Newfie2000
<font color=green>Doesn't anyone make split pea so
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2006
I know this is very out of topic but I am sompletely devastated and could use some encouragement and prayers and did not know where else to go.
Six years ago we had a Black Lab named Pete who had just turned 6 years old and quite suddenly developed a large growing lump in his neck. To make a very long sad story short - Pete was my best friend and actually wore a tuxedo to my wedding at the church. One could not have asked for a better more perfect friend and companion. The biopsy showed it to be lymphoma and although we did everything in our power including chemotherapy about 16 months later and 13,000.00 we lost him. That was one of the hardest days of my life. But I have to tell you he did very well in chemo with no side effects and had a fantastic quality of life until the day he passed away. I would never allow or cause him to suffer!
About 10 months later, after my constant begging and asking we added a black lab puppy to our lives again. He is also extremely close to all of us and has proved to be a great dog. For those of you who have gone through this you know that once you have a heartbreaking experience like this you tend to worry a little more and are a little afraid of everything when you get a new companion. Well Mike will turn 5 in November and we regularly take him to the vet. One month ago we visited the vet for all of his regular shots and as always I thouroughly questioned him. In addition to the heartworm test I asked for a complete blood test and even went one step further demanding all of his organ function and enzymes also be run. Good results and I was immensely reassured. A week later he developed an oozing area on the back of his neck we treated it at home for about a week and did not seem to be gettting anywhere with it so back to the vet we went. It turned out to be some sort of allergic reaction that had gotten infected. They ran cultures and three strains of bacteria grew from it so we began intense antibiotic treatment.
About 7 days into the treatment they had to switch antibiotics because the culture was resisting them.
Less than a week later I found a mass about midway on his back right next to the spine. Two days later it had grown substantially. Remember this is a dog who had just undergone every test possible and results came in outstanding! I can not believe it! So again we took him to the vet and they are now scheduling a biopsy for tommorrow.
We as a family are devastated! How can this be happening to us again? I know that there is a possibility this is not cancer or an even greater possibility this is not lymphoma but we are scared. We love Mike with everything we have to give - and I do not think we can go through the whole chemo, surgery and losing another one not this soon - and not this way! I know to some of you this is only a dog...but Mike is so much more than that he is a family member!
As I write this I am in tears and am praying so hard that this is something at least treatable! We once again are willing to do everything in our power to keep him in our lives.
Until we get the results back we will just have to sit and wait...pray and hope!
Thank you all so much for listening and allowing me to vent. And if any of you have any extra prayers or pixiedust laying around we sure could use some!
Six years ago we had a Black Lab named Pete who had just turned 6 years old and quite suddenly developed a large growing lump in his neck. To make a very long sad story short - Pete was my best friend and actually wore a tuxedo to my wedding at the church. One could not have asked for a better more perfect friend and companion. The biopsy showed it to be lymphoma and although we did everything in our power including chemotherapy about 16 months later and 13,000.00 we lost him. That was one of the hardest days of my life. But I have to tell you he did very well in chemo with no side effects and had a fantastic quality of life until the day he passed away. I would never allow or cause him to suffer!
About 10 months later, after my constant begging and asking we added a black lab puppy to our lives again. He is also extremely close to all of us and has proved to be a great dog. For those of you who have gone through this you know that once you have a heartbreaking experience like this you tend to worry a little more and are a little afraid of everything when you get a new companion. Well Mike will turn 5 in November and we regularly take him to the vet. One month ago we visited the vet for all of his regular shots and as always I thouroughly questioned him. In addition to the heartworm test I asked for a complete blood test and even went one step further demanding all of his organ function and enzymes also be run. Good results and I was immensely reassured. A week later he developed an oozing area on the back of his neck we treated it at home for about a week and did not seem to be gettting anywhere with it so back to the vet we went. It turned out to be some sort of allergic reaction that had gotten infected. They ran cultures and three strains of bacteria grew from it so we began intense antibiotic treatment.
About 7 days into the treatment they had to switch antibiotics because the culture was resisting them.
Less than a week later I found a mass about midway on his back right next to the spine. Two days later it had grown substantially. Remember this is a dog who had just undergone every test possible and results came in outstanding! I can not believe it! So again we took him to the vet and they are now scheduling a biopsy for tommorrow.
We as a family are devastated! How can this be happening to us again? I know that there is a possibility this is not cancer or an even greater possibility this is not lymphoma but we are scared. We love Mike with everything we have to give - and I do not think we can go through the whole chemo, surgery and losing another one not this soon - and not this way! I know to some of you this is only a dog...but Mike is so much more than that he is a family member!
As I write this I am in tears and am praying so hard that this is something at least treatable! We once again are willing to do everything in our power to keep him in our lives.
Until we get the results back we will just have to sit and wait...pray and hope!
Thank you all so much for listening and allowing me to vent. And if any of you have any extra prayers or pixiedust laying around we sure could use some!
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from my family (human and furry)....
But if that is truly the problem I will gladly take that over any of the other possibilities! Because Mike has been on such intense antibiotics he does not feel it could possibly be an abcess or any type of infection. And because of the size and consistency he is not sure that he would be able to do a needle aspiration/biopsy so the next step would be cutting out a cross section... but he wants to wait a while before thinking about that. We are kind of undecided about possibly having to approach it that way and I am leaning towards going directly to an oncologist before I would let him open him up only to remove a cross-section. But obviously we are hoping for the best, sitting on pins and needles... once again waiting! Praying for it to be only a reaction to the rabies shot! Thank you once again and I will keep you posted! Be sure to give all of your precious furbabies lots of love!
