pain medications

[leximags]

Our 13 year old Bichon has mammary cancer. We have decided not to operate at this point. Had the same thing with another dog which did no good. operated and it got worse. Can anyone suggest a pain remedy for when she starts having pain? Something natural and not from the vet?  Thank you. Toni

[Misfits4Me]

Welcome to the forum......I have a wonderful Holistic Vet who always chooses natural/herbal or Chinese Medicine as his first line of defense....However, for controlling pain, he always reaches for traditional/Standard Western Anti-inflammatories & Pain killers/ medicine....He is very strict when it comes to pain control.....

That said, your only line of defense would be pain management from your Vet!! They DO work the best....Certainly in a Cancer Patient....

On a side note: ALL Mammary tumors are not malignant!!! Statistically, 50% ARE NOT!!!! These kinds of tumors are very hard to determine without a biopsy during a removal....Sometimes a fine needle aspirate will show a hint, but not enough to determine if they are Malignant or Benign....

Has this been done and you DO know what your dealing with for sure? You didn't give much information....Benign tumors must be also be removed and then that's the end of it!!! Usually a spay is done at the same time!!!

Since this has happened to you twice, I must say this in case you don't know: Mammary/Breast Cancer is the easiest of all cancers to Prevent!!!
99% preventable just by Spaying your dog by the age of two!!!! It drastically drops in percentage at any age when spayed.....

I see 100's & 100's of animals a year & I have never seen Malignant Breast Cancer in a Spayed female of any age!!!! It does happen, but it's very rare!

That said, there must be a reason that you have not spayed your girls.....The only conclusion I can come up with, is that you breed them.....If so, then I suppose that's a risk your willing to take....

I AM sorry for your girl and I do hope she does well....Please, ask your Vet for recommendations for Pain Control when/if she needs it.....Karla

[ginger899]

I know about herbal medicine, but honestly do not know a pain remedy which is safe for dogs, and which will combat the pain of terminal cancer.
A narcotic-based painkiller or Tramadol (if she tolerates that well) may be recommended. And my honest opinion, would be to go for that.
What would be most important to her -if/when the pain starts, would be quality of life for as long as is practical and compassionate.

My lovely dog had mammary cancer. She had radical surgery. She certainly bounced back -even aged over 14 at the time. She was literally chasing the frisbee again as soon as her two-week 'exercise restrictions' were over. She was eating, walking etc even before that.

However, unknown to both the vet and myself, she had a sad twist of fate going on. Unknown to us she also had Hemangiosarcoma. A cancer completely unrelated to the breast cancer.
As far as our (good) vet was concerned, the mammary cancer was over and the surgery was successful -and my dog's apparent good health said the same thing.

But it was the Hemangiosarcoma which had the last word. She passed only months later from that.

[Jerry_NJ]

Not sure why you did not get a pain medication prescription (or other) recommendation from the vet who diagnosed the mammary cancer.  I know nothing about the meaning of "mammary" but will say our estimated 11 year old Westie was put down rather than undergo surgery and chemo for a suspected cancerous tumor that had ruptured his intestine.  This work was done by a Critical Care Vet at an 24/7 animal hospital with full ER services.  

In my limited knowledge dogs can not be given human pain meds.. why?  I don't know, that's my recollection of past reading... and the fact we always have had prescription pain medication from the vet when our dogs need it.