Mast Cell Tumor - Advice Needed

[MoparGirl]

Surgery update

Ella is out of surgery and is fine. The surgeon ended up not taking the lymph node since it was actually small and normal. The salvary glands presented as enlarged lymph node during the external exam. The surgeon was able to get what she felt was sufficient margins without having to remove a significant amount of tissue and she'll have just a minor change to her appearance. Now we wait for the biopsy results.

She spends tonight at the hospital and we get to pick her up in the morning. I'll keep you posted. The fact that the lymph node wasn't actually enlarged gives me hope that we could possibly still be dealing with a grade 1. But we will remain cautiously optimistic.

 

[packblt]

Sendibg healing (((vibes))) and keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.

 

[Gatorblu]

Glad she is out of surgery and things look good. What a relief about the lymph node!

 

[johann]

Glad she is out of surgery and that her lymph node looked good.

Hope she recovers very quickly and that you get good news from the biopsy.

 

[LVMYBOXERS]

I had lost my Cassie due to Multiple Mast Cell Tumors 18 days ago. We tried everything, from Prednisone, Benadryl with Tagamet and even a Chinese compound that my Holistic Vet recommended.
Nothing work. Finally we have to put her down.
Hope you have a better luck than us. The vet aspirated her lymph node, and she had MC there too.
Now, I am dealing with Emma and she is having surgery to remove three tumors next month. So sad than Boxers have so many tumors.

 

[MoparGirl]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[MoparGirl]

Biopsy Update!!

We just heard from the surgeon. The MCT was a grade 2 under the old grading system. But it is low grade under the new (Michigan State) grading system. The reason it was grade 2 is because of how far it went subcutaneously. They also got clean margins. Now, closest to her nose and under the skin, the margins were .2 cm and .3 cm but they were clean. Essentially she said it would be a grade 2 that acts like a grade 1. She was very happy but of course would have liked larger margins. But considering she only took 1/2 to 1 cm margins during the surgery, it seems good to me.

There were ZERO mytotic figures and no other bizarre cells (I can't remember the name she used) that would indicate any spreading of the cancer. I'll get a copy of the report when we get her stitches out on Monday. She said the lack of figures mean that it's highly unlikely that there was any spreading of it to the lymph nodes or anywhere else. She is healing very well and each day is more like herself. We are tapering off the prednisone, which makes us all happy.

She said the oncologist said there are two ways to go - just monitor it for any regrowth and then contemplate additional surgery or do a round of chemo (venblastine??) as a precaution. She has only had one other MCT on her hind leg about 5+ years ago. It was the size of a pen point (barely noticeable) and was a grade 1.

My initial reaction is that it isn't worth putting her through chemo as a just in case. I know that we will stay on benadryl and pepcid forever. Are there any other suggestions or advice you may have or questions we need to ask at the next appointment?

Thank you all for your support!

 

[Roxiesmommy]

Herb

I suggest Astragalus. It is an herb that fights infections. I gave it to my dog when she had a tumor and the tumor disappeared. She is 10 years old and cancer free. My sister has a dog with massive tumors. She gave it to her dog and the tumors shrank considerably. She stopped giving it to her and they came back. She put her dog on it and will keep her on it. I swear by it and so do the Japanese. They give it to their dogs to prevent cancer.

 

[MTboxer]

I suggest Astragalus. It is an herb that fights infections. I gave it to my dog when she had a tumor and the tumor disappeared. She is 10 years old and cancer free. My sister has a dog with massive tumors. She gave it to her dog and the tumors shrank considerably. She stopped giving it to her and they came back. She put her dog on it and will keep her on it. I swear by it and so do the Japanese. They give it to their dogs to prevent cancer.

I did a search online, but where is the best place to purchase? And, do you buy yours in a liquid form? Capsule?

 

[Roxiesmommy]

Astragalus

I buy it at our local natural health food store (Whole Foods). I use the capsules (Whole Foods brand). They are easy to break open and spread over their food.