I have a black labrador named Bear that has a huge tumor or cyst on his abdomen and it is now bleeding constantly. When the vet first examined him and ran some tests, he said that he didn't think it was cancer, but that the location of the tumor made it impossible to remove. Now the tumor has gotten much bigger and he is bleeding all over the house. Bear is 13 years old and the vet doesn't seem interested in helping him. Does anyone know why the tumor would continue to bleed constantly? This has gone for several days and I try to help him. He seems like he would still be an active dog if only the tumor could be removed. Any information or advice would be very much appreciated. *********************************************************** 07-12-06, 12:49 AM Sherasi Tumors can grow and interrupt vessels and veins which then allows blood to flow freely. If there is a break in a vessel, then bleeding occurs. Also, some tumors in some places can become engourged with blood and leak.
There are many possible reasons for this. If you are very concerned (and you should be), why not get a second opinion at a different vet? Constant bleeding has its own risks outside of even having a tumor in the first place.
At any rate, you do need to be aggressive with this. You may, unfortunately, have to put your poor Bear to sleep. Frown
But before doing anything drastic, a second opinion would not be amiss.
07-12-06, 12:49 PM misty45 i agree with sherasi. please get a second opinion. if it is cancer, the quicker they remove the tumor, the more chance they can get it all and more chance that he will recover.
07-17-06, 04:21 AM Wildflower63 Obviously you have taken good care of your Lab. To be realistic, you are doing good to get 12 years out of this breed. Their bodies are way too large for anything long lived or healthy for the breed.
If your dog is comfortable and you are ok with this problem, treat you dog well and get ready to say goodbye. My Lab got lumps that never opened, but not suggestable to treat, given her age. Her real problem was a large bone structure.
Labs are fantastic dogs. You will know when they suffer. They tell you. I do agree that there are options, but they are very expensive and every vet knows your dog has already lived a bit older than expected. You vet probably does not agree with expensive treatment that cures nothing at all, just cost you a fortune.
Love and care for your loved Lab as long as the dog has the will to live. At this age, it is ok to have the dog put down to prevent suffering. Maybe I was stupid and selfish with my Lab. The dog had to tell me she had enough. I had her put down the next day.
07-19-06, 09:52 PM dreamercgl HI BARB,
SORRY TO SAY , BUT MY DOG DIED FROM THE SAME THING. hER NAME WAS CUDDLES , SHE WAS 16 1/2. iT STARTED OF AS A DARK MOLE THE SIZE OF A QUARTER, i HAD IT TAKEN OFF, THEN ABOUT 30 MORE CAME IN ITS PLACE, sHE BLEED ALL THE TIME, i EVEN MADE HER A VEST OUT OF CANVAS AND VELCO, TO KEEP HER FROM BITING IT. tHE TUMORS STARTED PUSHING AGAINST HER ARTERIES TO HER LEGS, AND THEN SHE COULD BARELY WALK. i HAD TO PUT HER DOWN, CAUSE SHE ENDED UP IN SO MUCH PAIN, AND I LOVE HER TOO MUCH FOR THAT. pLEASE GET A 2ND OPINION, DOESN'T SOUND LIKE YOUR VET IS THAT INTRESTED. iT DOESNT'MEAN CAUS MY DOGS WAS CANCER YOURS IS, BUT GO TO DIFFERANT VET AND HAVE HIM DO A BIOPSY TO MAKE SURE. GOOD LUCK.
07-19-06, 09:56 PM dreamercgl Barb, i know that people say that size determines a dogs life. I know Danes don't live long, But I know lots of labs that have lived to 16. My husky was a very big dog, and both lived very long. Mixed breeds tend to fare better then pedigrees, but still I have seen them live long. And dogs are living longer now, with the excellent dog foods and supplements we have. Try using Missing Link plus with glucosamine. It great.
