know she worried about me.


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## Oakley&SegersMom

Thank you all for your very insightful responses. There certainly do seem to be some common "signs" that things are not right. 
Megora, I like how you talked about a progression of changes - from walking issues, to issues related to not eating, physical signs and finallly disconfort/restlessness. In all of these posts I can definitely see these signs talked about.
I watch Oakley and Seger constantly, watching for any changes, even subtle ones - I certainly don't want to obsess but I also do not want to miss anything. My biggest fear is not being with them when they pass....I try not to let my mind go there 
Thanks again for the great information. I am sure it's not easy to think back to such a painful experience and put it to words. I appreciate that you have shared this.
Carol


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## Allan's Girl

With Molly, I was rubbing her belly which I do very often, I found an unusual enlargement. apparently what I was feeling was her spleen along with the mass. All of the vets we have been to were amazed that I could feel it and that that is what brought me in. My vet said she wanted to hire me, she was so amazed that I found it. The fact that I found it when I did may have given me more days to love my sweet girl. The radiologist said most people don't notice it when it is this early in the game. 

Botton line.... rub your dogs all over, everywhere, everyday. If you do this you will notice small differences. This, along with what has already been said in previous replies, should help you know you friend well enough to tell when something is wrong. Hope this helps some.


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## Megora

> I am sure it's not easy to think back to such a painful experience and put it to words.


I still cry about our first golden - especially his last night. I remember sleeping on the floor with him, my blanket tucked around us to keep him warm. I thought he was shivering. But he must have been in so much pain. There was so much we learned from him. I would never let another dog get that bad or wait that long. We wanted to take him to the vet that night because he couldn't even keep liquids down. But there was an icestorm overnight and there were complications because of that.

That's why I post on these threads... in case somebody else is in that same position. I feel no pain when I remember Danny. He suffered very little because we acted quickly. In the end, he never woke up from the surgery. We wanted to keep him a little bit longer, but there was a sense of relief that he never had to suffer very long.


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## kwhit

Allan's Girl said:


> Botton line.... rub your dogs all over, everywhere, everyday. If you do this you will notice small differences. This, along with what has already been said in previous replies, should help you know you friend well enough to tell when something is wrong. Hope this helps some.


But see, I did that with Savanah, (and do it with Chance every day), and she also had a physical a little over a week earlier. Her vet palpated her whole abdomen during the exam. She had a Golden and knew that they could get these tumors when they're older, (Savanah was 11), and she felt absolutely nothing. And again her blood work came back perfect.

So even if you are the most vigilant of owners concerning your dog's health, you can't always tell. I felt the smallest of lumps on Chance about a month ago. When I took him in, it took the vet a few minutes to find it himself, so it's true that we feel things many may miss because we know our dog's bodies so well, but sometimes you just can't tell.


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## my4goldens

The first symptom with Tess was around the first of April she lost her appetite. She had always been a picky eater, so for a couple days I wasn't too concerned. Then I took her to the vet, he ran some blood work. The results pointed to pancreatitis. So for several more days we treated her for that. I made her the hamburger/rice boiled food, she seemed to get a little better. Then she stopped eating again. My vet did a abdominal x-ray, which showed some irregularities. Three days later, she had her ultrasound, and her diagnosis, hemangio. Towards the end she got a little tired, but outside of the loss of appetite, seemed fairly normal until the day she collapsed and I made the decision to euthanize her.


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## GabeBabe

*First 'obvious' sign*

We were at my sister's for mom's funeral. My hubby took Gus out for his nightly potty and a short walk. Gus didn't want to walk anywhere and sort of collapsed (plopped down) and wouldn't move. A neighbor helped carry him inside. Puffing panting short of breath. I slept with him in the family room. Shallow breathing continued through the night. Early in the AM we went to the Carytown ER clinic and there was a cardiologist going off duty that did an ultrasound on him - it was hermangioscaroma on the heart. 

He did a procedure to remove the fluids in the heart lining that were coming from the tumor. Pain meds and Yunnan Baiyao which we found at a chinese herb store. 

At home we saw his surgeon (two past tplo surgeries) and he did a procedure to provide relief from the fluid build up. Chemo scheduled as removal was not feasible. 

We changed up the diet even more using many cancer causing foods and herbs - which he LOVED. 

I prayed and God game me 19 days to say good bye. The day that was to be our last the panting came back and a trip to ER showed fluid build up in the lungs. 

It's still so painful and sad. I know mom is looking after him and he's running like the wind. 









"He took my heart and ran with it, and I hope he's running still, fast and strong, a piece of my heart bound up with his forever"
 -- dog quote by Patricia McConnell


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## Rob's GRs

GabeBabe said:


> We were at my sister's for mom's funeral. My hubby took Gus out for his nightly potty and a short walk. Gus didn't want to walk anywhere and sort of collapsed (plopped down) and wouldn't move. A neighbor helped carry him inside. Puffing panting short of breath. I slept with him in the family room. Shallow breathing continued through the night. Early in the AM we went to the Carytown ER clinic and there was a cardiologist going off duty that did an ultrasound on him - it was hermangioscaroma on the heart.
> 
> He did a procedure to remove the fluids in the heart lining that were coming from the tumor. Pain meds and Yunnan Baiyao which we found at a chinese herb store.
> 
> At home we saw his surgeon (two past tplo surgeries) and he did a procedure to provide relief from the fluid build up. Chemo scheduled as removal was not feasible.
> 
> We changed up the diet even more using many cancer causing foods and herbs - which he LOVED.
> 
> I prayed and God game me 19 days to say good bye. The day that was to be our last the panting came back and a trip to ER showed fluid build up in the lungs.
> 
> It's still so painful and sad. I know mom is looking after him and he's running like the wind.


