Tumor

[marilee176]

Hi,
I have a friend with a golden retriever.  One day he had trouble lifting his head, they took him to the vet and the vet said he had a tumor in neck area.  Now he cannot walk and the vet is doing a radiation treatment on that one area.

Fourth treatment today and one more to go, no change.  They are so frustrated, this dog is like their child.

Has anyone seen this before, please any info will help.

Thank you,

[marilee176]

Well cody finished his radiation treatments Thursday.  He still cannot sit or stand up.  It has been 10 days now and the vets don't really say anything except that it takes some dogs to recover than others.  This is killing me cause I have no idea what it must be like for a dog to be laying on his side and not able to get up.  His owners can go see him about two or three times a week.  I just don't know what to tell them except maybe it is his time to go.  

Please tell me what you guys think about this.  He is nine years old, golden retriever.

[Misfits4Me]

Thanks for the update.......I'll be praying for your friends and their furkid.......Keep me posted, I'm interested.....Bye, Karla

[marilee176]

Thank you guys, good information.  Please say a little prayer, sometimes you don't know if you can trust a vet, like if they know there is no hope and just keep milking you for the money, but then again, some are fantastic and really do care.

[marilee176]

Well this vet is in San Diego  CA.  It is the California Veterinary Specialists.

They did an MRI and did say it was a tumor but they did not know if cancerous or not.  He already had his five radiation treatments with no progress till last night after the last treatment, he is eating great and they said if he can walk by tomorrow he can go home Saturday.

I really don't know much about this place but it is very expensive.
It just is so wierd that he seemed fine when he intered the mobile vet trailor and came out shaking and not being able to lift his head.

He is Nine so he is a very lucky dog that he has owners that can afford to help him like this.

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Marilee...Any updates on your friend's dog....Thought I'd check....Thanks, Karla

[Misfits4Me]

Marilee......What your talking about & what gutsy62 is talking about are two different things.....

Very Important: How does your friend know it's a tumor? Did it show on an xray or ultrasound? Or is the Vet just guessing?

What gutsy is speaking of is called Intervertabral Disc/Disk Disease (IVDD) and it is very treatable.......However, it's a must to distinguish  between the two......If this is a Disk Rupture, then surgery is possible to correct it.....There is an 85% chance of it working to restore mobility.....The surgery is done through the front of the neck to repair the disc......The best route is to go through a Veterinary teaching hospital.....There are 27 located throughout the US......The Prices are almost half of what a specialty Center would charge.......I personally have never seen the surgery fail! If the appropriate health screening is done prior to the surgery & the dog is healthy, I wouldn't hesitate! Actually, I didn't hesitate...I have a dog that has had the surgery.......After total paralysis, there's a better chance of success if the surgery is done in the first 36 hrs.......

Plan B: Again if this is a Disc Rupture, A Holistic Vet can do amazing things with Acupuncture.....My Vet swears he can make paralyzed dogs walk again with just this treatment...I have NO reason to doubt him.......I have seen it work miracles myself.....To locate a Holistic Vet in your area, go to AHVMA web page and search by state......You want one that is CERTIFIED in Acupuncture AND Chinese Herbal Medicine....

Now, if this is indeed a Tumor and your friend is positive and it has been viewed on film, then to my knowledge it cannot be removed and is fatal! In all my studies and readings, I have never run across Radiation being used to treat these...I'm a little suspicious of that.....IMO, these Tumors are Sarcomas induced by Yearly vaccines given in the neck.....This protocol is old and should not be used.....If this dog's Vet has given this guy YEARLY vaccines in the neck for years, then they need a new Vet!!!!!  By the way, how old is this dog? Vaccines should not be given yearly and when they are, they should be given in the leg for this very reason.....The leg can be amputated and the dog saved!

So, what's Vital here is that know for sure what their dealing with.........Let me know what you find out or if you have any more questions......Karla

[gutsy62]

Hi: Ask your vet if its gotten neurological. I had to put my beagle down 2 years because of the same thing. Woke up one day and noticed he couldn't lift his had and one of his paws was turned in and dragging. Emerg vet said bed rest for a few days.That seemed to help for about a day. Took him to his usual vet and they said they could try neck surgery but there was no guarantee. Blue my beagle was 10yrs old and I didn't want to put him thru surgery only to find out he passed away on the table alone. Don't know if this helps but at least you can check it out.

[marilee176]

Hello,

I believe it is on the spine at neck.  They started off with a steroid injection in the neck and some muscle relaxants, then the second day he had trouble walking so they took him to emergency vet who sent them to a specialist.  They wanted to try a radiation treatment that would be five treatments and a hospital stay.  But this is the fifth treatment and no emprovement yet.  They just do not know what to do.

It all started when he got a mobile grooming and came back shaking and it was all down hill within days of being groomed.

I feel so bad.

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Marilee...Where on the neck is the tumor? Do you know? I assume it cannot be removed? If it is causing Paralysis, it must be located on the spinal column......Steroids are normally used in these events, have they tried any?

Let me know....Karla