Mouth growth in dogs

[JerseyWendy]

NNAAWWW!!! Please don't try and read too much into what your other dog is doing to the "boo boo".

So she just started the antibiotics yesterday, right?

How did he do the biopsy? Did he insert a needle to withdraw fluids, or did he do an actual scraping?

IF this is some sort of an infection, you may see a difference from the antibiotics in a couple of days already.

I'll be thinking of you, that's for sure. HUGS!!! I know how worried you are over this, I'd be besides myself, too.

 

[strudel]

Don't worry too much. My dog had a sudden lump too and it turned out to be something that just goes away (histiocytoma). It looked quite alarming but turned out to be "nothing". Wait until you know you've got something to worry about because you might be wasting your worry on nothing.

(I once rushed my cat to the vet worried that he had a melanoma because he had a sudden black spot on his face.... It turned out to be a blackhead. )

 

[DanR]

Same here... lump showed up on my dog's lower gums about the size of a marble, vet told me not to worry and it just went away on it's own after a few weeks. She has dark gums and it was this weird white blob, I remember panicking as well.

 

[Sadie13]

thanks everyone, it is so scary to see! Having dealt with a mass cancer before it is really eating at me because i have seen the end result...
i appreciate all the personal experience, it is really keeping me positive i feel terrible for getting so worked up when i first seen it!

I really like my vet because he always takes the conservative approach, it ends up saving money which i love and it has always been the best route for us.
my other dog just tore his doggy acl in november and he said surgery will cost you about 4000 so why dont you order a custom acl brace for 500, have him wear it for 2 months then come back (he didnt think he would be a good candidate for surgery anyway because he has hyper excitability and recovery time would be nearly impossible with this nut ball)

so after our followup his acl was def more stable and now we are only using the brace 3 hrs a day because of the atrophy in his leg, but he isusing his leg without it a good 85% of the time

and sorry for rambling...but what i was getting to was in this case i just wish he would have covered all the bases at this visit instead of waiting it out!

JerseyWendy- yeah we started the antibiotic yesterday, it looks the same to me but definitely less noticeable from the outside.
The vet did a scraping of it for the biopsy, i hope that is a good way to do it as i was figuring needle would be the way it would have been done....

 

[Terry57]

It sounds like you have a wonderful vet I'm glad you got some antibiotics and am hoping that this clears right up.

 

[strudel]

but what i was getting to was in this case i just wish he would have covered all the bases at this visit instead of waiting it out!

Bear in mind that these people have done years of study. We look at all the lumps, bumps, pimples, spots, moles and go "OMG! Cancer!" They look at it with a bit of an idea of what they are looking at. His decision not to go all "shotgun approach" is because he wasn't seeing something that needed that or that caused him that level of concern - that's a good thing. They aren't going to go bandying about possibilities, they get the tests they need and then they'll give you some info. Also, you don't want to be zapping your dog with x-rays or doing more invasive things to him if he doesn't need it.

Don't worry.

 

[Sadie13]

i am sure your right strudel, my vet has always been great so i need to understand he knows what he is doing.

They just become such big parts of the family and you can't help but worry yourself sick about them...

 

[Sadie13]

ok...sooo....the vet called monday and he said it was a malignant growth...

sorry i didn't update sooner, i guess i was doing everything to not think about it.

we are having xrays done tomorrow and depending on if it has made its way into the bone he will decide what if any surgery would give the best outcome...

thats about it... i was just ignoring it and today she is really bugging me...she has been acting normal, but today i found her hiding and shaking under a table...i thought maybe i missed her needing to go potty so i checked the house and found nothing so i let her out. she just sat on the porch. so i let her back in and she is just acting nervous. i guess we will see what the next step is....

Thanks everyone for all of your kind words about the situation

 

[JerseyWendy]

Oh my gosh! I am SO so sorry!!! I truly did NOT expect it to be malignant because it seemed to have popped up so quickly.

There's a million things I want to say, but I'm actually getting quite teary eyed at the moment.

Please hang in there...HUGS to both of you.

 

[Sadie13]

Thank you, i guess it is just a part of loving them.
I've been staying awake thinking about it but mainly thinking about how i am most likely at fault because with how big it is on her gum, you can barely make it out on the outside of her lip, so who knows how long i possibly just didn't notice it.

It just happened so fast.

we are also getting blood work done tomorrow, our vet is now questioning her age as well. Just going through the motions until i know whats going on...

 

[Terry57]

Sending prayers to you and your furry baby. I hope that this is something that can be cured.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Please know you are NOT alone. I've loved and lost 3 to the ugly "C", and I want you to know I'm here if you need to talk, scream, cry or any other emotion in between.

 

[strudel]

I'm sorry it turned out to be malignant, but there are lots of malignancies. Hopefully, it hasn't spread and isn't a bad "sort". Again, it's a waiting game until you know what you're dealing with. I hope you find out some good news...

 

[RavensGryf]

Sadie, I'm very sorry to hear this. That's some rough news. Here's to hoping that since it just came up recently, that it has not spread, and that the outcome will be good and caught in time. Take care of yourself. I know it's extremely worrisome.

 

[Sadie13]

Thank you all. i will definitely let you know more when i find out tomorrow.
i have dealt with cancer in the past with a hospice rescue, but we knew and we were sadly ready we all took it hard but we knew we would)

i really despise the word and regardless i'm sure it wont be an easy process for us or her....well here is to hoping it can be something that just comes off and hasnt spread...if it has i will blame myself for not being more vigilant...View attachment 10391

here is what it looks like through her lip, its just the slightest bump...i didn't notice it until last week....

This is just a shocking life changing event when we thought we were going to be her her home for a good 8yrs at least.

 

[RavensGryf]

Aw, she is very cute Sadie. Sweet looking girl. Let's hope you have MORE than 8 years or so left with her.

 

[Sadie13]

First bit of good news so far
her lymph nodes look good and he thinks he can get away with just removing the mass and not taking any of her jaw!

so we are going in for surgery on tuesday and keep an eye on it. if it starts coming back then more xrays and possible chemo/radiation therapy...

that's a whole other issue though...if it gets that far i would be scared to agree to prolonging it. My husbands grandmother passed after chemotherapy and the chemo made her more miserable than the leukemia itself and it only gave her a few more months (not pleasant ones though...)...

deep breaths for now and one day at a time...right?

 

[JerseyWendy]

Thank you for the update!

I truly hope your vet can remove the mass up until he only gets clean margins. Fingers crossed!

I agree, take it one step at a time.

 

[strudel]

I hope that makes you stop beating yourself up about not having noticed it earlier. Obviously, you've caught it EARLY! Yay!

My auntie's dog had a cancer in her snout for ages (like years). She had several reductions before it finally progressed. Tumours can be successfully excised and not return. I hope for the best possible outcome for her.

 

[RavensGryf]

Thanks for the update Yes, one day at a time. At least you caught it right away, and are taking action quickly. I hope she is comfortable as possible during recovery.