My Lyndi had the same thing, hermangioscaroma on the heart. However her first on set was what I thought was maybe some neck pain as she seemed to not want to lower her head as much. Thinking back now it may have been the beginning of fluid build up in her lungs and she was just trying to breath a little easier by what was looking like a stiff neck on her. As some days progressed I took her to the vets and they gave pain meds. After a few more days I now noticed her breathing was now getting harder and she did not want to lay down. So I took her back to the vets and by this time they noticed the fluid in her chest cavity with any x-ray and takings some out by a needle. However by this time a tumor of the size of a "fist" was already on her heart. I decided then to have the vet let her be to sleep as she was already in discomfort and not much could have been done. 

I think from the first sign of what I thought was a stiff neck to having her put to sleep may all happened in about a week and a half......


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## Karen519

*Oakley & seger*

I think the best advice any of us that has lost a dog/dogs would give is live each day to the fullest and ENJOY your beloved pets!
Please don't waste precious time waiting for the shoe to drop-you will miss all of the wonderful times. 






Oakley&SegersMom said:


> Thank you all for your very insightful responses. There certainly do seem to be some common "signs" that things are not right.
> Megora, I like how you talked about a progression of changes - from walking issues, to issues related to not eating, physical signs and finallly disconfort/restlessness. In all of these posts I can definitely see these signs talked about.
> I watch Oakley and Seger constantly, watching for any changes, even subtle ones - I certainly don't want to obsess but I also do not want to miss anything. My biggest fear is not being with them when they pass....I try not to let my mind go there
> Thanks again for the great information. I am sure it's not easy to think back to such a painful experience and put it to words. I appreciate that you have shared this.
> Carol


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## Oakley&SegersMom

Thanks again everyone. And thank you Karen519 for your advice. I do try to live every day to the fullest but you know some days I roll into bed and think I haven't spent enough time or paid enough attention to Oakley or Seger....or DH...or the house...or the cat 
I'm sure that is reality for many. The responses here really do share a number of common "signs" and it will make me more aware of the subtleties that I may perhaps not "process" on a busy day. Our vet is really difficult to get in to see and there is often a week or more delay - so this posting has just made me think that if I am concerned I will deal with it immediately and with assertion rather than agree to their delayed appt. and hope it will go away. 
We will be leaving for vacation for a week next Sunday, and my 22 yr old stepson and his girlfriend will be staying with Oakley and Seger - Nick is wonderful with the dogs and I trust him 100%, but I will definitely leave very clear instructions regarding the need to see the vet. I am also going to let the Vet know we are away and therefore if Nick calls please do not put him off as he is only doing what we tell him. 
Oakley and Seger are almost 8 and somehow that is a scary age for me.
Thanks again for all the great information and advice.
Carol


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## gold4me

Of the four goldens we have lost to cancer 2 were so fast we hardly had time to think. Pete collapsed due to a ruptured tumor on the spleen, Jake woke us up in the middle of the night crying. Beau, we did see signs to worry about and that was coughing and then coughing blood. From the time he started to cough to the time we let him go was 2 weeks. Zachary began to slow down which I thought was due to age and then he quietly died in his sleep. We had 3 months with him. What I do now is watch carefully, feed the best food I can, and enjoy every single moment that we have because we just never know. Yes, I do worry and am probably overly cautious but I don't care what people say because these are my kids and I promised to take the best possible care of them.


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## paula bedard

My Sam's end came very quick, on Friday he was a little off and on Monday we helped him to the bridge. We spent that Saturday at an ER Vet getting xrays since my regular Vet suspected aspiration pneumonia, which the xrays did diagnose AND they found a huge tumor next to his heart. 

Sam had a neuro condition that caused weakness in his back end and knuckling under on occasion. He also had a partially paralyzed larynx. He'd had these afflictions for about a year and a half and had been getting along very well. In fact, he'd actually been doing better and feeling friskier than usual. The Thursday before that fateful Friday, he'd been glued to my hubby's side while he was cleaning the bloodline from some fish he was filleting (Sam LOVED to help the hubby fillet fish) I can still see his tail wagging while waiting for hubby to 'drop' a piece of fish.
On Friday morning he was a little off. I let him out to go potty and he stumbled a step or two but steadied himself, pottied, and came back inside. He then went into the family room and laid down next to the sofa. Something that had always been an evening thing to do, never in the morning, so this was odd and gave me a feeling that something wasn't right. He stayed in that spot all morning, lying down or sitting up slightly, but stayed there and wouldn't get up even when prompted. I called my Vet and brought him in later than afternoon. She listened to his chest and right away said that he had pneumonia. She gave me antibiotics and an appt for a recheck in the morning. His recheck was no better so we headed to the ER Vet for xrays and a better picture of what was going on....and that's when my world fell apart. They found the huge tumor next to his heart, something was also going on with his ribcage, he had an area of bone that looked eaten away, (he'd never showed any signs of pain or discomfort in his ribcage), and a Mega Esophagus, which was the cause of the pneumonia. 

I couldn't send him to the Bridge at the ER Vet. It was somewhere he'd never been and he looked terrified. I also wanted to have time to say a proper goodbye to my boy. I called my Vet and had her talk to the ER Vet to see if they felt he would be comfortable to come home for the remainder of the weekend. They both thought he would be fine to come home. He did very well the remainder of Saturday thru Sunday night. He was alert, sitting up, wagging his tail for his visitors, he seemed so much better that I was hoping Monday might be too soon...but by very early Monday morning he was having trouble breathing. He didn't want me to leave his side by this point. I was lying next to him, face to face, and massaging his throat, which he found great comfort in, thankfully. As soon as my Vet opened, I called and told them we were bringing him in. 

Sam loved visiting our Vet, it was one of his favorite places...so I know his last moments were good ones, spent with Mom, Dad, and his Vet friends. So, do I wish I'd known sooner? I really don't know. One day I'm glad I didn't know and the next I wish I had. At least I know he didn't suffer...and maybe he'd have read my sadness had I known, and that would have made him sad too...so maybe it's better that I didn't know...at least that's how I feel today.


