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I am so sorry to hear your going through this.
15 years is such a great long life. So that is the good news. Nasal cancer is just awful and it really makes the quality of life for our pets just plain miserable.
I think because of the complications with anesthesia doing any further treatments that would require anesthesia is a huge risk. Alot of meds do a lot of nothing for the nose. We had the same thing happen with steroids, it helped a ton and then about a week later it didn't help.
I think really looking at what his quality of life is, is where you need to look.
Can he eat comfortably, or is he choking on food. Can he sleep if he gets in the right position. Does he still enjoy things in his life. Playing or looking out the window whatever it may be.
For me. It was sleeping, eating and enjoying life.
We found a surgeon that bought us more time. But if we didn't I was thinking that it was getting close to having to put him to sleep.
He adjusted to sleeping with his mouth open, but he would still try to close it and that was heartbreaking to watch. We had to take him on shorter walks because he was making alot more noise when he panted too.
Then he started choking on his food. It was a matter of time at that point. We already had to make so many changes to keep him comfortable and the things he enjoyed were starting to disappear. We are planning on a course of radiation now, but it won't give us any guarantees due to the type of tumor he has.
He is 12.5 and I keep asking myself if I should put him through this or just let it be. Every morning, every day.
I am afraid there will be consequences of radiation and it will diminish the quality of life he has remaining now.
I am so sorry your going through this. But... she has really been here a long time, just make sure she isn't suffering.
Hi. I know I don't belong here but I don't know where else to go. My cat Briq is 15 and has nasal cancer. He's always been a snorer--I guess I should have picked up that something was wrong, but I missed the sign. In late April I saw fresh blood in his water dish as he drank out of it -- not a lot, just a bit. I of course took him into the vet the next day. He took x-rays of his chest (clear) and head, which showed some sort of shadow behind the nose. My vet also did a biopsy, which came back as inflammation, but he was pretty convinced that it was cancer, so we went to a specialist at an animal hospital. They were supposed to do a CT scan and take 2 more biopsies from the back of the throat, but Briq's heart stopped during the procedure and they had to administer CPR. 2 weeks later, we changed up the anesthesia meds and tried again. The CT scan showed a definite mass behind his right nostril and into one of his sinus cavities but both biopsies again came back as inflammation. However, both the specialist and my vet were convinced it was cancer masked by the inflammation it had caused. Because we couldn't get a clear diagnosis of what kind of cancer it was and because he has problems with anesthesia, I decided the best option was to allow him to have the best intervention free life he could have while he could have it. Now both nostrils are almost fully blocked and he breathes primarily through his mouth. He no longer cleans himself. He eats and drinks, and tries to sleep. A round of predisolone about starting 11 days ago gave me 5 glorious days with him, but now he is without energy. I don't know if there's anything else I can do for him -- whether increased steroids or anti-inflammatories will make a difference at this point. It's killing me. He is my heart and I can't bear to be without him. Thanks for listening.
I hear you (and I don't belong here, either). But I'm glad to have read your post about how useless all the further testing was. After steroids, I had a glorious week where my beloved Gypsy thought she was 2 years old and it lifted my heart at the same time it was breaking. In the cat forum there's a thread on modern veterinary care and you should copy your post and put it there. It fits right in and we can talk more without hijacking this thread. My love to you and Briq.
Greetings everybody. I'm looking for some advice on when to put my Golden down. She is only 6 years old but has a fairly big lump between her forehead that is most likely nasal cancer. Her soft tissue bones have completely eroded due to the mass according to my vet, and she often wakes up in the middle of sleep panting for air. A few weeks ago she had severe epistaxis resulting in a tissue chunks flying out of her nose along with mucus.
She now refuses to eat her kibble and has lost a significant amount of weight to the point where I can feel her ribs upon slight contact. We've been feeding her sweet potato, shredded chicken, and rice because she eagerly eats them and plan on trying canned foods to see if it makes a difference. How do I know that it is time to let her go? I feel conflicted because she still shows energy to play and wants to go on walks, but when I see her having trouble sleeping and snoring, I feel like I'm just prolonging her suffering. Is she just hiding her pain? Any advice would be appreciated. My condolences to those who have gone through this ordeal. I feel so powerless.
