Puppy Cancer (kinda long)

[nixdorf]

How can this be true?

My wife and I have a beautiful 10-month old boxer named Sophie. We got her when she was still young--6 weeks old--and she has become an integral part of our lives (as most boxers do!).

A few weeks ago, Sophie developed a large bump on her right hind leg (between the "knee" joint and the foot, on the back side). We took her to the vet, who gave her a shot of antibiotics and gave us a vial of oral antibiotics. The vet said to come back in two weeks to see if they had any effect on the bump.

Unfortunately, the antibiotics had no effect, and the vet had to operate on Sophie to remove it. The vet said that the type of tumor that was removed looks like a "very, very evil" kind, but we won't know for certain until the biopsy results come back. The vet said it's about a 50:50 shot that it is the evil kind.

I'm just posting this wondering how many other boxer lovers out there have had to deal with something like this, and if they have any tips. She's 10-months old, and we're looking at the possibility of losing her! I know that the vet community has made great advances in chemotherapy and radiological treatments, but I'm affraid that's way outside of what we can afford--we almost broke the bank just having the tumor removed.

Any help/advice/prayers would be greatly appreciate!

Thanks,
Pete

 

[Scorpio]

Oh Pete this is so sad, will send prayers and healing vibes for Sophie, its amazing what prayers can do, lets pray that the results come back neg.

<<<<<<<<<<healing vibes and prayers>>>>>>>>>>>>

Colleen

 

[Tricia77]

Pete -
My crew will be praying for Sophie!

Iwonder what the "evil" kind is? Curly had a mast cell tumor removed last year - luckily the surgery got all the surrounding cells and he didnt need chemo. He is only (was atthe time) 4 yrs old so pretty young for the tumor (at least my vet said so).

Try to surf the net for info on the tumor so you have good questions to ask your doctor when he ready to discuss the biopsy. My regualr vet also consulted a canine oncologist who recommended regular blood work and x-rys to watch for any new developments.

The power of prayers is exceptionally strong and really helps modern medicine work miracles!



Angels from Tessa, Curly and Eagle

 

[ladyluck_t]

Pete,

I had the same thing happen to my katie when she was that old, she had 2 tumors on her back leg at about the same place. They were removed and have not come back. My vet said that these tumors happen occasionally. I understand your fears and worries, and will say a prayer for you and your family. Good Luck.

 

[Shotze's Mom]

Im so sorry to hear this about your baby. Shotze and I will say a prayer for you and your baby. Have faith and think positive.

Big slobbery boxer kisses from Shotze and a hug from me

Kat and Shotze

 

[Linda/NJ]

We are sending Sophie postive vibes~~~~~~~~~~Stay positive and I certainly hope the results come back with good news.

Linda & Ginger

 

[douma]

Our BEST WISHES for good results.
Best of luck
Sophia and Avra

 

[jray]

Keeping our fingers and paws crossed here!!

Jenny & Oskar

 

[nixdorf]

Sophie's Recovering from the Surgery ...

Thank you all SO much for your prayers and positive vibes! You have no idea how much we appreciate it. It brought tears to my eyes.

Good news on the recovery front: Sophie's doing really well!

She was so pitiful after the surgery--even after the anesthesia wore off. Her paw was so swollen, she didn't have any gaps between her toes. It was so bad she had to walk on her toes because her foot wouldn't flatten out. After 24-hours of this, the swelling went down (hurah!).

Now, Sophie's back to her usual self--chasing the birds, barking at the bees, and getting into all sorts of trouble! We're trying to keep her as inactive as possible (to let the wounds heal), but that's similar to trying to control the weather.

She's taken a special disliking to her elizabethan collar. She was barking in her crate around 2 AM this morning, so my wife and I let her in bed with us. We took her e-collar off and put it next to the bed. Around 6:30 AM this morning, I woke up to her growling and barking bloody murder. My first thought was of an intruder in the house, but it turns out she was just barking at her e-collar on the floor! I had to hide it from her so she would calm down.

A few answers to specific questions:

Tricia77: The vet said it looked like a mass cell tumor. She was worried because she's supposed to remove one inch of flesh around the tumor to remove it all. Unfortunately, she couldn't, since the tumor was on her leg. She removed as much as she could, but had to be careful to make certain she left enough to stitch the wound closed again. We're hoping it wasn't cancerous, regardless.

ladyluck_t: It's good to hear that katie went through the same thing but survived. Gives us hope!


Anyway, we'll keep everyone posted on the progress--especially the results of the biopsy.

Again, thank you for all the prayers and positive vibes. They are MUCH appreciated.

Pete

 

[jray]

I am glad she is feeling better today.

Jenny & Oskar