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## Oakley&SegersMom

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories. It has made me wiser 
I reviewed the bloat chart that I downloaded from here and posted on my fridge some time ago with DH tonite....and I talked with him about all of your experiences. Now we move forward more knowledgeable but in agreement to enjoy each day  Thanks eveyone .


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## Duke's Momma

With my boy, Duke (lymphoma) he was receiving one of his weekly baths (due to skin issues) and I noticed about a golf ball size nodule in front of his shoulder.

DX September 11, 2009 - bridge February 11, 2010. My brave, beautiful, handsome boy.


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## SandyK

I want to thank everyone who replied. Interesting to hear everyones stories and signs they saw. However, I think a lot of you will agree that hemangiosarcoma seems to have no signs until the end. My Abby's hemangio was seen by ultrasound when she was having bladder issues. I discussed with my vet and chose to just watch it by u/s every 3 months. She never had any changes in eating, climbing stairs, swimming, etc. It was watched for 2 years and then it became so large my vet recommended we have it removed because if it burst she would be in pain. I only had 5 weeks after that and that is when the loss of appetite, slowing down, etc. all happened. This disease still baffles me that they can live with it for so long, but once removed they don't have a lot of time. Anyway, I agree with Karen in the fact that we need to enjoy every day!! Have a great vacation with your husband and I am sure your babies will be fine!!


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## Ljilly28

goldensrbest said:


> With spencer, it was weight loss, i was so carefull, about his food, cause i did not want him to gain, but looking back ,i realize this was the first sign, then, throwing up, came next, he never threw up before, then not eating. Spencer had cancer ,of the intestines, it was in his liver, also rectum.


With Raleigh, it was also weight loss, followed by a few episodes of trembling/weakness that the vet kind of blew off. Then, his coat became ratty. I knew he had hemangio before I could get the vet to admit it. It was in his spleen and heart on ultrasound, but he paraded around with tennis balls and ate steak the morning of his death. I let him go bc the vet said he would have a bleeding crisis within 24 hours, and his gums were already grey. 

With Acadia, she had an unexplained uti, and one day she just couldnt go at all. Ultrasound showed a huge bladder/spleen tumor. She was 9, and had just passed her physical with flying colors. To this day, I feel so guilty that I let the vets put a catheter in bc she was so upset by pottying without meaning to. I was caught off guard, and simply could not believe it. I let her go two days later bc it was a hopeless situation, and she was mortfied and uncomfortable along with everything else. This is the one I feel I handled badly. 

Joplin was over 15 before he developed hemangiosarcoma suddenly. Tippykayak lovingly carried him down the stairs for me and we took him to the evet, but he was bleeding out then and there.


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## gold4me

To show you how fast hemangio can grow and then rupture I can tell you about our Petey. When he was 9 1/2, at his regular check-up we had an ultra sound done due to his grandfather having had hemangiosarcoma of the spleen. The results were clean and all looked great. This was September, 2004. He was happy, playful, full of energy. On Feb. 21, 2005(5 months) he collapsed and we rushed him to the vet. He had emergency surgery to remove his spleen which had a tumor the size of an orange that had ruptured. There were no other visible tumors so he came home the next day and only 2 weeks later we had to say good-bye to our boy. Hemangio, is fast growing, no symptoms and EVIL!!!!! Our vet has told our story at many conferences because he had never had that kind of documentation. We only had our boy for 9 1/2 years but those were the most wonderful loving and happy years with a golden angel. If I had it to do all over and knew a head of time that is what would happen I would still have my Petey in a heartbeat because his presence in our lives was worth the pain and heartache we had to go through when we lost him. He is our angel along with Zachary, Jake and Beau(BoBo).


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## HELLOcoco

My Coco was put to sleep last Friday, just few days shy of her second birthday. She was the sweetest, smartest and the most loving dog i have ever met and I miss her dearly. 

Looking back at it now, I think there were many signs. The first sign was when she started limping. We thought it was her bone and x-ray came negative. Doctor said she looks stiff for her age and thought maybe she had weak bone/ joint or it was from too many physical exercise (she loved going up and down the stairs). He gave us some pills and glucosamine for her bone. She came back from the vet back to her old self and we thought that was the end of it. 

Couple weeks later we noticed a small cut on her back that we thought she got from playing under a car and hitting the muffler or something. Around the same time she started eating less and threw up yellow vomit. We thought it was because we changed her food and friend of ours told me that yellow vomits are because a dog is hungry. So we got her new organic food thinking she will start eating again, which she did, but again started eating less and less. We also noticed that the cut was now a scab but was getting bigger and bigger. I also noticed during the last few days before I took her back to the vet that she wasn't her usual energetic self when I took her walking. She would usually have her tails wagging crazy but she didn't seem that excited. 

The day I decided to take her to the vet was when I woke up and saw her sleeping in. She would usually wake me up by licking me and wagging her tail but I knew something was wrong when that did not happen. She was able to walk but I can tell she was in pain. I took her to the vet thinking it was her back leg but the vet discovered a tumor inside her stomach when he was examining her legs. X-Ray showed a baseball size tumor but the doctor recommended us to get a ultra sound the next day to get a clear picture of what the tumor was. I took her home and I can see that Coco suddenly was getting weaker, she was breathing hard and she didn't want to move or get up. The next day ultra sound confirmed that it was Lymphoma and it spread to her liver and that the scab on her skin was most likely related to it. We decided to put her down since she couldn't move and had a hard time breathing....that was one of the hardest thing I ever went through. 

I think the signs I can recall from Coco are:

-Stiffness
-Limping
-Vomiting
-Loss of appetite
-Fatigue
-Loss of weight (We did not recognize it since we saw her daily but our friends did tell us she looked skinnier)
-Cut or scab that doesn't go away


This has been one of the most painful few days of my life. I don't want anyone else going through what my family and I went through. It is very sad that these lovable breeds are prone to this deadly disease. Don't take anything for granted and love your dog.


