My beloved shih tzu was diagnosed with renal carcinoma, malignant, in his right kidney. His left kidney is working well be showing degenerative changes due to his age… He is ten. The vet is recommending kidney and mass removal with a life expectancy of four months to two years following surgery with the average being 16 months. I am hesitant to do surgery as if it does not go well it will actually decrease his time and quality of life that he has left, however I will do anything to get more time with him that is not painful for him. Currently other than an enlarged abdomen he has no symptoms, no pain and is his usual happy self. Has anyone dealt with this diagnosis? I would love some real life experiences with this type of surgery and if it did give your dog more time without pain. Thanks in advance, just want to make the best decision for my best canine friend, I am just heartbroken.
Bad disease 
Unfortunately we cannot predict how things will go after surgery. MOST of the time they do fine until the other kidney gives out. Which it will, eventually. But then again, something else may give out before that.
How old is he? Can you PM me with his lab findings, etc? I don’t have a crystal ball but do have another set of eyes and sometimes that helps.
[QUOTE=MeghanDACVA;5652624]
Bad disease
Unfortunately we cannot predict how things will go after surgery. MOST of the time they do fine until the other kidney gives out. Which it will, eventually. But then again, something else may give out before that.
How old is he? Can you PM me with his lab findings, etc? I don’t have a crystal ball but do have another set of eyes and sometimes that helps.[/QUOTE]
God I love this woman.
Meghan is awesome for sure! :yes:
If you’ve not already had one done, an abdominal ultrasound might tell you a little more about the extent of disease.
We had 3 nephrectomies already this month. So far, all 3 are doing well including a 7 week old kitten. However, as meghan already stated it is a risk, and not a minimal one either - but could potentially lead to a longer survival time.
Hard decision, and either way you should not feel you are making a “wrong” one.
I apologize for my lack of response after so many helpful posts, my computer decided to crash and I’m pretty much incapable of posting from my iPhone. Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond. I actually met with an oncologist shortly after the diagnosis and after hearing that we’d likely be dealing with a kidney rupture before too long, we decided that surgery was really the only option that gave him a fighting chance. He is actually in surgery as I type and I’m biting nails waiting for a call to see how things went. I did advise them to euthanise on the table if things looked worse than what they could actually see on the ultrasound (according to the ultrasound and xrays, it did not look like it had spread yet although as you know there can always be microscopic traces that can’t be seen) or if the mass had grown into a muscle and was actually inoperable as I just can’t see bringing him home and waiting for his kidney to rupture - just seemed unfair despite how much I don’t want to let him go. Meghan, he is ten so while not young, certainly not too old to have a few good years left in him if all goes well. Hoping for a miracle, the oncologist did say she removed a renal carcinoma mass in an older dog almost two years ago and it did not return so there is more hope than I originally thought…
Jingles to your boy, Faircourt!!!
Jingles - let us know how things go. And I must say - your dog is VERY lucky to have an owner with a good sensible plan. I really hope things work out in you favour!
I wanted to update this thread asyou all were very helpful to me on this thread over a year ago.
My little dog not only made it through surgery but is still trooping along well over a year since having his kidney and the large malignant tumor removed. I was so hesitant to do the surgery but am so glad that I got the advice I did from this thread and met with an oncologist to get some options and opinions on which way to go. Going ahead with surgery was definitely among the best decisions I’ve made. Just wanted to say a big THANKS from me and my special little dog!
Thats incredible! Im so happy for you! Most people would have given up, heard the word malignant cancer and said “Im not putting my dog through that” (and thats fine, Im not one to judge), but this just goes to show that there are a lot of dogs out there who are fighters and with the advances we have in veterinary medicine today, we are saving and prolonging a quality life. So happy for you and your pup!!
