How long can a dog live with untreated primary hyperparathyroidism?

Addison's Disease cannot be cured, but it can often be managed with life-long medications. It does usually require frequent vet visits for monitoring in the future. However, it can be life-threatening if a dog is sick when it is first diagnosed (or the suspected diagnosis). Without aggressive treatment, dogs can easily die from dehydration and shock caused by the effects on their fluid volume. Here is a great article on Addison's Disease and what to expect from diagnosis and treatment: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=608

I'm very sorry to hear about your dog's diagnosis, and definitely understand opting not to pursue advanced treatment due to cost. Unfortunately, the expected prognosis and quality of life depends a lot of the specifics of the situation, so it's not really possible to say based on such limited information. I would recommend talking to the veterinarian who is treating her about your concerns. He/she should be able to give you a better idea of what to expect as the disease runs its course, and can also prescribe pain medication or other meds if needed to help keep her comfortable.

There are studies that show it does not affect their life span ! It is a disease of symptoms and can be frustrating to live with. It will cause an increase in drinking and urination which can lead to accidents, it causes thin skin and a pot belly appearance with weight gain a muscle loss. In severe cases it can lead to a skin infection and calcifying of the skin

While not ideal, not getting thyroid medication for 10 days should have no lasting negative effects on your dog. A quick call to your vet would be recommended for confirmation. He or she may want to see Morris and possibly submit blood work to check thyroid levels.

Cushing's disease is rare in cats, and prognosis is guarded when it is diagnosed in a cat. It can rarely be cured, and it's hard to say exactly how long a cat would live without treatment as each animal is different, but I would not recommend allowing a cat to live without treatment. That would cause suffering to the animal, which is never acceptable. I would say that they would be in pain, as they will suffer muscle wastage, thin skin that can easily tear, possible UTIs from the excessive drinking and urination, and concurrent suffering with diabetes (the excessive cortisol interferes the effects of insulin). If Winfred is at end stage Cushings and you do not want to continue treatment, then I would recommend putting her to sleep to prevent any pain and suffering.

I would recommend a biopsy of the nodule on the parathyroid gland. Poor guy. It sounds like you have done some extensive testing so far. However a parathyroid gland adenoma (tumor) is my top suspicion considering the labwork findings and symptoms of excessive urination, drinking and lethargy. Surgical removal of the tumor is indicated if this is truly the underlying cause of Max's symptoms. I hope that everything works out well for your pet Max. Best wishes and take care.

It can vary from patient to patient, but without aggressive surgery and additional therapies like chemotherapy, it may only be weeks or months. Additional testing that would be needed is abdominal ultrasound and blood work. It is probably a question best directed to the vet that diagnosed the cancer, since they have more information on your case than I do.