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## Dallas Gold

HELLOcoco said:


> My Coco was put to sleep last Friday, just few days shy of her second birthday. She was the sweetest, smartest and the most loving dog i have ever met and I miss her dearly.
> 
> Looking back at it now, I think there were many signs. The first sign was when she started limping. We thought it was her bone and x-ray came negative. Doctor said she looks stiff for her age and thought maybe she had weak bone/ joint or it was from too many physical exercise (she loved going up and down the stairs). He gave us some pills and glucosamine for her bone. She came back from the vet back to her old self and we thought that was the end of it.
> 
> Couple weeks later we noticed a small cut on her back that we thought she got from playing under a car and hitting the muffler or something. Around the same time she started eating less and threw up yellow vomit. We thought it was because we changed her food and friend of ours told me that yellow vomits are because a dog is hungry. So we got her new organic food thinking she will start eating again, which she did, but again started eating less and less. We also noticed that the cut was now a scab but was getting bigger and bigger. I also noticed during the last few days before I took her back to the vet that she wasn't her usual energetic self when I took her walking. She would usually have her tails wagging crazy but she didn't seem that excited.
> 
> The day I decided to take her to the vet was when I woke up and saw her sleeping in. She would usually wake me up by licking me and wagging her tail but I knew something was wrong when that did not happen. She was able to walk but I can tell she was in pain. I took her to the vet thinking it was her back leg but the vet discovered a tumor inside her stomach when he was examining her legs. X-Ray showed a baseball size tumor but the doctor recommended us to get a ultra sound the next day to get a clear picture of what the tumor was. I took her home and I can see that Coco suddenly was getting weaker, she was breathing hard and she didn't want to move or get up. The next day ultra sound confirmed that it was Lymphoma and it spread to her liver and that the scab on her skin was most likely related to it. We decided to put her down since she couldn't move and had a hard time breathing....that was one of the hardest thing I ever went through.
> 
> I think the signs I can recall from Coco are:
> 
> -Stiffness
> -Limping
> -Vomiting
> -Loss of appetite
> -Fatigue
> -Loss of weight (We did not recognize it since we saw her daily but our friends did tell us she looked skinnier)
> -Cut or scab that doesn't go away
> 
> 
> This has been one of the most painful few days of my life. I don't want anyone else going through what my family and I went through. It is very sad that these lovable breeds are prone to this deadly disease. Don't take anything for granted and love your dog.


I am so sorry for your loss. She was so young--so sad. What a shock for you to lose her so young.


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## hmj

This is such a hard question. The first sign for us was limping, but by the time we saw a specialist it was already too late. The specialist visit was July 19th and we put Hannah down August 1st. Sometimes no matter what you do you just can't find it or fix it.


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## Maggies mom

With Hootie, his gum was swollen around a tooth- side molar. We thought it was an abscessed tooth. we had the tooth removed and he was fine for about 10 days. Then I noticed the area were the tooth was removed had a lump. The thought maybe a puss pocket. They tried to drain it and nothing came out, so they took him to X-ray.- Tumor. Took him to a specialist and it was Spindle Cell Sarcoma. We removed his lower right side jaw and got great margins so no chemo or rad. The whole time , he was eating and drinking like nothing was wrong.


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## Lucky Penny

My Penny was bleeding from the mouth here and there, and started to lose a few teeth in the back of her mouth. It took our vet awhile to figure out it was cancer, fibrosarcoma. We brought her in many times. He actually didn't realize it was cancer until he put Penny under to pull a few teeth rotting in the back of her mouth, and saw part of the tumor in the back of her mouth. (which i knew something was wrong, because I am on top of keeping her teeth clean, so it seemed strange for them to be rotting.) Taught us to be very on top of anything abnormal, because even your vet can not catch things right away. Now any bump that appears, anywhere on the body, my holistic vet pokes a needle in it, just to be sure it is fat or a cyst. 

We had surgery to remove the tumor, which was all over the left side of her face. Refused to do 3 weeks of radiation, because they got the whole tumor, and started holistic treatments. 2 years later, the tumor came back, we knew because her eye started leaking a lot, and was irritated and droopy. Surgery was not an option this time around, so we did 3 treatments of radiation, and she is on a new chemo drug out. The tumor has shrunk, do not know how much. All though we are glad we did not do the radiation the first time around. After 3 treatments, the side effects were horrible, Penny was in so much pain, could never imagine what 15 treatments would do......


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## Lucky Penny

Maggies Mom, your right. They never really show anything is wrong. It is very hard to figure out there is something wrong.


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## Buddy's mom forever

I hope your Penny is feeling better. Wish you all the best.


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## Lucky Penny

Penny is feeling pretty good right now, she has a 4 month old sister that keeps her spunky! : )


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## SteveW

Carol: My wife & I unfortunately lost our beloved Buddy this past Thursday night. He was having difficulty walking for the past few months, but the telltale sign for us was his increasing panting. He would lay down and be fairly quiet as always, but when he would rise up, he panted loudly and nearly continuously. While he was 11 and we knew he did not have much longer, we spoke with my sister who told us that her Irish Setters had the same issues, and that they had fluid on their lungs / congestive heart failure & that we should bring him to the vet ASAP. Once we did, the vet wanted to take an x-ray. When he returned, he showed us the real reason - Buddy's lungs were filled with cancer. While they told us that he could undergo some radical chemo, he only would have had another few weeks at the most. So, watch for excessive thirst, panting and losing balance. Our whole family is devastated, especially our 10 year old son, who grew up with our precious Bud. Good luck to you. Steve


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## Dallas Gold

Lucky Penny said:


> Penny is feeling pretty good right now, she has a 4 month old sister that keeps her spunky! : )


She's a very cute little sister too!!


