Treatment for lympho sarcoma in Golden Retriever

[Pamlet]

Our precious 11 year old "soul-mate" Savannah, a golden retriever, had swollen lymph nodes in her neck and chest. Cells were sent off to TX A&M but the results were not definitive. We have heard there is no cure but want to keep her as long as possible with her having the best quality of life possible.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank u, Pamlet

[Jaybay]

It sounds like you're in excellent hands.  Please keep us posted on your progress.

A bit off topic - how are things in your area post-Ike?  I'm up in Bear Creek and there are still plenty of tarps and blown-out business signs and wrecked trees and fences to be seen.  We flooded badly up here the following morning, and it appears some homeowners just gave it up and bailed out.  

How did your dog handle the storm?  One of our dogs freaks out during an average thumderstorm, so she was pretty upset.  The other one slept through it all with no trouble.  I couldn't sleep with all the racket of debris hitting the house, so I stayed up with Maggie all night.  My husband and I agree on one thing: We're too old for disasters!

[Pamlet]

Thank you for your thoughts and information.. Yesterday we saw a specialist at Gulf Coast Bay Area Specialists & had some tests run & an ultrasound. We are to see an oncologist tomorrow. I am afraid that costs of treatment will be prohibitive especially after Hurricane Ike, etc.
I will ctc Dr. Cheng....great idea. There are a couple of vets around that practice Chinese Holistic medicine so we may go that route.
It is just so hard to think of her as old even though her face is now white.
I appreciate your response.

[Jaybay]

I'm so sorry to hear the bad news.  It's so difficult to decide what to do when our senior dogs have a terminal illness.  If you are in the Houston area and have lots of money to spend, you can get a referral to Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists in the Galleria area.  That facility practices human-level veterinary medicine.  If anything can be done, it will be done there.  Cost is a big consideration, but more importantly, quality of the remaining life of your dog.  Sometimes even if a treatment is available, it isn't fair to put the dog through it.

Did your vet tell you anything of what to expect over the next few weeks?  You'll need to know what symptoms to look for like increased pain, lethargy, nausea and vomiting - and how best to treat those symptoms.  

If you haven't done so already, post your question to the vets here at Med Help on the Ask a Vet forum.  Dr. Cheng also practices Chinese holistic medicine and I'm sure she'll have some ideas for you to try that your own vet may not be aware of.