Spindle Cell Tumour in Dogs

I have previously blogged about my dog's spindle cell tumour here and that post gives the links to my other posts and the new treatment which has been trialled for dog and cat tumours. My dog's tumour has grown a bit. It is the size of a small apple on the inside of her front leg. I can at least feel her elbow now, which I couldn't and that's good apparently. I felt I had to take her back to the vet just to get some direction again. I love my vet. He cares about my dog and I have evidence of that and he talks with me about my dog. This spindle cell tumour has been tough all along the way. Her weight has held steady. I have been very particular about her food and that seems to have kept her in top condition. She is 10 years old, happy, shiny and full of life. As I said , no one knows she has an aggressive cancer unless they see that lump. Today we had to create yet another management plan. This is not the sort of thing where you just get the answer.Health is everything. He was happy I had kept her so well for a year. She had the operation last year which got 90% of the tumour and then it came back early this year. He is going to investigate the new drug treatment for me, so that we are both clear about it because it didn't specifically mention spindle cell tumours . He will find out through his sources where they are at with that drug trial. His point, and it's a valid one, is my dog is well and "normal" and appears to be okay, so we are not going to do anything to disturb that balance.  He said even if he finds out that the drug would be helpful , we shall save it until she needs it because a drug in her system might upset it and make it all go wrong. I took his point. My mother didn't die of cancer. She died of chemotherapy. Her body reacted badly to the drugs even though I have known plenty of people now who have gone into remission because they had chemotherapy treatments. The tumour is not affecting my dog's leg. If it does he could move the tumour a bit (!?) or we could use that drug treatment if it is suitable.I feel happier now again. I have to think in terms of how she is and what her life is like and then hope there are ways of treating problems as they arise. Her lymph system is clear and her heart is fine...so we battle on.