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## Dallas Gold

SteveW said:


> Carol: My wife & I unfortunately lost our beloved Buddy this past Thursday night. He was having difficulty walking for the past few months, but the telltale sign for us was his increasing panting. He would lay down and be fairly quiet as always, but when he would rise up, he panted loudly and nearly continuously. While he was 11 and we knew he did not have much longer, we spoke with my sister who told us that her Irish Setters had the same issues, and that they had fluid on their lungs / congestive heart failure & that we should bring him to the vet ASAP. Once we did, the vet wanted to take an x-ray. When he returned, he showed us the real reason - Buddy's lungs were filled with cancer. While they told us that he could undergo some radical chemo, he only would have had another few weeks at the most. So, watch for excessive thirst, panting and losing balance. Our whole family is devastated, especially our 10 year old son, who grew up with our precious Bud. Good luck to you. Steve


Steve, I'm sorry for your loss. It's so hard to find out that way. Sending your family comforting thoughts and prayers.


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## Kristin

I am still absolutely emotionally wrecked after losing the love of my life... my beautiful, sweet and gentle 11 year old boy two weeks ago to cancer.

For me, the first sign that anything was wrong was when he didn't seem that enthused about eating. He had a small benign tumour on his gum that I opted not have removed because he was getting older and it would have required amputating half his lower jaw. I thought maybe it was bothering him to eat, so I switched up his food to something softer and more tasty and he seemed happy to eat it. But a week of continued lacklustre appetite had me worried so I took him to the vet. She felt him all over and said she didn't feel any lumps or anything out of the ordinary. A blood test found that he was slightly anemic, but since this often presents with hypothyroid dogs (which he was), I started him on canine red cell supplements and he seemed to perk up a bit. 

Other than the diminished appetite there wasn't any other sign. 

A week later he seemed more lethargic than usual. I took him for all the expensive tests and they found a large tumour deep in his chest behind his heart which they said was lymphoma. He also had an enlarged spleen and the anemia revealed it had either already gone into his bone marrow, or he had secondary leukemia. His blood counts were suddenly way off.

I was devastated because I always thought lymphoma would show up with swollen lymph nodes, but as I found out... not always. 

I started him on chemo and after his first treatment he improved for a couple of days, and then developed a fever and went into sepsis and collapsed outside. I rushed him back to the ER and it was a choice of doing an immediate blood transfusion and fluids but she wasn't sure if the heart murmur caused by the tumour in his chest would tolerate it and said it could said him into cardiac arrest. She said his blood count was such that he was no longer a candidate for chemo and that the blood transfusion was a temporary fix. The look in her eyes said it all as she cautioned me, "it's ok to stop now". 

My heart, my soul, was absolutely shattered. The thought of leaving him for 2 days in a vet hospital for a 'maybe' temporary fix to a terminal illness terrified me. If I had gone ahead with treatment only to have to put him to sleep days later, I would never forgive myself for having his last days spent poked and prodded in a hospital and away from me. He was just so weak and uncomfortable. I couldn't keep trying to keep him alive just because I couldn't bare to let him go. I consented to let him pass in peace. He took his last breath in my arms.

My advice... if you notice ANY change in your golden's appetite get to a vet and run the tests. He may have a chemo-responsive cancer if you catch it early enough. If your dog has anemia (pale gums/tongue), something is very wrong. Run the tests! Anemia in a dog is not like anemia in humans and it's never a good sign.

My heart goes out to anyone with a dog going through cancer or a golden approaching those years when we know our worst nightmare might become a reality... 

I am still inconsolable.


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## Sophie_Mom

My Sophie started limping on Saturday, April 2, following a trip to the park retrieving tennis balls. Because she had been running so hard, we were fairly comfortable with the diagnosis the vet gave us that day (we took her in immediately, she was our baby), which was a pulled/strained muscle. They gave her some anti-inflammtory/pain meds and told us to keep her quiet for a couple of weeks. She didn't improve. We took her back in, and we were certain she had torn her cruciate ligament and we'd be looking at surgery. Sadly, the vet knew almost immediately that it could be cancer - and it was. When he first said "cancer," I looked it him and said, "No, she's only 3." I hadn't even considered that possibility. We took her to the UW-Madison Vet Hospital and prayed for the opportunity to have her leg amputated in order to save her. The chest x-ray showed that the cancer had already moved to her lungs. We kept her comfortable and loved her every moment she had left. Sadly, we had to let her go on May 18. It was the hardest thing I've ever lived through.

Edit to add - Looking back, there were signs and symptoms that we probably didn't know to notice. Her muzzle had gone white-ish very prematurely (she had just turned 3). Her coat was kind of scraggly looking, and she was tired often. Being the end of winter, we assumed she was just lazy with cabin fever, etc. The vet tells us it wouldn't have mattered - By the time we noticed, it likely would have already been too late to change her fate. My poor Sophie girl.....


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## golden_eclipse

Our Biscuit who we lost two days after thanksgiving last year, at the age of 14 years old, first developed problems 2 years before we lost her. She stopped eating; my parents were gone on vacation and I was home alone. I took her to the vet right away; they diagnosed a tumor on her spleen. They said the option of removing the spleen was there, but they didn't want to do it, because she was 12 years old and the tumor was so large, they didn't think she would live very long after the surgery (if it was even successful). I asked my parents and they couldn't bare to not say good bye (as they couldn't get back from Canada for another 5 days), so I told them to do the surgery. Amazingly everything went really well. She survived the surgery, recovered very quickly, and was a puppy again for almost two years. The day before thanksgiving, we noticed her not wanting to lay down, and having difficulty breathing, not wanting to eat and being restless. I took her to vet right away (our regular vet was so amazing, they took her after they were closed at a moments notice), and this time the x-ray showed cancer spread among most of her organs including her lungs, and the vet didn't give her very long. We brought her home to spend thanksgiving, she was able to eat turkey and gravy and all her favorite lunch meat/cheese. She didn't suffer very long, and the whole family was home to say good bye. She left us that Saturday.

The picture is of Biscuit at 9 years old.


