Blood & leaking urine, but not UTI

[Mjer]

Our 7 year old small german shepherd mix has been leaking drops of blood and urine. We took her to the vet and $220 later after urine testing and x-rays they said she did not have a urinary tract infection, they did not know what was wrong with her and they referred us to an internal medicine specialist.

They did say she had some sort of mass in her tissue near her bladder, but they weren't sure what it was and it didn't show up on x-ray.

Up until today she has been acting like she is in a occasional pain, but for the most part fairly normal. This afternoon after getting back from the vet, she started just laying down with very labored breathing and tremors and seems barely conscious. However, just a short time ago, she got up and has been walking around shakily and panting. She doesn't want to eat, but is drinking.

The vet put her on doxycycline and piroxicam. She just started the medication today.

Any ideas?

[Sudilar]

Check into bladder cancer. Was an ultrasound done?

[Mjer]

Hi Sue,

Thanks for responding. They did not do an ultrasound....said we had to go to an internal specialist for that. However, I talked to the vet again the next day on the phone (after I posted the first message) and she said that she thought it was bladder cancer.

We are in a real tough position right now. The vet said we should have her put to sleep as soon as possible so she won't suffer. She said the medication she was on (anti-inflammatory) would possibly shrink the tumor, but would only extend her life about a month or even less.

Tessa (our dog) was in really bad shape on Wednesday. Since she has been on the medication, she has been better. She gets excited about going on walks, barks at the mailman, runs to the door to greet us when we come home. However, the rest of the time she just lays under our kitchen table.

It is really hard to think of putting her to sleep when she seems "almost OK", but at the same time, I don't want it to get really painful, really fast and then have her suffering.

We just aren't sure what to do.

Teresa

[Sudilar]

Oh, my heart goes out to you!!! In October, we went through what you are going through now. I still can't get over the loss of my GSD Shiloh to bladder cancer. I will be back later to post what happened and what we did for her. I am so sorry you have to go through this. Hugs.

[Sudilar]

This is Shiloh's story of bladder cancer. http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...bladder+cancer

The Piroxicam is supposed to shrink the tumors and buy a few months time, but Shiloh could not keep anything down, so the pills did not help her. We did not send her to Rainbow Bridge until we knew that there was no hope and she was suffering. I can picture those days now, as I type. The cancer was swift and deadly.

If Tessa is still having good days, I would wait. When the time comes and nothing works any more, then you will know. My heart goes out to you. I know EXACTLY what you are going through. Prayers for you, your family and Tessa.

[Sudilar]

How is Tessa doing today? I hope she is having a good day.
Before I would make any decisions, I would be sure to get a definite diagnosis and prognosis. Please keep me updated and if there is anything I can help with...let me know.
Hugs.

[Mjer]

Hi Sue,

Thank you again for all your support, my heart goes out to you too, for your loss.

Tessa slept really well last night. She was able to jump on our bed, so she got to sleep in her usual spot. I woke several times and checked on her and each time she was sound asleep, breathing normally.

She was a bit shaky this morning though and started coughing, so that made me nervous. However, she was excited to go for a walk and she ate and has kept her medicine down.

We are just going to take this thing one day at a time.

This has really been a shock for us. Like your Shiloh, this came on so fast for Tessa. Plus, we never use any type of herbicide or insecticide at all! We have two boys who have autism (caused by the thimerosol preservative in their vaccines---just an aside, I read the vaccine thread on this board, there are a lot of smart people here). So we are very careful about not exposing anyone (animal or human) to any type of toxins.

We also found another vet we are considering switching to. They have Saturday and Sunday hours and two other people we know highly recommended them. I think I would feel better knowing that we had care available 7 days a week if we need it.

Take care,
Teresa

[Sudilar]

Yes, it is important to be able to contact the vet as soon as possible.

