MCT: Best sources of information

[porterscota]

Hello:

I want to thank everyone in advance for this forum. I am always so grateful for the responses that I receive from the members.

Our male, Rogan, (6 yo) was just diagnosed with a MCT on his right side. This is our second set of Boxers (Rogan, 6 and Kella, 5) and our first experience with MCT. We dutifully checked any lumps that appeared on our first two, Porter and Scota, and never received this diagnosis.

We moved to NH from Seattle, WA and for the first time, we have had to treat our Boxers with flea/tick medication and heartworm. I know that there are strong opinions about vaccines, medications and diets related to Boxer health. With Lyme disease and the other tick-borne diseases in this area as well as heartworm, we decided to treat them for it. I gave them treatment year round for the past two years and am considering tapering that back especially reading about dogs diagnosed with MCT and different consideration of treatments on these dogs.

I have searched the threads and have gathered good information from members' posts. I have searched the Internet and found good information as well. At the end of the day though, it is overwhelming.

Rogan has a small lump and it was aspirated last week. The lump was there about a month. I regret that I did not take him in at the first sign of it but I foolishly expected it to be a fatty tumor like our other babies and was waiting until his annual exam was due. I ended up taking him in sooner because it changed in size. The vet has scheduled his surgery for 8.6 and plans to take 2 cm margins and sent it out for biopsy.

It may be premature to be worrying since he has not had the surgery yet and we do not have the biopsy yet but I am a newbie to MCTs and am anxious.

If anyone could provide sources to information about MCT as well as sources to support his immune system through diet or supplements, I would greatly appreciate it.

Lissa Ferrero
Mom to Rogan (6) and Kella (5); and Porter and Scota (at the bridge)

 

[luvmybxrs]

I'd love to share resources and information - my 7 yr old baby had 2 grade 1 MCT removed in 2013 with great margins. Now he has one on his toe of his same leg where the others were removed. He will probably be facing a toe amputation and probably a part of his ear too as he has a small MCT in the middle of his ear on the underside. I don't have my baby scheduled for surgery yet, we just found this out on Thursday. Potentially going to Oncology department at Texas A M but right now their wait is a few weeks. Trying to get him in soon for everything without rushing and overlooking something but the anxiety of the cancer sitting on his body right now makes me cringe. I want it gone! I'll be praying for your baby through his surgery and recovery

 

[porterscota]

Thank you so much for your reply! I greatly appreciate hearing from you. I felt that my thread was sort of broad asking for "resources but having never faced this diagnosis, I feel lost in all the information out there. If there is any particular article, website, Boxerworld thread. etc. that anyone can suggest that they felt was helpful when dealing with MCT, I would appreciate it. If there is information on diets or supplements to use to support their systems for recovery and for prevention.

I am glad to hear that your baby had successful surgery in 2013 and I will be keeping the good thoughts as he goes through this next go around. I am right there with you on the anxiety surrounding all of this!

We lost our first two Boxers in emergent states after dealing with long standing health issues, they were 10 and 11 when they went to the bridge. Having Rogan be diagnosed at 6 feels so early to be dealing health issues like this, especially one that we have never faced before.

Any thoughts and support would be helpful!

Thank you,

Lissa

 

[Independence]

Please do a search for MCT on the health forum right here. There is a wealth of information. Sorry you are going thru this. There are many of us here that have dealt with the same issue. Keeping you in my prayers.

 

[porterscota]

Hi Lisa:

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Before I posted, I did search MCT on the forum and found threads with other member's journeys through this same diagnosis. This has been helpful. What I was looking for was specific articles or links to reputable sources that have information about MCTs and/or the same for supplements and diets. I will go through the forum and search again and see if I can find specific sources that other members found reputable in educating themselves on MCTs.

I took my girl, Kella to the vet yesterday for her annual and to evaluate a small lump in between her toes. It was aspirated and the vet diagnosed it as a benign hemangioma and we will keep careful watch on it to see if it grows as there is also cancerous hemangiomas. I asked her for information about MCTs and she printed out an article from a veterinarian source and I found it very helpful more in understanding what MCTs are from a clinical sense.

Once Rogan has his surgery and the biopsy report comes back with the grade and we speak with the vet about what follow may be necessary, I know that many of the threads that I have seen on the forum will be very valuable and I will follow up with additional questions.

Thank you again,

Lissa

 

[Cami]

Cami had multiple MCT's over her lifetime and I shared my experiences here on BW over a number of years. If you do a search of her name, or my user name, MCT, Vetalog, Cheryl London DVM, etc...you will find numerous posts with info in them with various links to articles online. I lived MCT's for over 4 years. Cami was first diagnosed with one at age 2 and they continued until her death just shy of age 7 (heart issues). In her case we opted to have a few removed early on surgically but by age 3 she was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and we felt surgery was too risky and her oncologist suggested treating with Vetalog (injecting tumors with meds until they die and no surgery required). This treatment proved successful every time it was utilized and she had over 16 tumors in her lifetime. None of her tumors ever came back. Some were removed with clean margins, others were not and those treated with Vetalog didn't come back either.
I fed Solid Gold Barking at the Moon kibble and canned versions as well. High protein, low carb, grain & gluten free. Her treats were of the same variety, different manufacturers. All the fruits and veggies she wanted daily. Vitamin C and Fish oil both human grade and a canine multi vitamin. Plenty of healthy exercise, lots of attention and as little stress as possible. She never acted sick a day her in life and she was plenty sick! Her mast cell disease was chronic, allergies, thyroid, cardiomyopathy. She read the Boxer handbook and decided to fight all the Boxer ailments!
Stay educated and you will make the right decisions for your pup.

 

[porterscota]

Thank you Cami's mom very much for your response. On my initial search, I saw many posts from you and your journey and have taken much of what you said into consideration already.
Staying educated is exactly what prompted my post. This is our first time dealing with a diagnosis of MCT. Having dealt with many of the other health issues that Boxers endure and having turned to the forum for help on those issues, I returned to the members here for help.
Thank you for your support,
Lissa


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