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## Karen519

*Smooch*

My Smooch, Golden Retriever, lost her zest for eating, she had fallen a couple of times in previous months and then had a gagging cough and spit up a little blood.
She was diagnosed with lymphoma or hemangiosarcoma.

For our Snobear,Samoyed, he was appearing anxious, jumped off the couch, was just frozen and staring, would not move, we checked his gums and they were pale, got him to vet immediately. Snobear had hemangiosarcoma.


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## tobysmommy

Oh dear, I'm just seeing this thread now and tears are flowing. On December 16th, it will be 3 years since my sweet Rusty boy left me, and there was so little warning in the end.

He was 12 years old and acted like a puppy; all goof and go. He developed a lump in his right groin in the fall of 2007, which I had removed. The vet classed it as a lipoma. Very shortly thereafter, another lump appeared on his right thigh. It was biopsied, and likewise pronounced benign.

Life continued much as it had been. My boy's energy levels were normal, he was eating well, jumping, playing, getting into mischief. Then, on the morning of December 15th, 2008, he was suddenly a very lethargic. He stayed in his basket instead of being raring to go, wasn't interested in breakfast (unheard of!), and just seemed listless. I took him to the vet, and found a young intern instead of Rusty's regular doctor. She took one look at his gums and mucous membranes, and told me she was worried.

X-rays and blood tests were done, and they kept Rusty in for observation overnight. I was a wreck all the next day, and the call finally came about 4:30PM. The bloodwork wasn't back yet but the x-rays were, and they weren't good. My poor boy was riddled with cancer.

I left work early and raced to the vet's, and she gave me the usual pep-talk: medication to keep him as comfortable as possible, but be prepared, you've got a week or two.

I bundled my sweet pup into the car and cried all the way home. He was so weak, I had to carry him into the house. He staggered down the stairs to the back door, indicating he wanted to go outside, so I let him out. No sooner was he on the grass, than he vomited about 2 cups of blood.

I carried him back inside, called the vet and brought him back in then and there. I made the hardest decision any dog parent ever has to make: I let him go. My boy went to Rainbow Bridge in my arms that night.

What kills me is the knowledge that he covered his own pain to spare me. I was going through a terrible time back then, and I have no doubt that this loving pup suppressed his own pain and weakness to be strong for me. I owe this little soul so much, and he will always be with me.


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## sadiegold

For our Savannah that passed a year ago May from a very aggressive, malignant tumor on her spleen it was well she just didnt want to eat, anything, at all. We had the mass biopsied and once the people from Texas A & M called with the diagnosis it wasnt days later that we took her to the vet for our goodbye.


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## Lucky Penny

I am very heartbroken to read everyone's stories of their pups. : ( It seems like the common thing in all of the stories is that our dogs show no sign of cancer, until it is really bad or to late. I wish there was some way of knowing about their cancer sooner. Or some way for them to let us know there is something wrong.

Tobysmommy, you are right:
*What kills me is the knowledge that he covered his own pain to spare me. I was going through a terrible time back then, and I have no doubt that this loving pup suppressed his own pain and weakness to be strong for me. I owe this little soul so much, and he will always be with me.*

They always put us first, such great therapy. I was told that my Penny was taking all of my stress, which probably stressed her body out, which as well know does not help when there are tumors growing. When I found out that Penny's tumor was back, I came home crying and fell to the floor holding my Penny. She got out of my arms and ran to the door with her favorite toy, the frisbee and starting demanding to go outside to play. Her message was simple, do not waste a beautiful day crying. We are here together, lets make the fullest of this day as we can. So I wiped my tears away, got up, and went outside and threw that frisbee until Penny no longer could play anymore. Then we napped the afternoon away together. We defiantly lived the 2nd half of that day to the fullest. I have not cried about Penny's cancer since; life is to short for that. 

I try my best to live by my dogs motives. That is, live every day to it's fullest with no regrets. They do not worry about what happened yesterday, or what is going to happen tomorrow, they only worry about what is happening now.


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## Sally's Mom

Nice post, Lauren. I know I entrusted Luna to the right person! She and Penny are so special. I love to see how they enjoy each other so much.


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## bonacker

I took my heart boy, Rusty, to the vet on 6/23/09 with swollen lymph nodes. Vet diagnosed a sinus infection. Put him on antibiotics and after 2 weeks with no improvement, prescribed prednisone to relieve swelling. Went to a second vet for another opinion. Fine needle aspirate came back negative. Swelling worsened and breathing became labored. Third opinion vet did a surgical biopsy which came back as lymphoma. Too much prednisone and too much time was lost to start chemo. At the very end, I found the most wonderful vet (unfortunately too late for my Rusty) who helped my boy go to the rainbow bridge on 9/29/09 while I held him in my arms. Over 2 years have passed and I still cry as I write this. Hunter (2 years old) and Mako (10 months old) now filling my heart with golden happiness.


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## luvbuzz

My Tazz developed a slight cough...no hacking, no blood. Just a little cough. I thought it was the onset of kennel cough. Went to the vet, xray, result metastatic cancer to the lung. The main tumor was hemangiosarcoma. He was gone in 4 weeks. He was 8 years old. I always say good evening to him every time I pass his favorite spot where I walk.


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## patrice

The first sign that I found with Buddy was in late summer. It was very hot and humid here and he didn't want to go for a walk. I thought, it was too hot, or perhaps he was just slowing down. It was the first time ever that I had him on his leash, and he just stopped, his way of saying no. I remember thinking, well this is just age, he is just slowing down, perhaps he just doesn't need as many walks. (I always walked him 3-4 times a day). I remember thinking to myself (because I had to be away on some days of the week) good- he will be okay now, and I could actually be gone for 6 hours without having to worry. A couple weeks after this, my neighbor (an oncologist-human) stopped to pet Buddy when my husband was walking him. He told us that his lymphnodes were swollen. I am a medical professional, I had never noticed. That night I ( a human medical professional) looked up the canine lymphatic system, and then examined my Bud. Every single lymph node was enlarged. Obviously, I was distressed. I massaged and petted this boy everyday, it was not until that night that I ever found a lump. I brought him in on Monday, to be diagnosed with what I had already realized was the case. It was widespread when it was found. It happened very quickly.


