Spindle Cell Tumour in Dogs

Last time I blogged about my dog was in July. That will give you the link to the other posts. Here she is on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa and as you can see, she still has her spindle cell tumour and she is doing okay. This is a year and a half now that I have kept her going. In October I had to take her back to the vet again because the tumour was bigger than ever - about he size of a grapefruit. So now she is on cortisone tablets and she has half a day. We tried one day on and one day off. We tried one tablet and then a half and then none for one day. The vet and I have worked on this and the half a day has kept the tumour under control and every once in a while it's a full tablet. Very rarely. She keeps the tumour about the size of a small apple. I have had to balance rest and exercise and I have had to really work on her diet to keep it incredibly healthy. The cortisone  has made her very hungry and very thirsty. She has dry natural dog food for breakfast and then a can of puppy (yes puppy - not so rich) food, a weetbix, dog milk and a few dried shitake mushrooms for dinner. She gets natural dog snacks in between if she is mooching.  Mushrooms? Yes, the shitake mushrooms have stopped her from drinking and drinking. She gets hot very quickly and pants but I think the cortisone pumps up her system a bit. Careful, careful. She had cream for the lump too which I used first of all but it doesn't make any difference now it has shrunk a bit so we don't use it. I have googled natural treatments for dogs with cancer and that has been helpful. I can tell you, though, that turmeric and castor oil haven't helped. Rubbing castor oil on the lump did nothing. Since the cortisone she has slowed down a bit and I have to watch her condition. The dog milk and little healthy treats seem to be helping because she was losing weight. Most dogs gain weight. Now it is possible there are other things going on inside her, but she is 10 and a half and so the vet and I have decided to leave her alone as long as she is happy and coping. That is my wish because I saved her from the RSPCA and she was a puppy who had been horribly mistreated and we got her into such a great state of health and happiness. I don't want her to suffer now at the end of her life and I am learning a lot from her about just getting up in the morning and having a nice day. Pets are wonderful teachers.