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Post by buddysmom on Aug 12, 2017 20:01:01 GMT
We took our 12- 1/2 year old Boxer to the vet today as he would not lay down or sleep all last night and was panting all night--not at all like him.
He has had some hind leg problems and the vet said he has severe arthritis in both his legs. While he was panting we also noticed that he had some big sores in his mouth.
Vet gave him some pain killers and anti-inflammatories for his legs, said that is why he was panting due to pain--poor thing.
But she said the sores are likely tumors and one may be a bad kind. She did bloodwork and we should have the results in a few days. She has recommended surgery as long as the bloodwork is fine for surgery.
Have you had elderly dogs that had general anesthesia? Any problems? I'm googling like crazy and it appears that actually the younger dogs have more of a problem since the older dogs are stronger since they have "made it this far" already.
She has also recommended possible radiation and chemo if it comes to that. I don't know if I would put my dog through that but I don't have enough info at this time and hopefully the tumors won't be the bad kind. She did indicate that there are many that are not cancerous but apparently the color of one of them made her suspect.
Thanks.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Aug 12, 2017 20:07:37 GMT
My first dog was a toy poodle with crowded teeth that needed annual cleaning. By the time he got to be 11, our vet told us that it was equally risky for an old dog to go under anesthesia as it was for him to have dirty teeth, so at that point we opted out of the annual cleaning because it required being anesthetized. I haven't ever heard of problems with younger dogs.
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used2scrap
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,036 
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Post by used2scrap on Aug 12, 2017 20:09:07 GMT
We finally caved and had our dog's teeth cleaned at 18--we had put off for many years because of gen anesthesia fear (she was small, 12 pounds). She did fine, and I regretted not doing it much earlier because she was a much healthier active dog after. She lived 4 more years. Not the same as your situation of course, but it finally came down to her health was getting bad either way so the benefits outweighed the risk. I'm sorry your dog is sick. It's so hard.
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Post by christine58 on Aug 12, 2017 20:48:07 GMT
When my Abbey hurt her leg about 10 days before she got really sick and crossed the rainbow bridge, my vet said because of her age--13--he would not recommend anesthesia for even an X-ray. Said it was too taxing on older pups
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FurryP
Drama Llama
To pea or not to pea...
Posts: 7,008
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 19:58:26 GMT
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Post by FurryP on Aug 12, 2017 20:51:55 GMT
We finally caved and had our dog's teeth cleaned at 18--we had put off for many years because of gen anesthesia fear (she was small, 12 pounds). She did fine, and I regretted not doing it much earlier because she was a much healthier active dog after. She lived 4 more years. Not the same as your situation of course, but it finally came down to her health was getting bad either way so the benefits outweighed the risk. I'm sorry your dog is sick. It's so hard. Your dog lived to age 22?? You must have done something right! |
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Post by Basket1lady on Aug 12, 2017 21:17:29 GMT
We finally caved and had our dog's teeth cleaned at 18--we had put off for many years because of gen anesthesia fear (she was small, 12 pounds). She did fine, and I regretted not doing it much earlier because she was a much healthier active dog after. She lived 4 more years. Not the same as your situation of course, but it finally came down to her health was getting bad either way so the benefits outweighed the risk. I'm sorry your dog is sick. It's so hard. 22?!!!! Please, share your secret! Definitely do the bloodwork--it can give a lot of indicators for how a dog will handle anesthesia. There are vets that specialize in senior dogs--we saw one with our golden-lab who had auto immune issues and lived to be 13 1/2. She definitely knew her stuff and know some specialized treatment options. |
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Post by Basket1lady on Aug 12, 2017 21:18:40 GMT
We finally caved and had our dog's teeth cleaned at 18--we had put off for many years because of gen anesthesia fear (she was small, 12 pounds). She did fine, and I regretted not doing it much earlier because she was a much healthier active dog after. She lived 4 more years. Not the same as your situation of course, but it finally came down to her health was getting bad either way so the benefits outweighed the risk. I'm sorry your dog is sick. It's so hard. 22?!!!! Please, share your secret! buddysmom, I hope the tests come back clean. There are a lot of bumps on older dogs that are just that-bumps. And some cancers can be really slow growing. I hope Buddy feels better soon. Definitely do the bloodwork--it can give a lot of indicators for how a dog will handle anesthesia. There are vets that specialize in senior dogs--we saw one with our golden-lab who had auto immune issues and lived to be 13 1/2. She definitely knew her stuff and know some specialized treatment options. |
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,153
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Aug 12, 2017 22:30:06 GMT
My Mom had an older dog, like 13 or 14 (big dog so that's old) who underwent surgery twice. She had a tumor on her foot. Vet thought he could get it and give her some time, which he did. Think the surgeries gave her about another 18 months.
