Our boxer Dolly is sick.

Copabanana

Well-Known Member
I am really going through it with my son. On top of that our dog, Dolly, who has a history of mast cell cancer/tumors, has not wanted to eat her food (but can be persuaded to eat ours--hamburger, rice, chicken) and has seemed lethargic and depressed for the past 3 or 4 days.

The cancer showed up 2.5 years ago. We have had her on medication (toxic) one time for 6 months, and three times she has had operations for biopsy and removal of tumors. We have decided no more operations (kind of, more M has decided that) and are questioning whether or not to do the toxic medication again.

She went to an oncologist about 2 months ago and he thought she did not need the medication again, that boxers seldom die of this cancer (other Vet did not tell me this) and can go to old age removing new tumors as they develop (on their skin.) He did say that medicine would be indicated if the cancer were to spread to her internal organs and recommended scans, ultrasounds, xrays of all, I felt that he had already determined that she looked good and all of the tests were to protect him, not us.

We feel pretty sure that if Dolly does have widespread cancer, we will sacrifice her. It is very hard to write those words but I could not write, put her down. Sacrifice her or sacrficarla is how to say it in Spanish and it feels more to the point.

We adore her. She was the one who brought us together. We have never known each other without Dolly. As much as I love her, M loves her more.

Last night he came into the bedroom to tell me that Dolly was extremely intelligent. Like a jerk, I asked "because she went to the bathroom on the floor?" (She had had a couple of accidents in the house when we had left her last night.) "Yes," he responded. Because she tried to use the cat box to go to the bathroom." The cat's box is in a cabinet with the doors off in the laundry room. It seems she had tried to go there. She did the best she could, but missed.

M seems afraid to take her to the Vet. He wants to try for us to find what works. We will leave her inside this afternoon when we leave to shop to see if she still has diarrhea.
 
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KTMom91

Well-Known Member
I'm so sorry your fur baby is sick, Copa. My Buddy had a hemangiosarcoma removed a couple of months ago. He's 16 years old. Now we wait.

Hugs.
 

pigless in VA

Well-Known Member
I'm sorry, Copa. Maybe Dolly is only having a bad week? I had a dog years ago who was operated upon at age 8 for cancer. She lived to be 13. If only dogs lived longer. They break my heart over and over again.
 

Copabanana

Well-Known Member
. My Buddy
I will hold Buddy in my heart, too.
I had a dog years ago who was operated upon at age 8 for cancer.
The hard thing is (one of them) that Dolly has had these tumors reoccur over time and multiple sites. It seems that not only is there a genetic predisposition in Boxers (among the worst for these type of cancers) but she seems genetically vulnerable as an individual Boxer.

She does not know she is at risk, but she knows she does not feel good.
I feel so badly for you, Copa.
Thank you, Cedar.
 

Tanya M

Living with an attitude of gratitude
Staff member
Oh Copa, I'm so sorry to hear this. I'm praying Dolly will get to feeling better.
Sending you hugs!!!

Let us know how she's doing.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
Sorry to hear about Dolly not doing well.

Unfortunately, it sounds like the cancer may have gone systemic.

Please, while you and M are deciding what to do, ask your vet for pain medication for Dolly. This is a painful cancer as it advances.
 

Copabanana

Well-Known Member
Let us know how she's doing.
Thank you, Tanya. I will.
Unfortunately, it sounds like the cancer may have gone systemic.
This is a painful cancer as it advances.
Going, how do I justify keeping her alive if it has gone systemic? Would this not be terribly selfish? I do not see how I can even justify giving her another round of the medicine. It acts on the tumors, but not the underlying cancer.

I will bring her to the vet tomorrow.

Thank you.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Going, how do I justify keeping her alive if it has gone systemic?
Copa - We lost a dog to a health issue. Timing was a tough call. They couldn't beat it - we knew that. But, for a while, with some basic care and simple pain killers, the dog was actually enjoying life. We'd grab the leash and she'd come running with a happy tail. As long as we could keep her comfortable, we kept using the pain killers and giving her more love - because she had given us so much. But when it got to the point that we could hear her whimpering when she didn't think we could hear, when the pain killers were no longer enough, before the wag left her eyes and the before the spark left her eyes, we let her go peacefully.
 

Copabanana

Well-Known Member
She ate. Costco rotisserie chicken, chicken broth mixed in with some croquettes. Two meals today. M thinks she is OK. I am praying, so.

Thank you all.
 

pigless in VA

Well-Known Member
You will know, Copa. I did the same as IC. I asked the vet to help me make Belle comfortable. As long as she could walk, wag, and eat a little, she still had some quality of life. The day she no longer ate those special meals, and she lay in her crate listless, I knew it was time to relinquish my dear friend.
 

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Memory fails me this second re who told me this and the nitty gritty details, but I recall someone telling me of their older dog and how she had tumors from time to time removed for many years before the dog died at an advanced age. She did not do any treatments. Only removed the tumors when they were large and the dog seemed healthy and happy for many years. I thought it was very interesting. So sorry to hear that you are going through this with your fur baby. PS I agree about watching the dog and making sure she is not in pain and giving her extra love and the yummy food. We had to put our older dog..... we knew when the time came. Extraordinarily difficult. Plenty of good times ahead. You will know.
 
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