Doggy mast cell tumor. Anyone have experience with it?

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
One of my sweet furbabies may have a mast cell tumor in his abdomen. The vet said it was good I brought him in as soon as I felt a lump, but I'm still worried. Anyone have any experience with this? The vet did an aspiration and sent it to a lab. He is not 100% sure it is cancer. He said there is a 30% chance it's a fatty cell and said the cells were very unusal...he couldn't tell what it was.

This particular dog is my baby and so sweet, but he has always had allergies and has been sickly, unlike Chloe who never gets sick and is always bouncing around. Wish she could give him a few good vibes of health...

Any experience appreciated. Vet thinks we got it early.
 

Tanya M

Living with an attitude of gratitude
Staff member
I'm so sorry to hear this about your little furbaby. I have no experience and nothing to offer other than good thoughts and
Cute-teddy-hug-for-you.gif
 

Copabanana

Well-Known Member
One of my sweet furbabies may have a mast cell tumor in his abdomen.... Vet thinks we got it early.
Yes, Swot. This is the type of cancer Dolly had. Let me tell you our experience.

She got a growth. We were not so quick to catch it. She got another. They were removed and biopsed. Malignant. Mast cell tumors. By that time she had gotten a couple more. It did not look good. There were multiple sites. The doctor did not have a whole lot of hope.

There are stages and grades. To determine the exact stage and grade combo required another biopsy. My decision was to put the money towards the medication, rather than another surgery.

Stage III does not typically respond to medication. I remember that.

To me there was little point in another biopsy because I knew I was committed to the medication which I describe below. And to remove the growths would not have helped because she kept sprouting more growths.

I knew also that I did not want her to go through Chemo or Radiation. So, our course was clear.

This medication has no side effects that I saw. At least in Dolly.

She had been very weak at first, from the Cancer. She got ringworm, her immune system was so depleted. And she was depressed.

Right away she rebounded. Energetic. Optimistic. Playing. Eating. We had also got her a new playmate, so that helped.

The medication is new. Just a year or two old, I think. It is expensive. She stayed on it 4 months I think. All the tumors disappeared except one. The one that remained shriveled up but did not disappear.

There have been no new tumors. Once I thought the old one grew, but it seems to have not.

11 months after stopping the medication she is happy, seems healthy and optimistic. They say if they make it one year the prognosis is very good to live a normal lifespan. That would be nice.

For me it was worth it for her to have this one good year. And maybe we can have some more. She is not even 6. Boxers are very prone to this type of cancer.

The medication Dolly took was called Kinavet. There is another medication that is similar. Online it is $150 a bottle (better through the Vet) which for a little dog would probably be enough for the entire month. The dosage is by weight. Dolly is 50 pounds. So it cost us about $360 a month.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

PS if the doctor says your baby can benefit from this, I, for one, think it is a miracle drug.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you and thank you again, Copa. It was generous of you tos hare your story and the name of the medication. I guarantee you I will try it and I don't care how expensive it is.

You gave me such a boost and so much hope.

Have a blessed and peaceful evening. You gave me a lot of calm tonight...that perhaps, even if it is at it's worst, there is hope. And it was very kind of you. Wishing Dolly many happy years to be your adoring doggy.













H
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
SWOT. I am sorry to hear this. My sister lost a dog to a mast cell cancer about 6 years ago.

The progression was initially very slow, he did well with slow regrowth of the original masses for a couple of years, followed by explosive growth and spread of the cancer over a period of a month.

Mast cells are a type of white blood cell that secrete histamine so many of the systemic symptoms of the cancer are caused by histamine reaction.

At the time if 'Charlie's' death, they had not come out with the medication Copa discussed in her post. The only treatment was chemotherapy and the prognosis was quite dismal once the cancer had spread to the internal organs at that time.

Keeping your family and your little furkid in my thoughts.

toK
 

Scent of Cedar *

Well-Known Member
Oh, no.

What a helpless feeling.

I hope the medication Copa suggested works beautifully for him.

Thoughts and prayers for your little one going up. Is he feeling sick, or did you just find a lump, or how did you know it was serious enough to bring him in?

Cedar
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Overnight I found a lump which is now turning angry red. Not good, but it could be early cancer. We shall find out, deal with it, and love him and do what is best. No way we'll give up on him. He is a family member.j
j
Thanks for the kind words, Cedar.
 

Suz

(the future) MRS. GERE
My sweet Rufus was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor on/between his middle toes on his left rear paw. He's a shaggy "Sandy-from-Annie" kind of dog and it didn't bother him and he showed no symptoms other than the lump. It was diagnosed as stage 3 by the time I even noticed it by accident. They said with surgery he had an 80% chance that it would not recur. If he had chemo they gave him 90%. He had surgery April 2014; I elected not to put him through the ordeal of chemo.

KNOCK ON WOOD>>>so far so good. I am constantly petting, rubbing, inspecting him for lumps and bumps. He has his fair share as he's probably around 7 or 8 now (he was a rescue so I really have no idea how old he is) and dogs of that age start getting lumps and bumps. The doctor says these are not the same so I count my blessings and try not to obsess on it. It is difficult not to obsess.

I'm sending good thoughts to you and your pup. I hope the biopsy says the lump your pup has is a red and angry cyst and not a MCT.

Suz
 
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