Sheltie has cancer

Aw. :-( How old is Banjo?

7 yrs old

Ahhh, poor Banjo, and poor Husker clan.

Is Banjo uncomfortable?

We got him when we was 18 montha from a lady that had a heart condition and was unable to give him the attention he needed. He's a really really good dog, only one bad habit and that is he's a little over protective of the house which over all is not that bad a thing. People come to our front door and wonder what type of monster is behind the door, and once they enter he runs and hides and is pretty much totally silent.

He doesn't act u8ncomfortable, but it blocks his bladder, I just returned home from the vet with Banjo - he's resting.

Poor pupster.

Poor Banjo, give him hugs and ear scratches for me...

Oh, I'm so sorry, husker. Did the vet give you any idea of what to expect from here on?

will know more tomorrow am

Did they tell you what speed the cancer is growing at? How expensive is the surgery? My poochie got cancerous tumors, which I had removed until she was diagnosed with this degenerative nerve thing. They were mast cell tumors - easy to remove, but still expensive to me (around 300 bucks a pop).

according to what the vet told me on the phone because of location and blood test so far -he's pretty sure it's a bad\aggressive type if you miss with it it grows faster. He would have to go to a special Vet and the rough estimate is over $1.300 and that's a very conservative guess.

yikes!

That's awfully expensive. What are the pup's chances if he has the surgery? And quality of life afterward? If they're not good, I don't know that I'd put him through it.

And Husker et al already have so much going on anyway.

this type of cancer is not winable and we're pretty broke right now, the Mrs is pretty upset and the daughter has not been showing her emotion yet.

the daughter asked if we could replace banjo before he died - that's out for discussion

It's hard to give anyone advice about things like this. Some people will spend as much as they would if it was their child. Others think it's a waste of money to spend anything at all on animals. All I can tell you is what I would do (and have done).

If the cancer is not winnable, then I wouldn't spend money I don't have prolonging the dog's pain. I'd enjoy the pet for as long as I could until it really started suffering. Then I'd try to find the grace to allow the vet to end it as painlessly and gently as possible.

You're a very caring person, husker, and I'm sure you love your pets very much. I know how difficult this must be for all of you, but I'm sure that your decision - whatever it is - will be the right one.

Well the Vet told the Mrs and Daughter this am that if the Feldene works we might get a few months and if not he wants to put him to sleep week or so.

Husker,
My deepest sympathies to you and your family.
May Banjo pass peacefully to "The Rainbow Bridge". (have you looked at that website?)
hugs,
PaL

Husker...

My dog growing up, Fred, was diagnosed with lung cancer at 14 year old. He was a lab/mutt. We decided to try the meds but they made him so thirsty and he would throw up all the time His quality of life was awful. So my parents took him off the meds figuring, he could at least enjoy what time he had left. Some days he was good, some he was so bad we had to hold him up to pee. He passed away one night, almost a year after the vet had recommended we put him down. We got another year with him and although some days were pretty awful, some days he was just like the dog he was before the cancer.

My advice is to use the time you have and make a decision based on the quality of life Banjo has right now. You know your pet by now and even if he can't speak, he can tell you volumes about how he's feeling. If he is suffering, then the best thing you can do is let him go peacefully. We chose to let Fred hang on and pass in his own time but like I said, it's something only you can decide.

Good luck and take care. I know how hard this is. It's been 11 years since Fred died and I still get misty eyed when I think about him. And I also still carry his dog tag on my key ring.

Psssssttt....this is the site Peace and Love mentioned.

Rainbow Bridge