[nagdu] major dilemma

[Tracy Carcione]

Hi Bernadetta.
I'm so sorry about what you're going through.  My 4th dog, Amba, had
malignant melanoma.  It was on her leg, and the vet reccomended amputation
to try to stop the cancer.  Amba adjusted well to three-leggedness, but it
did not stop the cancer, and she only lived a few more months.  It seemed
like the right decision at the time, but, looking back, I'm not sure I'd
do it again.  Also, at that time, 13 years ago, pain management for dogs
was almost non-existent, and the first couple days home were pretty awful.
I discussed the whole situation with the vet staff at GDB, and they were
much more up front with me than my own vet.  They also helped a lot with
the cost.  I'll bet the TSE vets could also give you an informed opinion,
and I know TSE has helped friends of mine with extraordinary vet costs.

On the other hand, for a happy story, my brother's lab was diagnosed with
a rare cancer and had to get radiation and stay in hospital for a month. 
The vets thought he wouldn't live more than a couple years, even with
treatment, but he went on to live a long, healthy life.  The only thing to
tell he was ever sick was a bare patch of skin where the radiation had
been.

It's a terrible hard choice, whether to put your dog through a lot of
misery, on the chance that he'll live a good life afterwords, or to let
him be happy and healthy as long as possible, and then do what you can to
stop him suffering.  I've been there, and I really feel for you.
Tracy

> Hi Everyone:
> If you recall, a couple of days ago I introduced myself to the list,
> and I shared with you that my Seeing Eye pup, Kipp, has cancer.
> Well, I had a meeting with his oncologist today, and, needless to say,
> I am very worried about the situation. Kipp's cancer is in his mouth,
> and she said that in order to remove it, they would have to perform a
> very difficult surgery. She added that that surgery would not
> necessarily garentee that the cancer would be aborted, in which case,
> they would have to put him through radiation. When she told me this, I
> asked her what his chances of survival were once this was treated. I
> felt she was not being streight with me, so to speak, because she sort
> of avoided the question. she said, "if we do the surgery alone, the
> cancer might show up again in seven months or so. If we do the
> radiation with  the surgery, it might not show itself for about two
> more years." So then I asked her how the cancer would progress if no
> treatment was undertaken, and she would not answer that. The only
> reason I asked her that is because I wanted to find out how dangerous
> Kipp's cancer is to him.
> However, my worry is this: I looked at his discharge papers today, and
> I saw the cost of the surgery. Ten thousand dollars in total including
> anesthesia and the hospital stay, etc. , and sixteen thousand dollars
> for radiation. If I was a full-time worker and had a well-paying job, I
> wouldn't mind forking over twenty six grand to cure my best friend in
> the world. Unfortunately, I'm a student and a freelance writer, and
> I've never even owned that much  money at any one time. In addition to
> that, his discharge papers were much more concise than that doctor, and
> it was stated that neither the surgery nor the radiation would give him
> more than a sixty five percent chance of survival. About the surgery,
> it stated that this procedure would consist of removing  part of his
> upper jaw, so he would not be able to eat normally for a long time and
> would  likely  have to adjust to his new life for a while.
>
> My dilemma is this:  If I don't have nearly enough money to pay for his
> surgery, how do I go about financing it? I've looked online for some
> sort of animal foundations where I could get a loan or a donation to
> fund his treatment, and I haven't found anything that caught my eye.
> Does anyone know of any financial resources for ill service animals in
> need of expensive treatment? Of course, I'd use Kipp's pet insurance as
> a basis for this sortof cost, but I know they only cover about four
> thousand of what it would cost to cure him.
>
> Secondly: I know this might come off as a strange thought, but I'm
> wondering, if he really has that many odds against him with this
> disease, is it humane to put him through this sort of suffering if it
> might not help him in the end? I mean, right now, Kipp is still a
> happy, seemingly healthy, energetic boy. He's blissfully unaware of his
> illness, it seems. His cancer  was found by accident, as a matter of
> fact. If not for a routine check-up, I would not have known he was ill
> in the first place.  If I put him through surgery, all of a sudden,
> he'll wake up from his anesthesia not being able to eat, and a part of
> his inner mouth will be missing. Imagine how confused and scared he'll
> be for a long time, while he recovers. They'll have him on IV fluids
> for a while, and then they'll send home injections to use in order to
> nourish him. /Also, it's clear to me that he won't be able to work
> anymore after this surgery. He's still very eager to work, and I've
> been told by the doctor that there's no reason for him to retire unless
> he starts feeling worse, or until the surgery takes place.  It's
> important to mention that he won't be with me anymore after a while,
> because I'm not allowed to keep a retired service animal in my
> apartment, due to the no-pet policy in the building. So he'll be
> moving in with my mother, and I'm concerned that, even though Kipp
> knows and loves her well enough, he might feel even more freaked out if
> I'm not around to take care of him. I've had him for four years, and he
> gets very upset if i'm gone for long periods of time. If I didn't opt
> for the surgery, I could keep him with me longer, and maybe find ways
> to medically ease his pain if the cancer progresses.
> I'm really lost as to how to handel this. It's my first guide dog, and
> I've never had to make these sort of decisions for another dog before.
> I'm sure many of you were faced with this sort of situation before. Can
> anyone please give me any advice? Also, has anyone specifically delt
> with a Fibro Sarcoma before, or with a dog who had to have a tumor
> removed from his mouth?
>
> Any thoughts, advice, or information would be greatly apreciated.
>
> Thank you ever so much in advance..
> Sincerely,
> Bernadetta
>
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