Greetings everybody. I'm looking for some advice on when to put my Golden down. She is only 6 years old but has a fairly big lump between her forehead that is most likely nasal cancer. Her soft tissue bones have completely eroded due to the mass according to my vet, and she often wakes up in the middle of sleep panting for air. A few weeks ago she had severe epistaxis resulting in a tissue chunks flying out of her nose along with mucus.
She now refuses to eat her kibble and has lost a significant amount of weight to the point where I can feel her ribs upon slight contact. We've been feeding her sweet potato, shredded chicken, and rice because she eagerly eats them and plan on trying canned foods to see if it makes a difference. How do I know that it is time to let her go? I feel conflicted because she still shows energy to play and wants to go on walks, but when I see her having trouble sleeping and snoring, I feel like I'm just prolonging her suffering. Is she just hiding her pain? Any advice would be appreciated. My condolences to those who have gone through this ordeal. I feel so powerless.
It is a very hard and very personal decision. I just had to make it again last Friday With my dog Dazzle who had osteosarcoma. I think when you start questioning if it is time or not it is probably time. Maybe not that day but after you start wondering there is no wrong time. Things will go down hill not uphill. I think it is that inner voice which maybe our soul telling you it is time and over the years I have learned to listen to that inner voice for all things it tells me as I have found out it is not wrong.
I have heard very few people say they regret putting their dog down too early but many say they regret waiting too long to do it.
With Dash my dog that made me start this thread it was a pretty clear message when he looked at me one evening that he was ready to go and he was. Last week with Dazzle it was more difficult as all his body functions were still normal and I had him on medical cannabis so was keeping him comfortable most of he time. Dazzle was also a very happy dog and he was still that way. His cancer was in his hip and last Thursday he was no longer able to use that leg and it just sort of hung there. It made it difficult to walk as he was a tall thin sight hound yet he still wanted to follow me everywhere as he had a need to be with me. I have been blocking my stairs off from him for quite some time but ran upstairs to grab something and he was on his dog bed so I did not block the stairs and heard him trying to hop up them. He managed the first 5 steps to the landing but it had been hard and then he was hurting and frightened as he had himself in a pickle. Lots of stairs left to go up but going down those 5 would be hard too so I ended up carrying him back down.
I did not want to risk him injuring himself and being in pain or the effects of the cannabis wearing off while I was out and then him being in pain and I had promised him when it started to get bad I would let him go so I did. Do not get me wrong here as it shattered my heart as he was such a great dog but I am 100% at peace with the decision as it was what was best for him.
I almost had put him down the week before as he had woken up in the night screaming and it took a lot to get him calmed down so I made the appointment but we had all day so I took him and my other dog on several small walks which he did fine then we ended up at the beach and he was so happy and had so much fun and that inner voice said maybe the screaming was he was a bit high from the cannabis as we recently had increased the potency of the FECO and tinctures. So when I got to the vets I asked to talk to my vet first as I love my vet and respect his opinion. He examined Daz and said he did not appear to be in any pain which impressed him as osteosarcoma is a very painful cancer. he said if I wanted to put him down that day he was ok with it but he was also ok with me taking him home and doing what I have been doing but said we were on a wild roller coaster ride and there will be ups and downs. I took him home and no regret as he had a wonderful beach filled week and ate lot of delicious steak and tripe and other favorites and I was thinking he may be around for quite a bit more time then Thursday came and that leg was hanging and I knew I had to end it as he did not deserve to have to be carried into a vets to be put down and Friday he walked into the vets on his own and I walked out heart broken but at peace and there is a sense of relief too .
If you read this long thread you know with Dash I did speak to an animal communicator when I thought it was time and she confirmed he was indeed ready ( and no I had told her nothing about his cancer but she told me about it and how he did not want to die with everyone in a panic because he was having a massive nose bleed he wanted a peaceful death so wanted to go now). Dash was always afraid of vets and yet that day he walked in not shivering or shaking and when they put us in the room he walked over to the dog bed and laid right down, he was ready.
I do not know if you have read the book " The Art of Racing in the Rain" or seen the movie but it is a favorite of mine and I gave it to a good friend as her border collie was coming to the end of her life and reading that book helped her make the decision. Sadly the movie left out the dog saying he was old but did not want to get older where he would be pumped full of pain meds and put in depends. I think that statement carries a lot of weight. When you talk to old people quite a few of them feel that way too so why wouldn't a dog? I commend the author for making the dog accept his own fate.
