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maria005 · 04-25-2009, 01:05 PM

Dear Toni, I am sorry to hear about your dog, Rusty. I lost my dog Sami a few weeks ago to progressive laryngeal paralysis. When Sami got so debilitated that he could not eat without choking, couldn't jump into the car to go for a ride, and could not breathe without laboring, I knew it was time to put him to sleep. The feeling that one gets on losing one's devoted, beloved friend and constant companion gives new meaning to the word "heartbreak". I had him for 12 of his 14 years and from day 1, he was my constant shadow. We got our Rusty in the hopes of relieving some of the pain we felt on losing Sami.

I had to make a decision about my Rusty without waiting for any input from others. Cancerous growths are best handled quickly. I thought of three different possibilities for him:
1) put him down now to avoid additional pain and suffering
2) put him on drugs to decrease the pain, put him on immunity supplements, and put him down when he gets too debilitated that he can't eat anymore because of the size of his tumor
3)remove the cancerous growth, put him on immunity supplements, and hope that the vet was able to get all the cancer. He would be in pain for awhile, but under control of drugs until he healed. He could eat on the other side.
The idea of doing surgery to remove half his mouth was horrible to me. But, considering the other options, I felt that the surgical option would give him the best chance for a full recovery and the best quality of life. The pain would be temporary until he healed--a week or two, hopefully-- not months in a drugged state. If it turns out that he can't eat or doesn't heal well, we could euthanize him then. I think the best time to put a dog on immunity supplements is before he has need of them. In my Rusty's case, I think the cancer would have won out over the supplements. The doggie dentist felt that my Rusty was a good candidate for tumor removal and squamous cell carcinoma doesn't spread quickly or return readily. From what I've read, epitheliotropic lymphoma tumors keep popping up all over and are difficult to contain surgically. You did what was best for your Rusty.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post. Again, my deepest condolences on the loss of your Rusty.

04-25-2009, 01:05 PM	#3 (permalink)
maria005 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 3	Dear Toni, I am sorry to hear about your dog, Rusty. I lost my dog Sami a few weeks ago to progressive laryngeal paralysis. When Sami got so debilitated that he could not eat without choking, couldn't jump into the car to go for a ride, and could not breathe without laboring, I knew it was time to put him to sleep. The feeling that one gets on losing one's devoted, beloved friend and constant companion gives new meaning to the word "heartbreak". I had him for 12 of his 14 years and from day 1, he was my constant shadow. We got our Rusty in the hopes of relieving some of the pain we felt on losing Sami. I had to make a decision about my Rusty without waiting for any input from others. Cancerous growths are best handled quickly. I thought of three different possibilities for him: 1) put him down now to avoid additional pain and suffering 2) put him on drugs to decrease the pain, put him on immunity supplements, and put him down when he gets too debilitated that he can't eat anymore because of the size of his tumor 3)remove the cancerous growth, put him on immunity supplements, and hope that the vet was able to get all the cancer. He would be in pain for awhile, but under control of drugs until he healed. He could eat on the other side. The idea of doing surgery to remove half his mouth was horrible to me. But, considering the other options, I felt that the surgical option would give him the best chance for a full recovery and the best quality of life. The pain would be temporary until he healed--a week or two, hopefully-- not months in a drugged state. If it turns out that he can't eat or doesn't heal well, we could euthanize him then. I think the best time to put a dog on immunity supplements is before he has need of them. In my Rusty's case, I think the cancer would have won out over the supplements. The doggie dentist felt that my Rusty was a good candidate for tumor removal and squamous cell carcinoma doesn't spread quickly or return readily. From what I've read, epitheliotropic lymphoma tumors keep popping up all over and are difficult to contain surgically. You did what was best for your Rusty. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post. Again, my deepest condolences on the loss of your Rusty.