We have a cat who is 16 who just underwent surgery for a tooth extraction. I couldn't be sure if it was bothering him or not, but figured since vet noticed it and he had just had bloodwork we'd go ahead and remove. My feeling was his bloodwork is good now so this was our chance.
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hannahruth
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,629
Location: Adelaide, Australia
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Post by hannahruth on Aug 13, 2017 1:54:42 GMT
On the information given I would be seriously thinking of the long term outcome of any intervention for your pet.
I say that having had several beautiful boxers (the absolute best dog imho) two of which succumbed to cancer in different ways and different ages (12 years and 6 years). With the younger dog who was on chemo for quite awhile was surviving but you could still see the decline in him and in the end we stopped treatment and let him pass.
I do recall the vet telling me that when we gave him the tablets that we were to wear a mask and gloves so that we were not contaminated by the drug and it made us wonder what we were actually giving him.
Our thoughts were then who where were we givIng treatment for. He was a beautiful boy but in the end it just was not fair to him to medicate in this way.
A long life does not necessarily equate to a good life.
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Post by buddysmom on Aug 13, 2017 2:16:12 GMT
On the information given I would be seriously thinking of the long term outcome of any intervention for your pet. I say that having had several beautiful boxers (the absolute best dog imho) two of which succumbed to cancer in different ways and different ages (12 years and 6 years). With the younger dog who was on chemo for quite awhile was surviving but you could still see the decline in him and in the end we stopped treatment and let him pass. I do recall the vet telling me that when we gave him the tablets that we were to wear a mask and gloves so that we were not contaminated by the drug and it made us wonder what we were actually giving him. Our thoughts were then who where were we givIng treatment for. He was a beautiful boy but in the end it just was not fair to him to medicate in this way. A long life does not necessarily equate to a good life. I agree. My kids and I are on the same page, not sure about my husband. It is quality, not quantity. We know that our boxer is on the older side so we are grateful that he is still with us. This is a new vet (our previous great vet just retired) so I am concerned that on the first visit she is possibly recommending a lot of invasive procedures. BTW--just one dose of painkiller and anti-inflammatory and Rebel is resting comfortably and wiggling his tail again. I went to McDonalds and got him a double cheeseburger to mix in his dinner because he did not want any breakfast. I want to make sure he keeps up his strength. He gobbled it down!! |
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Post by paperamy on Aug 13, 2017 3:00:39 GMT
My male Great Dane had to have emergency surgery to clear a blockage related to urinary stones. He was just shy of 9 years old. This surgery was not optional and he would have died without it.
His surgery was on a Thursday. We brought him home Friday, still appearing groggy. We rushed him back to vet first thing Sunday morning due to him steady getting worse...and he died Monday.
The stress of the surgery caused pancreatitis and even though my vet did everything he could, my boy was just too weak to pull through.
He had blood work done before the surgery that showed no cause for any worry but it took me months to stop blaming myself.
With surgery and anesthesia, there are always risks no matter the age...but trust your vet to do the best for your dog. If you don't trust your vet, find a new one.
I have 100% trust in my vet and I know the surgery had to be done, and he and his staff did everything they could to try to save him.
I'm sorry you are going through this with your dog. Please discuss everything in detail with your vet, especially since she is new to you. Ask all the questions. Get her to repeat the risks, benefits, options, everything. If she is a good vet, she will be patient with you and answer every question and address every concern you have.
I'll be thinking of you and your pupper. ❤️
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