Spindle Cell Tumour in Dogs

I have blogged about my dog's spindle cell tumour before. All I can say is they are horrible. Last year I had the tumour on her front leg removed but they couldn't get it all because it was on the bony elbow part. So 10% remained. I changed her diet and made it ultra healthy which I thought it was, but I have done better by googling dog diets. She has been happy, healthy and her coat has been so shiny. About 6 weeks ago the tumour came back as fast as it came in the first place. So then the vet was talking amputation of the leg because the tumour could grow up into her heart and lungs or because it is tangled in her nerves, it could make her lame and in a lot of pain. It is supposed to be localised. This was tough. So tough. I have heart ached about it. My friends and family have been great support and wise counsel but we have all been upset. My daughter the most. So we have had to carry on and I had asked for time to manage this and have googled and youtubed until I could get my head around it and feel informed. I still didn't know if it was the right decision. My dog is loved by everyone and hse rockets around even though she is 9 and is always immensely happy and alert. The flax seed oil I gave her was keeping her coat in condition because she was losing hair. The under fur. The flax seed oil stopped that. Just a capful a day in her dinner. So then she went to the vet yesterday morning and I felt so bad but I thought it was the only thing. Spindle cell tumours cannot be treated. They do not respond to chemo or radiation therapy and my dog is 9. This has been so tough to deal with and to work out what is right. So I had a cup of tea with my sister who soothed me and then I came home and got my home ready for a three legged dog. About 11.35 am my mobile was ringing. The vet was telling me he had my dog under anaethetic on the operating table and he was just not going to remove the leg. Later when I went down to get my dog the nurse was saying how much he had thought about that and how he had discussed it with the other vet. It is so important for professionals to have back up and easy access to a peer. He wasn't going to take the leg off because she was walking okay, the tumour was definitely not growing up and he thought it would be too disruptive to her life given she had no other signs of illness. Now, there was a man of morals. He had thought about my dog and her needs for every moment she was in his care. I so admire him for calling me and offering to think some more about this before drastic action. She came home very groggy and I have an appointment in 2 weeks. Who knows where this spindle cell tumour will take us. For now she is happy and well (?). I hate cancer.

One great site I found to help me sort some of this out was Dog Cancer Guide. In fact the Hub Pages have some really good dog pages. We all need help when our pets are up against it.