When questioned about the pesticide/herbicide possibility of causing bladder cancer, my vet said that cancer can strike at any time. Each time a cell splits, there is a possibility for a mutation...it can happen as simply as that. So he said that cancer can strike at any time for no apparent cause, to any animal.

It sounds like Tessa is doing fine, so hang in there, Tessa!! I hope you have many good healthy months ahead of you. You will be in my prayers for that!!!

[dragondawg]

They seem to believe there is a mass (by feeling?) but only took Xrays. And with this guess they suggested putting the dog to sleep? It's good that they referred you to a specialist.

You should expect the specialist at a very minimum to perform an ultrasound, and to send a urine sample sent off to pathology. Until that is performed there is still a possibility of an infection with a benign mass wrapped around the bladder.

If it turns out to be TCC most likely you would want to try to find a Vet oncologist. The first big question would be if there was evidence of wide metastasis? Ultrasound will answer this question. Currently the treatment of choice for TCC is Mitoxantrone plus piroxicam. An older treatment was with Cisplatin which has not been too effective. Also Cisplatin is a nasty per nausea. If there is widespread metastasis ask the specialist/oncologist about the possibility of Doxorubicin plus Cytoxin, at least to begin with.

Let's assume that the diagnosis is TCC, and the Vet involved suggests Mitoxantrone plus piroxicam. What should you expect? First Mitoxantrone is one of the more expensive Chemo drugs or at least was 3 yrs ago. Mitoxantrone was created in the hope that it would be as effective as Doxorubicin without as high rate of cardiotoxicity as Doxorubicin. For the most part it's less effective than Doxorubicin for many cancers, but is less cardiotoxic. In general its side effect profile is simular to Doxorubicin per potential for nausea 48-72 hrs post administration. This can be suppressed with metoclopromide (10 mg 3X daily) during this period of time. Also acid blockers such as cimetidine or rantidine will not only help suppress any Chemo nausea, but should be given to decrease the irritation that the Cox-2 like piroxicam will create in the stomach. Ulcers could easily develop with the piroxicam if acid blockers are not used.

The response rate for TCC to Mitoxantrone plus Piroxicam is 35-75% with a median survival time of 350 days. If you are able to get your puppy dog into a remission even a partial one, then during the remission period it will enjoy a high quality of life. Most cancer puppies given Chemo will go down hill extremely quickly and succumb to a bacterial infection at the end.

Try a chemo therapy, and see if it helps.

[Mjer]

Hi Dragondawg,

Yes, I know, the vet seemed a little odd in their quickness to tell us that we needed to put our dog to sleep or see a specialist with no conclusive answers. However, they are highly recommended in our area.....go figure.

I will say that all her symptoms are exactly what I've read others have gone through, if it is TCC.

As far as how Tessa is doing, well we had a family birthday party out of town today. My DH stayed home to be with Tessa and I took the kids. (3 hour drive each way....I'm exhausted). Anyways, he called several times to keep me posted on Tessa. At one point he called in tears saying she was throwing up, and she didn't want to be in the house and was very lethargic. I was afraid I wouldn't make it home in time.

However, I just got home and she greeted me at the door wagging her tail and seems fine. Four hours ago she appeared seriously ill and now she doesn't. This is so confusing.

Teresa

[Sudilar]

Is Tessa also on Pepcid for her stomach? The drugs can make her feel ill.
I'm glad Tessa is feeling better again (after her vomiting bout).

When Shiloh was diagnosed with TCC, she never acted normal again. She was always panting and wanting to go out to urinate (dribbles only, with blood). She could not get comfortable. She would move from spot to spot in the house. In the last days, she could hold nothing down. She would take a drink of water and then throw it up. I am glad Tessa is not constantly like this.

Please keep us posted. Prayers coming your way (and hugs, too).

[Sudilar]

Just thinking of Tessa. How is she doing today?

[Sudilar]

Any news on Tessa today?

[Sudilar]

Any news on Tessa? How is she feeling? Thinking about her.