My dog has a suspected tumor, doing well on steroids. Should I get a second opinion?

I'm so sorry that you are dealing with this with Cosita. Thank you for including a picture. She is adorable. I am attaching a link below to a handout on IBD. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=598 The end of that handout specifically addresses your concern. The problem with doing steroids is that it decreases the inflammation in the intestines and will likely make Cosita feel better, but if her disease is due to cancer (lymphoma), putting her on prednisone will make it harder to diagnose and treat her cancer later. "Lymphoma is temporarily responsive to prednisone but better responses can be obtained from stronger chemotherapy agents. Exposure to prednisone will make the lymphoma much more difficult to diagnose should biopsies be obtained later. Plus, exposure to prednisone can lead to resistance to other medications. (This is less of a problem for cats, but in dogs even a few days of prednisone can make a lasting remission impossible to achieve.)" There is nothing wrong with starting her on steroids, but you have to understand that it will limit your treatment and diagnostic options in the future if the steroids do not help. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answers your questions. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm so sorry to hear that your veterinarian suspects that Sky has a brain tumor. There are some clinical signs/neurologic abnormalities that can increase suspicion for a brain tumor, such as abnormal behavior, circling when walking, seeming blind or staring off into space, seizures, etc. Advanced imaging such as a CT scan or an MRI would be the way to definitively diagnose a brain tumor. Prednisone is a common steroid medication with anti-inflammatory properties that can help decrease some of these clinical signs and make dogs feel better. Making the decision to euthanize a pet is never easy, and I'm sorry that you are faced with this right now. If Sky is improving, it is not wrong to delay her euthanasia. I recommend thinking about Sky's ability to do things she normally enjoys, and if she is still able to do a lot of those things, maybe it isn't time to euthanize just yet. I hope this is helpful - my thoughts are with you during this difficult time.

Hello, sorry to hear about Sophia. It looks like it could be a hemangioma (benign), however given her age and the appearance of the tumor, there is also a chance it could be more aggressive such as hemangiosarcoma (malignant). It would likely need to be removed and sent for biopsy to confirm/rule-out the presence of cancer. If you feel like your primary care veterinarian did not answer all of your questions, then you may indeed seek a second opinion. The appearance of this mass does warrant further diagnostics of it, especially if this mass has developed suddenly. These masses as they continue to grow, may occasionally bleed intermittently or have discharge. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Im so sorry to hear this news. It is so difficult to face these decisions, I know. It may be that he has cancer in his bone marrow that is preventing him from making neutrophils. It is also possible that the primary cancer is somewhere else (for example a brain tumor) and the low neutrophils are what we call a "paraneoplastic syndrome," which is just a fancy way to say that cancer is a jerk and it will make other things go haywire for no particular reason. Again I am so sorry. It sounds like trying him on steroids is a perfectly reasonable course of action at this point. If that does not help, it may be time to consider euthanasia. You clearly have Shadow's quality of life as your main focus, which is very important. I am so sorry for your heartache. Thanks for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern. If she has had history of an immune mediated disease such as immune mediated hemolytic anemia, I would get her in to see your veterinarian as soon as possible to check her lab values and see if this disease has returned. I would want to see what her red blood cells and platelet numbers look like. She may need to go back on immunosuppressants to stop the disease from progressing any further. The bruising on the abdomen has be concerned that she has a bleeding disorder. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be the time for your veterinarian to check in with an internal medicine specialist as this is a bit more complex than typical. Possibilities include an immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in which case other immunosuppressive drugs can be used with prednisone or possibly an infectious disease. They would be able to recommend further but reaching out to a specialist would be an option for further tests/recommendations. Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Hi there! It sounds like you're a very good friend to Athena and care very much. This looks very much like a suture reaction, or a reaction to the material of her internal stitches. The stitches we use inside the body are absorbable, and eventually break down in the tissues. Sometimes, they can cause an inflammatory reaction when this happens that looks a lot like this. If the reaction or breakdown is too soon, we risk the possibility of a hernia, etc. there is a possibility (smaller but still there) that the suture broke down a bit before it was noticed and with her exertion it just pushed its way a bit more open. If she is unbothered and has not changed in size it could probably wait until your appointment. I would recommend keeping her exercise very restricted in the meantime though-no stairs, no running outside just leash walks, etc. if you are still concerned, you can always call her doctor and see if they can get you in a bit sooner. Hope this helps!