I'm scared.... yes, pics. Brandy's tumor has grown.

Title says it. I am scared. I was uploading some pics and when you're with her you don't notice the growth as much, but when you see pics of only a month or two difference and see the growth, its scary.

The tumor appears to be getting little tumors on the sides of it. She has a baseball on her nose, and ping pong balls on the side of it.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...t=brandy+tumor (whole story)

She's started to eat less now....

Anyways, here's some pics of my puppy's growing tumor.

shortly after diagnosed:



Nov. 08



Feb. 09





April 09





I know I have to be strong for my kids....but I don't know that I can be. My husband leaves on Mondays and comes home on Fridays... couple wks ago he told me it grew in the time he was away. I didn't believe/notice it. Now, pics don't lie.

My husband and I highly doubt she will make it through the summer.

She's 10yrs old this this month, but she still acts like she's 2. This would be soooo much easier if she was sick, you know....had signs of old age, decreased energy, slow pace, etc. But she doesn't. She still barks at every little noise at the front door, she still jumps all over visitors, she still gets excessively hyper when she wants out, she still plays (although she gets tired easily)....the only thing different is that she is starting to eat less. But that's normal for her in the summer.... she's never handled heat well, hence my thinking she won't make it this summer.

I hope and pray she continues to be well. I know I have the strength to end her suffering when the time comes.... I just want that time to be longer than what I think it will be.

Poor baby. That she stays comfortable and her goofy self as long as possible and for you as you have to make the hardest decisions ever.

I'm so sorry. She's beautiful. Is it possible to remove the tumor or see if it's cancer? She's beautiful. I pray you have a lot more happy days together.

Originally Posted by Miagi's_Mommy

I'm so sorry.

She's beautiful. Is it possible to remove the tumor or see if it's cancer? She's beautiful.

I pray you have a lot more happy days together.

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Thank you.

No, the tumor is inoperable. Even when it was smaller.... 99% of these types of tumors are indeed cancer, so it's really not a what if. If the tumor was located somewhere else, they could have taken it out when it was small... unfortunately the nose is not easy to operate on.

Basically what will happen is it will continue to grow, and end up in her eye (although for now it seems to be growing on the sides, rather than towards her eye). Xrays from her last check up showed that there was about 1" between the tumor and her eye, even though it doesn't look like it.

The main thing I need to watch, is for any bulging in her eye, her eye becoming a different size than the other one... when that happens, her time here is over. Once it reaches her eye, it will be excruitatingly painful.

Chris I'm so sorry that the tumor has grown so large. Give Brandy some big chest scratches for me, and to you.

Chris, I'm so sorry the tumor has continued growing. that she still has a lot of "good" times left.

I'm sorry the tumor is growing, but happy that Brandy is still her happy self. That's a big blessing.

We had a dog who was 11 when he developed a tumor in the same place. The details are fuzzy now (he died 16 years ago), but even though we were told it would grow right back we had it removed because we felt like we needed to do something. It started growing back immediately and we had Burgh pts about 6 months later.

If we had to do it again, I think we would have just loved on him and let him go rather than do the surgery.

Originally Posted by jenwales

I'm sorry the tumor is growing, but happy that Brandy is still her happy self. That's a big blessing.

We had a dog who was 11 when he developed a tumor in the same place. The details are fuzzy now (he died 16 years ago), but even though we were told it would grow right back we had it removed because we felt like we needed to do something. It started growing back immediately and we had Burgh pts about 6 months later.

If we had to do it again, I think we would have just loved on him and let him go rather than do the surgery.

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Thank you for sharing your story too. I have no regrets whatsoever, and in the beginning my vet was upfront and honest with me, hence no surgery.... It's been a 14mos since it appeared, and I try to enjoy every moment with her.

For some reason it just hit me so hard last night, when I was downloading pics from my camera and comparing them. I know its coming, and it terrifies me.

At least her quality of life doesn't seem to have suffered much if any. Spoil her rotten and love her as much as you can! Give her lots of hugs and scratches from me too.

Spend lots of quality time while you have her!! Absolutely my one regret when my cat died was that he was living with someone else while I was away...horrible feeling. Touch and hug her and spoil her rotten!! lots of bad treats you wouldn't normally give!!

It's good to have a time to grieve and mourn while she is still here. When the sadness gets too much she is still here physically to touch and hug and kiss. If you start the process now maybe when the time comes to help her over the bridge you will have peace about it and be strong like she needs you to be.

She is the cutest. Even with the tumor.

Originally Posted by fifi1puss

It's good to have a time to grieve and mourn while she is still here. When the sadness gets too much she is still here physically to touch and hug and kiss. If you start the process now maybe when the time comes to help her over the bridge you will have peace about it and be strong like she needs you to be.

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Thanks That is a very very good suggestion. I never thought of it that way....

(she has been getting spoiled lately)

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

(she has been getting spoiled lately)

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If I've told you this story before, my apologies in advance........