07-19-06, 11:25 PM Wildflower63 I was lucky to get 12 years out of my loved Lab. It really isn't myth that larger breeds have physical problems. Owners put dogs down, when in pain that we cannot help them with.
My Lab died at 12. She really was just too large. I had to help her get off of the floor, then she could walk. I guess that I could have gotten more time out of her, if I was ok with her suffering and inability to do the things she loved.
It really is true. Large dogs really don't live as long a smaller ones. In my opinion, mutts have a longer life than a pedigree dog.
15 years is outrageous time for a Lab. You got very lucky and I hope you know it!!
07-21-06, 03:47 PM DvdGStwrt Unfortunately we have been dealing with a lot of cysts and tumors on Sirius (almost nine years old now = 63) She is a black Lab/ Rott mix, and it seems as though each time I take her to the vet to have one lump removed another lump grows elsewhere to take is place.
Each time we have a biopsy done and each time it is benign.
The one on her neck filled up with blood - it was attached to a vein or artery. It was a messy, complicated, expensive surgery – Let’s put it this way, Sirius has her own $3000.00 Credit card… It is maxed out (She has other issues too: allergies, she ripped open an ear, and did some other “strange” stuff to herself without a good explanation).
The Vet explains that Labs are prone to tumors/cysts more than other breeds – usually they get a series of benign tumors which can usually be easily removed – in the case of the one attached/surrounding a blood vessel it wasn’t easy. We are warned that having started this trend she will get more and more of them and the Vet told us to prepare for having to make a choice between having them removed or allowing them to grow since the cost of one operation after another will ultimate be too much – not only financially, but hard on her since there is anesthesia and all of that to consider.
As for it’s bleeding – is he scratching/licking/biting at it? Sirius suffers from environmental allergies; she tends to lick her belly raw, nibble at her back side, etc – she can, in the course of a single day alone, cause herself to bleed – usually at the base of the tail there have been a couple of times where we go to bed with her being perfectly fine to wake up the next morning to find a bare patch that is red, seeping blood and clear liquid from a fresh wound she gave herself.
You could go to another vet for a second opinion – perhaps you need a specialist. Vets are generally like General Practitioners – if you need surgery you go to a surgeon – or a specialist. Perhaps the Vet feels that his skills are not up to the challenge in this case. If the cyst/tumor is around/on/affecting a blood vessel (vein or artery) it may be a far more complicated (expensive) surgery that may be too much for a 15 year old dog. BTW 15 years old comes out to be 105 in human years – meaning that at 15 the dog is physiologically as old as a 105 year old human being.
Many operations are not performed on older humans due to their age and possible complications. The same would apply to animals as well.
07-25-06, 02:34 AM Wildflower63 I suggest a second opinion. My vet is a bit harsh and not exactly a kindly bedside manor, which puts people off.
This is the same guy that I took my indoor cat to be spayed and declawed at the same time. He came out and asked me why I chose a pet with claws telling me it like having the first digit of every finger removed. A guy that has that to say couldn't have anything but compassion for animals.
He advised me not to have the lumps and bumps removed from my aging Lab. He advised comfort measures instead of surgery, which is painful to a dog.
I understand your problems. I had the same ones. My Lab had blown out ears from blood vessel leakage. My vet gave me the option of expensive surgery and told me that her ears would never look normal or let nature take care of this. The result is the same, but the cost isn't.
There are comfort measures for your loved Lab. It isn't that expensive to keep your elderly dog happy and comfortable. My Lab was put down over arthritis in her spine and back leg knees. She was comfortable, without surgery, for her lumps, blown out ears, skin discomfort.
All of this is treatable for comfort of the dog. This isn't expensive, but helps out your dog more than painful surgery will. It doesn't get better.
My vet might be a bit rough, but is not going to go for expensive treatment when there are other options for an elderly Lab. Your dog can live comfortably without surgery, which is miserable for them.
Get another opinion!
