Absolutely devastated- my dog may die during or after operation to remove three tumours?

I have a 5 year old Japanese Akita called Bonnie. I feel like she has been in my life forever. I love her so much she's my entire world, and I never want to let her go.My dad, after discovering a lump underneath her skin took Bonnie to the vets, where we discovered she had THREE tumors. He gave my dad two options:1- To put her down there and then.2-To operate on my beautiful dog to take a biopsy. They will send the tumors away to be tested for cancer.If they find cancer has spread in her body during the operation, they told us they will put her down. I feel like I've cried for the past 48 hours. I knew I'd be upset when my dog would be ill/dying, but I feel absolutely grief stricken. Devastated. The operation will make her weak. She will struggle to walk. And I feel like it's my fault. But at the same time, I don't want to give up on her just yet. Doesn't she deserve a chance?I feel like I'm acting like she's already dead, but I don't know the success rate of these operations, and I don't know how to cope.

Just stay calm and hope that every thing goes well... If she does pass dont stay sad. She wants you to always be happy. The best way to recover is to get a puppy... Good luck to you and your dog.

I know you'll blame yourself but it is NOT your fault! Iv went through the same thing my dog was very old. But your dog is still young, you have to have faith! They may not be cancerous! I know it's hard and i know youre scared but try think positive! It's all 50/50 at the moment. If its not cancerous, shel be weak, yes but shel get better. If it is cancerous and she gets put to sleep its what's best for her, she won't be in pain. Good luck

Look, I can see this is devastating to you, but if the removal of the tumors does not go smoothly, I would say take the dog out of it's misery. But don't blame yourself, you didn't do anything wrong. You obviously love your dog and that's the best thing. Give Bonnie all the love and attention you can. I hope this helped!

I know how hard it is to lose a pet, i lost two dogs in my lifetime and i cried everytime, to the point where i actually couldn't breath properly then a couple of years ago my cat got attacked by a fox, she had to undergo major surgery, but she pulled through, i cried all night and all day until i found out she was going to be ok, and then it was touch and go for my mum to be able to get enough money to pay the vets so we could get her back (she isn't insured so it cost A LOT)You have to think about this, if you decide to put the dog down before the operation you will feel guilty for the rest of your life knowing that the tumours could have been free of cancer and if you decide to give her the operation yes she'll be sore afterwards and will take a while to heal but if she turns out cancer free then she'll eventually heal and if she does have to be put down, you'll have your memories and whenever you look at photo's you'll have tht sinking feeling in your gut the feeling of old guilt but then you can laugh and say, she really was mans best friend...

There is not much information here, and what there is has gone from the vet to your dad to you to us... things could have got confused in the re-telling, so maybe I am off, here, but...I think you need to consult another veterinarian quickly.First, unless you are in the UK where the law requiring treatment or euthanasia following diagnosis exists, the suggestion to euthanize her immediately is premature. Even if she is suffering a terminal disease, euthanasia prior to her being in pain and having a poor quality of life would not generally be suggested. She can be maintained with meds to control symptoms until symptoms cannot be controlled... then, euthanize. Not to mention, you don't actually know that your dog has cancer! These tumors could be benign.Discovering that cancer has spread is not accomplished during surgery or as a result of biopsy (so, bad info from the vet). What generally is done is to x-ray and look at the lungs and other internal organs for dark spots indicating tumors. I would have this done prior to having the tumors removed... if her internal organs have advanced tumors, than I would probably not opt for any surgery since it would be unlikely to extend her life.Saying the operation will make her weak and struggle to walk... I don't know and cannot figure out what would make this knowable beforehand. If she will lose considerable muscle during the operation, I suppose that could make walking difficult... adding that the operation will make her weak? I dunno. This simply does not make sense to me, and it sounds more like your vet is trying to discourage your dad from choosing surgery. While it is possible that surgery is the wrong choice, I would like a little more honesty and fact from my vet.So... I would not be comfortable with this vet, and would be trying to find another, better vet immediately. You want someone who is a good surgeon, obviously. If you have access to a board-certified veterinary oncologist, that would be awesome (expensive, but awesome)... most oncologists do not do surgery themselves, but an oncologist could refer you to a good vet and an oncologist would be who you would see after the tumor removal if the biopsy comes back that your dog does have cancer (which, at this point, you do not even know).Get rid of the guilt! Unless you have done a specific act deliberately to cause your dog to have these tumors, you have no reason to feel guilty. This is NOT your fault!Good luck with your dog, and I hope that she gets lucky and the growths she has are not life-threatening. Love her and do things with her and have fun... she is NOT already dead... if she senses you feeling terrible, that will only concern and worry your dog... be strong, for her. I do hope that this turns out well for you...

i agree with dogzzz, You need more information, my dobermann who passed away in october had fatty lumps, which were benign tumours, they were still tumours but didnt affect his day to day life. i honestly think you need to check to see if the tumours are benign or malignant, Biopsies are needed for this. Dont jump the gun and think the worse, you love you dog, you need the extra information or you will always wonder and feel the remorse if you ask too quickly.

First and foremost, the vet may suspect that the masses may be tumors (which can be benign or malignant) and made you aware of the worst case scenario, a diagnosis of cancer, but cannot know for a fact until they have the histology results from a cross section of all three masses. A local vet does not have the specialist knowledge than an oncologist has, so I advise you not to borrow trouble, wait for the results and if your dog has cancer (which can be low grade and contained locally in which case if a mass is excised with wide margins it can be curative or aggressive and spreads more rapidly) consider asking for a referral to an oncologist for a specialist opinion on your dog’s prognosis and the options.I owned a four year old dog diagnosed with aggressive cutaneous melanoma (skin cancer). He was referred to an oncologist, had major surgery to remove two masses, one large that had metastasized into his lymph nodes and a smaller mass on his flank. Post surgery he bounced back quickly following the aftercare to the letter and had four sessions of chemotherapy administered by drip. He had no side effects from the carboplatin (chemo), was calm during the treatment and jumped happily back into the car. He went on to make a full recovery. Cancer is one of the most common medical problems in dogs and cannot be screened for, so no-one’s fault. Research is primarily directed at finding cures and treatment to extend life (where there is a quality to it, not at any price) but anecdotal evidence suggests some bloodlines are more disposed to develop cancer than others.You can see the scar from his surgery in the photograph below.http://www.flickr.com/photos/fallonbrooke/2797639168I agree your dog deserves the same chance I gave mine and I hope for the best for your dog.Edit: In the UK a dog owner can choose to opt for:1. Active treatment for cancer.2. Palliative care.3. Lethal injection to end life - perhaps because the owner cannot face or afford treatment or the prognosis is poor.Neglecting a dog by failing to provide the veterinary care it needs is a criminal offence.

Don't jump to the worst conclusion.There is a possibility that the tumors are benign, meaning there is no cancerHAVE THE BIOPSY DONE on the tumors so that you know exactly what you are dealing with. The vet can then give a definite prognosis based on the biopsy results.I just recently went through a similar experience when my cat was diagnosed with cancer in September. I was devastated. The mass turned out to be benign. Unfortunately in my case the doctor, Dr. Jennifer Huck in NYC, strongly recommended amputation of my cat's leg to cure her from cancer. I trusted her advise and went forward with amputation. AFTER the amputation, the doctor found out it was not cancer. Read my story here: http://www.justiceforcharlotte.blogspot.comYour dog deserves EVERY chance at life. Give her as much love as you can and snuggle her up like you always have....she's the same girl you've always loved!