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## nathaliekuntz

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss =-( Our Beau was only 4 years old and also showed signs of illness (the same that are mentioned above) that came over a 3 week period. We have a wonderful vet with a caring team. Beau did respond great to chemo treatments for 3 months, then in a matter of hours it seemed, the cancer hit his tail and the sores were terrible. The next morning, I took him the last time to our vet and put him to sleep. It was hard but at the same time, I knew it was the best thing for him. 3 months later, I chuckle when I am cleaning and somehow still find signs of Beau (HAIR!) Again, sorry for your loss.


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## Goldens R Great

My first dog had been a little off her food for a few days and I thought she just had an upset stomach. I couldn't get off work so my mom and dad took her to the vet. When I got home I walked into the house and said happily "Where's my Ayla girl?" My mom and dad told me the vet had found a large stomach tumor, she was staying overnight at the vet's and it didn't look good. I was devastated. She had surgery the next day and passed away during surgery at the age of 7. She had hemangiosarcoma.

My third dog, Annie, would limp a little bit after she exercised, but the limp would go away. She was 10 years old and I thought she might be getting arthritis. One week the limp didn't go away. I took her to the vet who said she might need ACL surgery and to rest her for a few weeks. The limping got worse so I scheduled an appointment with a surgeon. I kept wondering how I was going to cope with her having ACL surgery and keeping her quiet, etc. The surgeon examined her, took a biopsy and told me she had a mast cell tumor that was either a Grade II or Grade III. I was immediately a crying mess. (When the results came back it was a III.) I did everything I could to help her - we did weekly chemo, we had her leg amputated to make her more comfortable - but she passed away 3 months later after the vet told me it was time to stop trying. 

My second dog, Addy, had had a tough year. She had lost her best friend, Annie, and just didn't feel very good. I had to help her up and down the stairs and had to take her on "magic carpet rides" - meaning she was on her blanket and I would move her from room to room pulling the blanket. She really started to perk up in December of last year and then I brought home a rescued golden and they were so cute together. The Sunday night before she died she was having the best time chewing bones with Rindy. The next day she refused to eat. I took her to the vet and they found a tumor on her liver. There was a chance it was a benign tumor because she had a benign tumor removed from her liver the same day Annie had her leg amputated. Even though she was 13 the surgeon thought she could make it through the surgery. They said the first 48 hours were critical. My tough little girl made it through the surgery and the first 48 hours. I had just gotten home on Sunday night after visiting her at the Specialty Hospital and got a call from the vet that she was failing. I live about 30 minutes from the Hospital and drove as fast as I could to get to her before she passed away. I was able to say goodbye and have her taken out of her distress. She had primary liver cancer.

What a sad thread. Everyone has their own story and the stories will continue...


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## Hali's Mom

Hali was 9 in July, In Sept.,I scheduled her for a tooth cleaning at the regular vet. The vet called me after the preliminary blood work was done and told me her enzymes were elevated and that she had a mass on the back of her tongue. She said the enzymes might be due to age but she was concerned about the mass. It was diagnosed as an oral melanoma. I scheduled surgery to have the mass removed and the vet was fairly certain he had gotten clear margins. I was offered the oral melanoma vaccine that is administered in a series of 4 injections. The cost was prohibitive and would only increase her chances that this "specific" cancer would not return. In Feb. she developed a large swelling on the side of her neck on Friday and she was panting and drooling. She would eat a few kibbles only if I hand fed her. Saturday evening I took her to the E-vet in hopes of getting a steroid shot to reduce the swelling.The vet said it was lymphoma and informed me that a shot would only last about 12 hrs. She offered to give me a prescription instead, though she did inform me that if we wanted to use chemo that we should not begin the prednisone. Sunday showed a little improvement, but by Monday we were back to square one. Seeing that this was the second cancer in 6 months we decided it was time to let her go.


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## Lucky Penny

Thank you Janice! : ) I promise she is in great hands!


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## Cassie W

*Cassie Will Be Missed*

After 11 years of having our beloved Cassie in our famlily's lives, we with great sadness had to put her to sleep 9-3-2012. She was diagnosed with a rapidly growing type of cancer that literally took her breath away. Our family gathered around Cassie for 5 days and nights keeping vigil on her hoping to see some improvement. It became evident that we were going to lose the fight when Cassie became so weak from struggling to breathe, she could no longer stand. We rushed Cassie to emergency pet care where she was humanely put to sleep. We MISS our ice eating, christmas paper opening, travel companion, always at your side "puppy". Yes we still considered her a puppy even at the ripe old age of 11. My families hearts are so broken, Cassie was a huge part of our lives.


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## Bridgers Dad

Bridger has lymphoma that was dx on 8/28/12. A friend noticed swollen lymph nodes under his jaw. We took him to vet the next morning (8/28) and he made the dx. On 8/31 he started chemo. We had missed it, thanks to a friend we were able to catch it early. Sometimes we miss things because we are with them everyday and don't notice the changes. Good luck with your friends, and may they have a long life.


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## 3 goldens

My IrishSetter, a little past his 12th birthday started limping on rear leg on the Friday and we thought it was his arthritis acting up. By Mondaymonring he was draggin that leg. Diagnosis, a very, very agressive bone cacner. I had hi8m exactly 10 weeks to the day. We di not treatment as he was already almost 12 1/2, had arthritis in hips and shoulders, and the kind he had was so aggressive my vet didn't think that after a week he would be eating or getting around.

But as it turned out, we mnaged to give him the 10 best weeks of his life--hour at the beah every day, all the fruit and veggies he wanted (he prefered that tomeat) and also he got the same dessert every night we got--hich was like apple pie and wice cream, strawbery shortcake. He deveoped a bunny hop and wouel chase crabs in shallow water, swim, My vet was astonded that he gained weight rather tahn losing, kept hi appetite. But the day we felt the hardness in the front shoulder, we let him go THAT day. He hasd fun and didn't suffer and I didn['t try to "keep him".

