Spindle Cell Tumour in Dogs

I last blogged about my dog here  and this will be the last post since I had to have her put down on Monday after a rapid decline Sunday. So rapid it was crisis by Sunday night. On the good side she was pretty well until then with the odd quiet day and she had passed her 12th birthday. Her lump was still there but her cortisone tablets had controlled it pretty well. The tumour had grown over the past few months but it did not bother her nor stop her from doing what she wanted. The hair was growing again on her back and the part where the vet had shaved the black thick hard skin off had completely regrown. I had eased it with pawpaw cream once in a while. I had also given her boiled potato twice a week with her dinner for the potassium . So in all she had lived 3 years  extra of pretty happy life where she was not restricted too much not in too much pain ever and had survived until 12 years old. Her spindle cell tumour was high grade so with the vet's help I had done well and so had she. She had had a life expectancy of less than a year when she was diagnosed with the tumour at 9 years old. It 's daunting and tricky to manage a spindle cell tumour and I managed it from one week to the next.I didn't think ahead and nor did my dog. She lived each day.  If she was okay I didn't bother. She liked to be out in the garden and some exercise kept the tumour under control. I had had to stop any big exercise because that would really make the tumour grow. Investigating in my garden suited her well though and a little game of ball when she felt like it. She was proof you can have a dog with a spindle cell tumour and it's okay. You will notice they react to some food more than others so you keep it simple. Weet-bix every day helped keep  her in  condition. It's sad and I hate it but in lots of ways it's proof that when you work with a good vet , then your animal can be well for quite some time even with an aggressive cancer.