Dog with thyroid tumor - Update: tumor was cancerous

[going_gray]

My sister called me this morning as she was on her way to a specialist vet clinic in Grand Rapids with her ten year old border collie. Last Friday she had taken the dog in to her vet’s office for a regular appointment and the vet found a mass on the dog’s thyroid gland. Vet told her that thyroid tumors were most often cancerous. The clinic will do a biopsy and then determine whether surgery is advisable.

Can anyone give me information on this situation? What kind of treatment/prognosis can my sister expect if cancer is found? Her dog is eating normally and her behavior is normal too.

Years ago I had a goiter removed from my thyroid and it was not cancerous. Can dogs have this as well?

Thank you CoTHERS for any information that I can pass on to my sister who is very worried this morning.

[going_gray]

Just an update for anyone who read this post last week. The vets took out the tumor the same day the dog was examined - last Thursday. The news was that it was cancerous. My sister now has to decide on whether to continue with chemo therapy or go on without any chemo treatment. She doesn’t know what to do at all.

Chemo treatment isn’t a guarantee at all and can/will cause its own set of problems with side effects. She has to take her dog back tomorrow to have sutures taken out so will talk to vets about her choices. Cost is not a problem for her. It’s just whether to inflict suffering when you know it may not help at all.

If anyone has done chemo with their dog, could you let me know whether the treatment was worth it? Thanks so much! I can pass advice on to her. (My sister went through her own breast cancer diagnosis and surgery a few years ago and I know this is a hard situation and decision to make.) Tough to go through right now.

[Irish_Ei_s]

Hugs…

FWIW you can end a pets suffering or continued decline at any time.
This also ends an owners suffering thru watching them become debilitated.

[Zu_Zu]

• no information from experience

just

sending

Jingles & AO ~

((hugs)) for everyone who loves this border collie ~

[TheHotSensitiveType]

My friend adopted a dog that not too long after developed a cancerous mass in her nasal passage. They decided to do radiation and chemo. The dog’s eye on the same side was damaged by the treatment and would run constantly, and despite all their attempts, their dog did not get any extra time and ended up having to be put down either at the end of treatment or shortly after. She had to be rushed to the emergency room for uncontrolled bleeding and had to be put down.

This is my own personal opinion, but I will not do that to any of our dogs. They say that dogs tolerate it better than people; however dogs are so much more stoic than people, they may feel just as horrid and just not show it!

ETA: I am so sorry your sister is dealing with this!

[Callista17]

Sorry for your sister and her dog. No experience with canine thyroid cancer.

[Doberpei]

A friend of mine is going through this right now (all cancers are different). Removed the thyroid tumor and the surgeon said everything was clean. It was also cancerous. The oncologist says there’s a 50/50 chance it will grow back in 9 - 22 months if they do nothing. She is going to do oral chemo (remember, chemo affects dogs differently than humans). She is not doing the radiation. The dog is also 12 years old and otherwise healthy.

Eons ago, when my dog had cancer, chemo was about $800- $1,200 a dose. I opted not to do it, and he lived for 18 months, even with metastatic cancer.

[gingerbread]

Every situation is unique. My previous dog had bone cancer in one leg. We opted for surgery and some chemo. She adapted well to life on 3 legs and the chemo prevented metastasis. She lived to a normal old age. My current dog ( the one mentioned in the grief post in this forum) got sick very suddenly and was found to have a tumor on her heart that wAs bleeding. We put her to sleep immediately. She only had one day of suffering, that last one, and I am so glad we chose to end it quickly . My advice is to find out as much as you can about how effective treatment is before deciding which way to go. Best of luck.
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹

[DownYonder]

We opted for surgery and chemo when my Saluki male was diagnosed with thryoid cancer. They were able to remove about 99% of the tumor during surgery but there was a small bit wrapped around his trachea that they couldn’t get. The chemo was rough for him for a few days after each treatment but it gave him another year and a half of pretty good quality life - he would still run all over the farm until a few days before the end. That was 30 years ago and I am sure there have been huge advances in treatment options since then. Sending good wishes your way.

[going_gray]

Hello and thanks to everyone who responded to this thread. It means a lot to me and especially to my sister. I have passed on to her the well wishes and the personal stories that have been shared. My sister took her dog back to the clinic last Friday to begin chemo treatments.

She said everything went well and the dog is not showing any side effects so far. She is willing to continue the chemo and watch how her dog responds. (Vomiting and diarrhea may be heading her way.)

She doesn’t wish to add more suffering to this situation but it’s so hard to know what to do. We truly can’t let our pain outweigh what is best for our animals.

Again, thank you! I now know that some of you have been through this as well.

[Nithya]

@going gray

My sister called me this morning as she was on her way to a specialist vet clinic in Grand Rapids with her ten year old border collie. Last Friday she had taken the dog in to her vet’s office for a regular appointment and the vet found a mass on the dog’s thyroid gland. Vet told her that thyroid tumors were most often cancerous. The clinic will do a biopsy and then determine whether surgery is advisable.

Can anyone give me information on this situation? What kind of treatment/prognosis can my sister expect if cancer is found? Her dog is eating normally and her behavior is normal too.

Years ago I had a goiter removed from my thyroid and it was not cancerous. Can dogs have this as well?

Thank you CoTHERS for any information that I can pass on to my sister who is very worried this morning.

My dog also had a similar situation. But after regular chemo and surgery it got cured. And it is happily living with us.