07-27-06, 12:21 PM barb346 I have received all of your replies in my email but have not been able to get back here, kept being told my password did not match. Have finally been able to log in and want to thank all of you who responded to my post regarding my dog Bear. Bear was much too old and feeble to try to get into a car and travel around to other vets. I had called many other vets, even a vet who said he would come and examine Bear for $185 but wanted to let me know ahead of time that he might not be able to save him. He said that some tumors cannot be removed and that older dogs sometimes don't live through the surgery. After much agonizing and worrying about what to do, a friend from my church came with her SUV and helped me take him to his regular vet. He told me that Bear was near death and probably would not live out the week. He said it is cruel to allow him to continue to live because the cancer has spread to his lungs. I pointed out to him that he wasn't sure that Bear had cancer, but he said he knows now that he does.
One of you pointed out that your vet does not have the best bedside manner. Well, neither does mine and he has changed over the years, used to have a warmer manner. He convinced me that I needed to let Bear go; he said I am allowing him to live for myself, not for Bear's sake. I stayed with Bear and talked to him, rubbing his head and telling him we will always love him and thanking him for all the years of joy he brought us. He seemed to understand every word I was saying. I was still holding his chin talking to him when the IV was administered. He was gone quickly. This happened on Tuesday, the 25th of this month, only 2 days ago.
I still look everywhere for him, expecting him to be lying in the hallway and I would have to try to walk around him, or to be lying next to his water dish, as he did often, because he was always so thirsty. I knew I would miss him; I guess that's why I held on so long, but I'm having a really hard time. Bear has been part of our lives since he was a puppy and I miss him so very much and in the middle of the night I wake up and wonder why I don't hear him barking, as he often did, because of his pain.
Thank you all for caring. I wanted to share this with you because I can tell you are all kind and wonderful people who understand.
07-27-06, 12:41 PM jusork I have a dog named Bear, too. He's part husky. If he's anything like my Bear, he was a great dog. I'm sure it was for the best. I hope you're able to fill his void and remember the good times. Thanks for the reply and welcome to Answerpool.
07-27-06, 06:26 PM Sherasi I am so sorry that you had to take drastic measures for your dog, but I am convinced (from what you told us) that it was a good compassionate decision.
I, too, have had to make the hard choices for my own pets (even when I was a child), and it never gets easier.
We do have a lot of great people here, and you are more than welcome to return and post on other subjects (or even post great answers, too). Smile
My thoughts and prayers are with you and Bear. I know that time can ease the pain even if it can't erase it.
07-27-06, 10:34 PM misty45 i am so sorry about the loss of your beloved bear. i know, also, the pain of losing pets. it tears your heart out. time will heal the pain, but he will always be in your heart.
07-28-06, 11:33 PM Wildflower63 Barb, I went through the same thing. My Lab was quite large and heavy. I needed guy help to get her into the car. She was ok with her front legs, but her back legs definitely had limitation.
Please skip all the expensive stuff and give me what I need to know! Vets are really bad at doing unnecessary test for an old dog. Forget surgery, blood test, give me an x-ray. That tells me what I need to know.
It isn't like my Lab could do anything she previously enjoyed. I did keep her going because I couldn't give her up. I let my loved Lab tell me when she had enough. I had her put down the next day. I have guilt about letting my loved dog tell me it was time, but I refused to see it.
I kept her going until she gave up. You know your dog. You just see it, lack of will. I probably did wait too long. If you allowed you dog to avoid her last days in pain and giving up, you did the right thing.
I felt the same way, like the house was void of life because my dog was gone. I decided to get another dog. I will say that it help me a lot getting another pup. I got a Boxer. She is vastly different than my Lab, but that is a good thing.
Many dog owners do not want to feel the pain of living longer than a dog was designed to. I feel they are worth it. I had years of happiness with my Lab, so why not give another dog a good home? I know that I will probably outlive my adored Boxer, but she is worth it.
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