We humans see death as a failure but all it really is a part if life and it will happen to all living things no escaping it.
You are the only one that can make that call for your dog but if you sit quietly with him and listen to that inner voice I think you will find your answer. Hugs to you as this very difficult and is the downside of giving your heart to a dog, but then again it is so worth the heart break.
Not sure how to post here: re/ Pomeranian nasal tumor
Hi. Just wondering how to post here. My 10 year old pom got
diagnosed with a nasal tumor in late September after having a CT scan w Rhyno.
The rhyno came back neg for cancer as well as no infection. But did show a tumor.
Have any of you had a dog with a shown tumor on CT have a clear rhynoscopy?
My dog is on prendisone and seems to be doing very well.....But, It's ultra confusing, as, the
rhyno didnt show cancer. She goes back for another ct in a month to see if the pred has shrunk
the tumor.
Hi. Just wondering how to post here. My 10 year old pom got
diagnosed with a nasal tumor in late September after having a CT scan w Rhyno.
The rhyno came back neg for cancer as well as no infection. But did show a tumor.
Have any of you had a dog with a shown tumor on CT have a clear rhynoscopy?
My dog is on prendisone and seems to be doing very well.....But, It's ultra confusing, as, the
rhyno didnt show cancer. She goes back for another ct in a month to see if the pred has shrunk
the tumor.
ANY advice would be great.
Thank you
Some sort of benign tumor? Not all tumors are malignant cancers.
It has been years since I started this thread and treatments options have changed a lot. I just learned a good friends dog has nasal cancer and was wondering has anyone used Apocaps with nasal cancer and what results have you seen?
has anyone used the fenbendazole protocol ? ( which is Panacur that is used for worms) , CBD oil and a couple other things and have you seen good results?
They plan to do hospice type care rather then radiation or chemo but would like t try to buy her more time.
My beloved 9 year old Scottish Terrier Ozzie crossed the finish line on his nasal cancer journey on June 15, 2020. I have read this entire thread and wanted to post our journey in case it can help another dog and pet parent. I grieve with each of you. Ozzie was my agility dog. Ozzie was my heart.
I am going to break my story into several posts as it will be long. The basics: symptoms visible (bleeding and sneezing) for 6 weeks, diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of right sinus, stereotactic radiation, nutritional and holistic support.
Ozzie History (prediagnosis)
Ozzie was always a sneezer. The long Terrier nose was always sniffing. He woke up practically every morning and would sneeze a few times. Sneezing was normal for him. I saw the first drop of blood in early October 2019. For a couple months before there was a damp spot on his bed at times in the morning. It seemed to be a clear drainage from both nostrils. It was fall and as recommended by my vet I gave benedryl. He had a few episodes of reverse sneezing on walks, but I switched from leashing his collar to using a harness and they stopped. The day after I saw the first drop of blood, he was at the vet. We did some allergy medications. The sneezing eased up, but I was finding nickle- to quarter-sized brownish-red bloody spots when he would sleep. We went back to the vet. Ozzie had a slab fracture of his upper back molar on the right side (where the bloody drainage was.) Thinking he could have a dental issue I was given some antibiotics and he was scheduled for a cleaning and extraction. My vet did X-rays. Bone lysis was seen. Ozzie was referred to an internal medicine vet. It was now the end of October 2019.
The diagnosis:
The internal medicine vet did a CT scan and rhinoscopy on Ozzie. It required an overnight stay due to increased nasal bleeding. Cancer was suspected. A few days later it was confirmed — adenocarcinoma of the right sinus. The right eye orbit had bone break down as did the hard palate. Cribriform plate intact. (Medications started were Piroxicam once daily and Yunnan Baiyao capsules for bleeding.) Ozzie also got 1/2 a Prilosec 2x daily to protect from stomach ulcers the Piroxicam could cause. It was recommended to begin a soft diet to help preserve the hard palate. We were referred to the oncologist. The oncologist gave options of supportive care (a few months survival), chemotherapy (which only had a 30% response rate), or radiation therapy (at another office with a different doctor). We set the appointment with the radiation oncologist.
