Vet visit {{Lots of info}}

Yesterday we went to the veteranarian because we noticed some things on Alaska and Georgia. Alaska has an enlarging bump full of puss on his elbow, an enlarging bump on his hock, and a smaller one under his skin on his back. They got a sample of them all and are going to send them in the see what they are. She said they might be tumors that come back even if you remove them. I forgot what she called the tumors though. She said to check in in 2 weeks with Alaska to see if the 'tumors' had gotten better or not, with the antibiotics. He also has a foot pad that almost looks raw. She said to check in in 2 weeks with that too, as they might remove it. He has a white bump in his ear that looks like an infection but my mom thinks it's just a zit and didn't ask about it :rolleyes: He also has bloody teeth and brown raw teeth in back, which they are going to clean if he goes into anteshiea when and if they move his 'tumors'. They are also going to clean his ears if he gets the 'tumors' removed so I bet they will notice the bump in his ear. He is such a problem dog!

Georgia has been leaking pee all over the house and she is brown in that area, Alaska has been licking her in that spot :o And Georgia has been licking herself excessivley in that spot too. We took her in and they said it might be an infection, so they put her on some antibiotics and we have to bring her back in with Alaska in 2 weeks.

By the end of the appointment it cost us a whapping $450 :eek: My mom went CRAZY, she was so frusterated she didn't even talk on the way home.

Aww, that is alot of money. But the pups are always worth it. I hope the doctor can give you some positive news and get their problems cleared up quickly.

They are called Mast Cell tumors, if that turns out to be what they are. I have had one removed from my Ginger. It is a cancerous tumor and can come back but doesn't always. It's been 3 years and she hasn't had any new ones, her was a grade II (2). If you clean out his ears and brush his teeth they won't have those problems that will cost you at the vet. The only thing odd about his conditions are the lumps, the rest is just general care you'd need to give every dog, so he's really not a "problem". Just do the general cleaning and it will help that. As for Gerogia's problem, I deal with that on my girl, she has arthritis though and can't squat all the way to pee so she gets urine scald there, i have to wash it with betadine daily and put special cream on it to help. Good luck with that.

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Originally Posted by Vela

They are called Mast Cell tumors, if that turns out to be what they are. I have had one removed from my Ginger. It is a cancerous tumor and can come back but doesn't always. It's been 3 years and she hasn't had any new ones, her was a grade II (2).

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Grade 2 mast cell tumors are the most difficult to predict. Grade 3 are the most serious and mean that the cancer has moved into surrounding organs. Grade one are very small and confined to a specific area, can be removed with very clean margins. Grade 2 are unpredictable--sometimes they come back and sometimes they don't, sometimes clean margins, sometimes not. My Paxil has had two bouts with Grade 2 mast cell tumors. In her case they reoccur every 8-12 months. They are the most common of all cancers in dogs and are extremely common in boxer type dogs. Most often they are simply removed and no further treatment is needed. Paxil was back in harness, by her own choice, ten days after her last removal in February 2006.

Hope you get good test results back.

I hope the tests come out ok, too! =( How old is Alaska? Poor guy. But, honestly, it's only the tumors that are really a product of old age. The rest can be prevented, almost always.

I suggest regularly giving all of your dogs healthy chews... Greenies, rolled/pressed rawhide, bully stix, RAW marrow bones (beef femur bones, probably the cheapest & most effective option!), etc. And brushing teeth daily is cheap & very effective. You can get ear cleaning wipes from your vet and just keep them regularly cleaned and they should be fine. Also, avoid walking the dogs on hot concrete and excessively running them on hard surfaces, that will tear up pads quickly and it's very painful for dogs.

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Originally Posted by bckrazy

I hope the tests come out ok, too! =( How old is Alaska? Poor guy. But, honestly, it's only the tumors that are really a product of old age. The rest can be prevented, almost always.

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If it's a mast cell tumor, it is not related to age. Mast cells can affect a dog at any age and are likely to occur at younger ages in breeds that are most prone to them.

The hallmark of a mast cell tumor is that it changes in size quickly, both getting larger and smaller. If the tumor that was poked today grows in the next 48 hours, I'd almost guarentee it's a mast cell. My vet always says he has to operate on Paxil to remove a tumor within a week of diagnosis because doing the biopsy "ticks them off"!

I'm sorry about Alaska. :( Hopefully they won't come back. You should probably give your dogs some chews and brush their teeth at least twice a week. Hope everything gets better for them.

awwwwwwwwwww poor thing!!! :(

My dog was 2-1/2 when she had her mast cell. None have recurredyet and shes almost six. I keep praying they don't. Nothing you can do for those but have them removed ASAP. Glacier is right, they don't like being poked. The rest of his problems are just general care and should be pretty easy to clear up. Unfortuatnely our beloved Boxers are referred to a "tumor factories" by many vets around here.

Thanks for the help everyone, Alaska and Georgia thank you for the comfort :) We haven't got anything back from the vets, but check back in about 2 weeks and we will have some info... hopefully good info.

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Originally Posted by bckrazy

I hope the tests come out ok, too! =( How old is Alaska? Poor guy. But, honestly, it's only the tumors that are really a product of old age. The rest can be prevented, almost always.

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Alaska is almost 9 years old. He is turning into an old man... in my words... a hurtin' unit ;) :rolleyes: