Just trying to keep this short and sweet - but my dog is going in tomorrow for a CT scan to determine if she has a brain tumor. Has anyone dealt with one in a dog before?
I hope it’s not. They’re frustrating for all involved. I don’t think I know of positive outcomes.
Jingles.
More jingles. Unfortunately, there’s not much they can do. But I hope you get good news.
I don’t plan on putting her through any chemo or radiation (I’ve seen it and won’t put one of my own through that). I just want to make her as comfortable and happy as I can for as long as I can.
Just hoping for some stories if anyone has been through this journey.
One of our elderly dogs started doing things that made the vet think she had either had a stroke or was suffering from Cognitive Disorder. We also consulted a neurologist who agreed she was displaying cognitive problems mostly but there was possibly a brain tumor. She did not recommend the diagnostic MRI nor did we ask for it as we weren’t going to subject a 16 year old dog to treatment.
Our dog would walk in circles, in fact towards the end that was pretty much all she could do. Sometimes she would go down and couldn’t get back up without help, it’s like she couldn’t remember how. She wouldn’t eat if presented with a bowl of food but had a good appetite if she was hand fed.
We monitored and evaluated her constantly for quality of life. Our quality of life was not so good at times but she seemed mostly unconcerned even when she marched in circles until she got tired enough to sleep. She started having potty accidents and that was completely unlike her. That did distress her if she couldn’t get outside in time. And very shortly after that she did start acting as if she were stressed out. We couldn’t tell if it was pain or disease progression but knew it was her time. RIP Ginger.
Our ten year old aussie/border collie has a brain tumor. It’s small, but right on the brainstem where the trigeminal nerve originates so it’s causing problems sooner rather than later. We were told by the neurologist that with these types, only controlling inflammation with steroids and discomfort with something like tramadol are the only real options. Oral chemos aren’t effective and surgery and radiation aren’t options.
I have heard that some oral chemos can be helpful with minimal side effects on some tumors, so there is a chance that those could be a treatment option.
So far, it’s been 4 months since her diagnosis and she has had progression of symptoms but still seems happy and has a good quality of life. The neurologist couldn’t tell us much about timeline, so we’re just taking it as it comes and having monthly exams to follow symptom progression.
BTW, ours was only detected by MRI (they said CT was likely not going to find it). Just thought I would mention that in case the CT ends up clean. We have had other tumors, such as those in the lung, accurately viewed by CT.
Good luck!
I have seen good and bad outcomes depending on the type of tumor and the location. CT can show some tumors, but MRI is the best imaging for this. I have seen 12 year old dogs have benign brain tumors removed and walk out like a new dog. I have seen dogs come in for check-ups that are three years post sx/radiation. It really depends. I have seen brain tumors diagnosed in dogs under a year old and of course, older dogs. (We offer MRI and CT, but pretty much only do MRI’s to look for brain tumors.)
Jingles for you and your sweet pup. Only the dog’s owner knows their dog well enough to know what is best for them. And like Pharmgirl, there is sometimes some medical management to buy comfort and time.
My dog’s situation was very similar to JBD’s. The first sign was a Vestibular episode, which left her with a head tilt. Towards the end she would constantly pace in and out of the room; later there was lots of circling. And she’d sometimes collapse. The worst part was the partial complex seizures she occasionally had; she’d just suddenly bark and run everywhere like she was terrified. Then she’d collapse and be very weak for a day or two.
My dog was 14 at the time and after doing tons of research online, I opted to not have any tests done and had her pts when she lost interest in eating. She was 4 yrs old when I adopted her and one vet guessed that she had distemper as a puppy, which can cause brain lesions. Towards the end it was very exhausting for me, as she would wander around my room at night and collapse, so I’d have to prop her up so she could either wander/circle some more or lay down. Crating was difficult for her because she would have trouble laying down and get stuck in uncomfortable positions.
I hope you and your doggy don’t have to go through this.
I would recommend a MRI over a CT. An MRI is FAR more sensitive to brain changes than a CT, where it will only show up if it is very much displacing a ventricle or is contrast enhanced.
Many times meningiomas and some other brain tumors are resectable, sensitive to oral medications or radiations. The majority of brain tumors are slow growing and you can see response to the right medications. Some however are not.
Jingles for your dog, and I hope it comes back clear…or at least treatable.
Now I’m worried I’ll be spending all this money for a CT scan and that isn’t what is needed. 
Oh and OP - don’t discount chemo and radiation treatments based on HUMAN responses. Goals are very different for pets and the goal is not to cure, but to create a quality of life. There are so many people afraid to use either because they know “someone” who has gone through it. Yet, if you talk to someone who has done it with their pet the majority of owners say the worst thing they have seen was a day of diarrhea…
But, personal choice. Just don’t discount it based on human experiences.
[QUOTE=bugsynskeeter;7196096]
Now I’m worried I’ll be spending all this money for a CT scan and that isn’t what is needed. :([/QUOTE]
A CT “MAY” show you something, but it cant rule out a tumor if the CT comes back clean. It CAN tell you that there is no massive tumor there though, just isn’t sensitive to the smaller or more “brain-like” ones. An MRI is generally the same cost. You can ask your neurologist why they recommended a CT over an MRI. If they say its because that’s all they have, ask them if they can send you somewhere else for an MRI. Shouldn’t cost you any more…we charge about the same.
I haven’t talked to a neurologist yet. I was referred to a clinic by my vet for the CT scan, i don’t know if an MRI is available there. I’ve been a little numb with everything happeningso quickly. Guess i can talk to them tomorrow when i get there.
ETA - just looked up the clinic and they do have a MRI. I’ll see if i can get her switched to the instead. And about the chemo, i work at a small animal clinic before and saw several dogs go through chemo…but it was several years ago and i will concede that things could be much better now. I will just play everything by ear.
Good plan. If you were referred to a neurologist or imaging specialist I would bet they will recommend you switch to the MRI. Good to know there are both options there. And yes, so many different types of chemo now - and generally its not the harsh ones that are used for brain tumors. I would anticipate if you go that route, you will have no side effects other than typical steroid effects.
Jingles for your dog, I hope everything comes back in his favour. FWIW, I see them on a daily basis - run the MRI - and its not uncommon to see them come back 6 months later for their recheck. Jinges.
Thanks Squish. This is my “heart dog” so to speak. She’s owned me for 10 years and I’ll do what I can for her.
Just dropped her off at the clinic. The neurologist recommended the MRI for her, so now just waiting.
Jingles for your dog and you!
Had a young boxer with a brain tumor. The vet school said they did a full body MRI to see of there were cancers anywhere else in his body before recommending radiation. He had to live at the vet school for 5 weeks with weekends spent at a hotel with me (vet school is 5 hours from home). I kept commenting that his coat and attitude were not right. I didn’t know that his primary caregivers were changing frequently so they were not seeing the difference. Three weeks after he came home he had to be euthanized because the cancer had spread to most of his internal organs. $6000, 5 of his last 8 weeks of life spent in a kennel at the vet school; I still want to cry every time I think about that sweet, loving, gentle boy.
I sincerely hope you have a much, much better outcome.
Crossing my fingers that everything went well today.
Jingles and hoping things went well with the MRI