In mid-December, Ozzie saw the radiation oncologist who gave an average of 1 year survival with stereotactic radiation treatment. He needed a planning CT scan and then 3 consecutive days of radiation. His CT scan showed more bone erosion around the eye orbit and the start of breakdown of the cribriform plate. The palliative radiation option was more sessions (over longer time), so I decided to try the 3 session stereotactic treatment. At the planning session, it was discovered Ozzie had dry eye and an ulcer on his left eye—not related to the cancer which was on the right side. We began cyclosporine eye drops and antibiotic eye drops as well as lubricant tear drops.
The treatments went well. Ozzie wore the cone collar several weeks while trying to heal his eye. It was too short. Ozzie ended up with sores on the bridge of his nose from the radiation and the cone being too short. The area healed, but had scar tissue that did not allow the hair to regrow. He lost most of his hair on his nose, eye area and we eventually had his beautiful Scottie eyebrows and beard shaved to keep him clean from drainage. His face was always wet. In a few weeks, the sores and eye ulcer healed. Ozzie continued the cyclosporine drops in both eyes (radiation can cause dry eye), Piroxicam daily and 1 Yunnan Baiyao daily. Over the next several months, Ozzie had less bleeding, better breathing (less snoring at night) and was active, playful and had a great appetite. His quality of life was good through early May 2020.
In March 2020, Ozzie had a repeat CT scan (recommended around 3 months after radiation). The radiation did a great job on the tumor in the nasal passage. But, due to the position, enough radiation could not be as strong at the eye and brain. The cancer was growing around Ozzie’s eye.
By May, Ozzie’s appetite was starting to flag and he had less energy. He began to urinate in the house (he NEVER broke his house training). And he began to have more bloody nasal discharge. His bloodwork was consistently good. But he was fading. Due to the pee accidents in the house I had him tested for a UTI. He started Clavamox antibiotics. It helped the urination frequency, and also the bloody nasal discharge. With his appetite fading, my vet prescribed a transdermal ointment applied daily to the ear (MiraTaz, typically used with cats). There was improvement for a couple of weeks. Then, Ozzie’s third eyelid began to show. The oncologist consulted with an ophthalmologist and the radiation oncologist. The tumor was pressing on his eye. Eye medications were increased in frequency. Ozzie seemed Off. I was hand feeding him and changing his food to anything he would eat. I was concerned about his eye, it was having a discharge now similar to the brown, smelly goop from his nose. His face was always wet. He lay on his right side and would have a puddle of discharge. I had an oncology vet appointment in a few days, but called my family vet to check his eye. I honestly thought I would be losing him that week. My vet examined, Gave an additional eye medication and told me to keep the oncology appointment in 2 1/2 days. At some point during this time Ozzie’s eye ruptured. Given his declined health, tissue damage from radiation and the tumor size, eye removal was not an option. Also, once I knew the tumor was growing around his eye, I promised Ozzie no more procedures or treatments. Supportive/palliative care only. Because the ruptured eye was painful, I was given pain medication (gabapentin), more antibiotics (eye drops and oral) and told euthanasia was our option. It was time to let go. I made arrangements with my family vet and we spent a weekend doing things Ozzie loved. His last meal was a McDonalds cheeseburger and fries and he loved it. My vet was shocked at the dramatic decline in Ozzie’s health in less than one week. I wasn’t told, but it seems based on Jan’s comments on her Jazz, that Ozzie’s eye did the self-sealing thing with the blood clot. He had a spot on the eye and still had the eye visible. I was with Ozzie, holding his paw with my nose to his nose as he took his final breath. I could not let him hurt. My heart is broken. I had never heard of nasal cancer.
Ozzie had very good quality of life. We stopped agility because I didn’t want him running if he could not breathe properly. There was increased bleeding and sneezing after the rhinoscopy. Ozzie had the sores from radiation that resolved in 2 1/2 - 3 weeks. He had two weeks of decline and then the final week crashed. Until the crash, he loved his walks, car rides, most foods (I sometimes had to put the first bite in his mouth since he couldn’t smell). He sneezed pieces of tumor out of his nose two times. The vets I saw were wonderful and totally honest that we could not cure this. I do not regret the radiation therapy. We did not get the “average” one year, but I was told upfront that was average — some got longer, some less. We got less. I know I tried everything. I will post listing his food, medications and supplements.
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Not sure how to post here: re/ Pomeranian nasal tumor