Kay ee, my golden girl was her usual funny self one day. The next morning she threw up a couple of times and ddin't eat. She had had a virus a couple of times where she threw up o much we had to have her rehydrated. so I took her in and my vet felt the mass in her lower stomach. He operated and removed a soft ball size gastrointestional stromal tumor (we had it sent to la) and he wa surprised she survived the surgery. But she died in ICU 48 hours later as I held her. She was 8 yrs. 9 months old.
PS She got big tummy rubs several times a day and i never noticed the mass. I suppose when she was on her back it "sank in" She wa on her feet when Rickey found it.


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## Buddy's mom forever

Cassie W said:


> After 11 years of having our beloved Cassie in our famlily's lives, we with great sadness had to put her to sleep 9-3-2012. She was diagnosed with a rapidly growing type of cancer that literally took her breath away. Our family gathered around Cassie for 5 days and nights keeping vigil on her hoping to see some improvement. It became evident that we were going to lose the fight when Cassie became so weak from struggling to breathe, she could no longer stand. We rushed Cassie to emergency pet care where she was humanely put to sleep. We MISS our ice eating, christmas paper opening, travel companion, always at your side "puppy". Yes we still considered her a puppy even at the ripe old age of 11. My families hearts are so broken, Cassie was a huge part of our lives.


Cassie W, I am very sorry for your loss of Cassie. Never enough time with them, no matter how old they are always our puppies.

Run free, play hard, sleep softly sweet Cassie girl, you will never be forgotten.


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## GoldenCamper

I know this is an old post, but simple "first sign" is an easy one. They stop eating. All my kids have been chow hounds, engulf their food. They quit eating, bad news.


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## Oakley&SegersMom

GoldenCamper - thank you for reviving the post. It gave me an opportunity to re-read all of the responses. As Oakley and Seger get older I feel some days I am consumed by little "things" - like a limp, or a cough, or sleeping all day long. So far they have never passed on their food though, thank the lord.
Carol


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## gman

GoldenCamper said:


> I know this is an old post, but simple "first sign" is an easy one. They stop eating. All my kids have been chow hounds, engulf their food. They quit eating, bad news.


Completely agree- loss of appetite is a very serious symptom that needs to be checked out ASAP


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## andy.kuns

The first sign for my golden was a loss of energy, weight and appetite.

The loss of appetite was not as large of a concern for me as throughout his life, he had gone through ups and downs with his appetite level. His appetite never stopped, it slowed down gradually over a few days. He would still eat boiled chicken and rice.

He was always a leaner dog, around 67lbs which made it easier to see he had weight loss. He ended up losing 7 lbs at his first vet appt. and an additional 2 more lbs over the next week at his last vet appt. He was diagnosed with cancer but no masses were found on ultrasounds. They found his spleen to be enlarged, and probably had hemangiosarcoma of the spleen.

We spent a lot of time at the vet on his last week here, but he was able to also spend a lot of time at home with us.


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## puppatoos

For Axl, it wasn't cancer. He stumbled on one of our walks, and when I saw his gum, WHITE, I swear I had a cold shiver down my spine. I didn't know what it meant then, but my other 2 weren't white. I tried to carry him, couldn't. So I had to hoax him to finish the walk, another 200m. We got home, I took his temperature, 40 dec c. I called the vet who told me to hose him down and keep his temperature at 38 deg c.The vet said he was leaving the office and I could go in first thing in the morning. I don't know why I delayed rushing him in, and I still hate myself. Axl 'seemed' ok that night, brought his temperature down, he had his dinner that evening. And I thought maybe heatstroke.
Next morning, took him in, had a CBC, and he had a PCV of 17%. Severe anemia with high, very high white platelets. Something was going on somewhere, but the vet didn't know what. Axl tested negative for heartworm, and tick fever. I was sent home with doxine and a jab that would increase the hormone for blood formation. We did a blood transfusion 2 days later. His PCV remained. Everything happened so fast thereafter. I was rushing him to the vet every day. I seeked a second opinion, and by then we were also on preds. Axl started labored breathing, eating like a horse, and peeing. My thoughts were as long as the appetite is there, it ain't so bad, right? Wrong. 
A week after the stumble, we were in the emergency vet twice a day, checking PCV and investigating his lethargy. It was idiopathic IMHA. Nobody explained anything to me, and after one emergency visit, because he was so lethargic and wouldn't move, he was hospitalized. It was VERY heartbreaking to see him in that little cold room lying there breathing so heavily and not wanting to keep eye contact. I kept crying. He stayed there for 2 days before I decided to get him out of there and take him to another hospital on 17 July afternoon. I carried him to the car, he had just enough energy to enjoy the car ride and look out the window. The hospital had a team ready for him and put him on the stretcher. Within 3 hours, he crashed. 
I'd say, the moment their appetite is out the window; or any stumble, please rush to the vet. My little boy stumbled at our walk a month back, and I got him in, turns out he has congenital aortic stenosis. I'm still praying..


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## Brinkleythegolden

With Fozzie, it was definitely loss of appetite. Our first one, Gallagher, had no symptoms at all, until I noticed one day that he peed blood. He was on the operating table the next day, and his spleen and ruptured, and there was cancer throughout his body. He never came out of the anesthetic....


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## Jennifer1

With Bear it was not eating her breakfast and just seeming "off". I took her to the vet and she was slightly anemic so they did x-rays. She had hemangio with metastises in the lungs. If I hadn't noticed her lack of appetite, I honestly wouldn't have known she was sick-by dinner she was back to 100% normal.
Guinness (lab) had the same not eating, seeming off a few days ago. I took him to the vet and x-rays showed an abdominal mass. He had his spleen taken out right then and there. I'm still waiting for the pathology results.


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