Brain Tumor and Eye Tumor???

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happynubs

Boxer Pal
Hello, all. I haven't been much more than a lurker here, but I guess the moment has come where I need to reach out.

My Killian just turned 11 years old on Jan. 20th. He's been a wonderful companion, of course.

Sunday when we returned home from church we found him standing in the kitchen with no ability to see. He had lost vision previously in one eye, so now something was going on with his good one. :(

As we soon found out, it wasn't just glaucoma this time. A melanoma tumor has been growing IN his eye and even spread outside. As if that weren't enough, they checked him out to see if he could undergo the eye surgery and found he has cardiomyopathy as well.

So, he's on meds for his heart to see if we can get the surgery done to remove the eye/tumor.

But today he started freaking out. Just panting quickly and whining constantly and yapping at me. I didn't know if he was in pain or panic or something else like heart failure.

So we went to the emergency vet and now they are saying it could all be related to a brain tumor....

His blood tests came back pretty good and his echo didn't show any real issues with his heart structure.

However, since his first episode with his first eye and vision loss he has shown other symptoms that we are now recognising could be a brain tumor. We thought he might've had a stroke...head tilting, drooping jowls/face, poor balance, running into walls. But this seemed to improve and we thought he was just getting used to having one eye.

But the head tilt still continued and his walking has gotten more difficult although he still played around and could pretty much function normally.

No seizures at all. Has anyone had a dog with a brain tumor that never had a seizure?

Does this still sound like a brain tumor in anyone else's experience? Anyone else had a tumor in their baby's eye?

We gave him Tramadol and that seems to be helping. But we don't want to drag things out and make him suffer and go through anything uneccessarily. He could very well die in the surgery! :(

Any advice or encouragement is greatly appreciated.

~Amy
 

happynubs

Boxer Pal
Also...

Should we even go forward with the eye surgery? He is just lying around and I have to make him get up to go out. Is it more humane to just put him down?? :(
 

johann

Boxer Insane
I wish I had some advice for you, but I don't.

Tons of healing thoughts headed to your boy.
 

Sansal

Boxer Insane
Sorry, no advice. Just wanted to send many (((positive vibes))) your way. I have no personal experience with this but I know from reading the forums that many members "just knew" the time had come, where the quality of life just wasn't there anymore and the dog needed to be relieved from pain and suffering. I have heard many times that the dog "told" his/her owner that he/she was ready to go. This is a very tough decision but it sounds like you are exploring all the options while keeping your boys best interest at heart. From reading your post I can tell how very much loved Killian is. I hope that you get to spend some more quality time with your boy.
Please keep us posted.

grouphugicon
 

Jan

Reasonable Moderator
Staff member
Personally, I would not do the surgery. It sounds like the cancer has already spread. I would keep Killian as comfortable as possible and when the time came I would let him go. Sometimes it is the best thing that we can do for our best friend. 11 years old is a pretty good age for a boxer and doing the surgery would probably not extend his life by much. What does your vet have to say about it?

I'm sending positive vibes your way ------------>
 

happynubs

Boxer Pal
Good news...I hope...

We cancelled the eye surgery and went to a neurologist instead. The neuro said he couldn't say for sure if Killian has a brain tumor or not based on his symptoms.

As it turns out it could also be vestibular disease so we are treating the ears to see if that resolves the balance/head tilting issues.

I rescheduled the surgery (Valentine's Day) for his poor eye. I'm sure he's uncomfortable...

SO, my worst fears have been neither confirmed or denied but at least there's some hope that it could be something other than a brain tumor.

Thank you all for the support and encouragement. It has been so good to feel your positive vibes coming my way! :o)
 

Gatorblu

Boxer Insane
I don't know much about canine anatomy, so this could be a silly question. Could the eye be putting pressure on the brain causing his symptoms? If so wouldn't the surgery relieve the problem? I just thought I would throw that out there. Sending lots of positive, healthy ((((((vibes))))))!
 

johann

Boxer Insane
I am so hoping it is vestibular disease and not a tumor!

Still tons of healing vibes headed to you and Killian
 

ColePaityn

Boxer Buddy
I had to make this decision in November. Daisy was 9 years old and took her to the emergency room thinking she had a bladder infection. Turned out to be a softball size tumor blocking her bowels and bladder. The Emergency Vet was very compassionate and we decided to put her to sleep that night. I couldn't stand to see her suffer so to me it was the obvious choice. You sound like a great parent, so I'm sure you will know what to do when the time comes. There's never an easy choice, but at 11 years old how much longer are you going to get and is it worth putting him through surgery. That is how I would base my decision. By no means am I trying to suggest your decision, just some things I thought of when I was faced with my decision. My fear was extending her life for my personal reasons, and not giving her the best quality of life going forward. I feel I made the correct decision and I'm sure you will do whats best for you Boxer as well. I'm hoping for the best Killian...Good Luck!
 

CTteach1331

Boxer Booster
been there, done that :(

I'm sorry for what you're going through.....if it's what I went through, it was the hardest time ever...Clem was my best friend. One night, he started to fall over, then pee on himself....he didn't have the eye problem, so that is where we are different. In the end, he had a brain tumor that "exploded" and after he went under for the MRI to figure out what was going on, he wouldn't breathe on his own.....I had to make the decision to put down my best friend.....the vet said even if he came back, breathing on his own, he wouldn't be the same dog, personality wise because of the brain damage :( I couldn't do that to my dog......it still makes me cry and I now have a husband and beautiful baby boy and an older boxer, 7 years old.....Clem was only 4 :(

I hope you get answers.....and I hope everything works out for you.
 
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