Our Ellie Mae (hound mix) developed a growth in her mouth when she was about 12 years old. We brought her to the vet who looked at and said he had to brace us, but it was most likely malignant cancer. He removed as much of it as he could when he did the biopsy and we waited in fear of the results.

He called us early Saturday morning with the worst news. It was highly malignant, fast growing, and probably had already spread. He gave her 30 days to live. DH and I looked at each other, and decided right then to give her anything she wanted that would make her happy. We happened to have some cheese danish on hand, so we broke one up, put it on a plate, and served it to her while she lounged on the sofa. She really liked cheese danish.

Dinner that night was canned food (she'd eaten dry all her life), on a plate, on the sofa. DH slept with her on the sofa. Ellie Mae got everything she always dreamed of and became so happy with her life we could see she didn't want to leave us. Call us weird, but we found out that she loved when DH played his guitar and sang to her. Her favorite song was "Brown Eyed Girl". She'd sit at his feet and smile at him when he sang.

Ellie Mae lived 18 months, and finally crossed at age 14 of a stroke. We call this medical treatment "Love and Cheese Danish". So often we try to hard to intervene with miracle cures and medications when they are ill, but I think when they are given the "terminal" diagnosis, its sometimes best to keep them comfortable and make their lives as happy as possible. We got as much out of that time as she did, and with us relaxed, she remained relaxed and happy. And we let her go when the time was right, and knowing we did right by her, our grief was not as horrible as it can be. I still miss her, but I can think of her with a smile.

I know this is going to be a horrible time for you. Give Brandy his dreams (and some love and cheese danish), and you will both find contentment.

No, I haven't heard that one.... but thank you so much for sharing

Yup, she has been getting more treats, and I've had her on the couch with me, etc. (she's not allowed on the couch).

Its ironically funny. Brandy and Kizzy are just now becoming "friends" as in they will lay together. Just yesterday I turned around and they were side by side and Brandy was licking Kizzy But of course, as soon as they saw me looking, they split up LOL.

Awww honey... I am sorry you are going through this, but so happy she is not in pain, and is happy and otherwise healthy... I wish I could hug you and her today, but I can't...
Vibes and hugs to both of you...

It's really frustrating because stuff like this always seems to happen to the nice and the good. There's dogs and cats that'll try to rip your face off and they live forever.

I'm bummed that her bump is getting bigger and that it is inoperable, however she looks great and happy to me. I'd mostly worry when you start going into "good days and bad days" and it doesn't sound like she has that.

Also the whole eating less, she looks great weight wise, if not a little chunky Maybe she just needs smellier, yummier foods. I'd say now is the time to spoil the crap out of her if you're worried about her not making it through the summer. She looks great to me lump aside, I'm sending lots of wiggles and good vibes, I hope she continues to do well and that the bump doesn't phase her I also hope you do okay as well and try to think of the good [that she's here with you now] and not the potential bad.

I'm so sorry you and your sweet girl have to go through this.

My doggy had a tumor near her eye so I know what you're going through. She was the same size as Brandy and we had to have her PTS when she was 15ish. for Brandy!

Originally Posted by Plebayo

Also the whole eating less, she looks great weight wise, if not a little chunky Maybe she just needs smellier, yummier foods. I'd say now is the time to spoil the crap out of her if you're worried about her not making it through the summer.

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Ellie Mae also loved Pedigree's Beef, Bacon and Cheese canned food. It was smellier than dry food and easier to manage with the tumor in her mouth. And what of the cost of a little Beef, Bacon and Cheese between friends?

. And what of the cost of a little Beef, Bacon and Cheese between friends?

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Too true hehe

Thanks again guys.

Yah, she is actually overweight by 8lbs.....it's not really the weight part of not eating that concerns me... It's that the tumor can start pushing down (if it chooses to) which would make eating more difficult. She loves her food

Her not eating when its warmer is normal..... summer time, she'll sometimes skip breakfast. (she gets breakie and dinner... not freefed)

The summer worries me because of the heat.... she's having trouble cooling herself off... but we're doing our best to keep things cool for her.

Ya'll are right bout taking the good and bad days.... she doesn't really have any bad days yet.

I was more frightened at how much it has grown in a month's time when I compared the pics.

I am hoping she has more time, lots more time... and am doing my best at getting myself ready for the inevitable. Who knows, the lumps coming out of the side of the big lump is a GOOD thing to me.... it hasn't seemed to grow closer to her eye, which is what we are watching for. As soon as it hits her eye, she's done. My vet explained to me that once it reaches her eye, even though she may not show pain, it will be excrutiating for her. (think sinus pressure behind your eyes, and multiply it by 10 is how my vet explained it).

For now, I just keep an eye on her habits, and watch her eyes for any change in her eyes, or the lump if it spreads out and goes closer to her eye.

I could be, and hope I'm wrong about this summer.... I really do.