Brandy Update: happy pics, and what the vet said.

I don't post enough happy pics of Brandy, I'm so focused on her tumor that the pics are all focused on it... So how bout some happy pics and then the not very bad, but not good news....

Brandy getting some lovin' yesterday from Kayleigh



Brandy outside watching Kizzy sitting in the window



Sitting nice for the camera



Looking at me, and trying to "stay"... She doesn't listen very well LOL...and there's nothing wrong with her hearing.



What the vet did:

An exam, which showed (as expected) substantial growth since I last brought her in. There is some erosion starting in her mouth (that would be within the last 2-3wks when the lump grew onto the side of her face) and some substantial swelling inside of her mouth as well as the outside. I have never looked in her mouth, but saw it today The lump has pushed down the bridge of her nose, so in her nostrils you can actually see it... this can explain the increased sneezing, snorting, snoring, etc. She can still breath a little bit through her nose. The exam also showed that it hurts Mainly by touch though.....as well as eating could hurt too. The exam also showed that some of the new parts are soft, rather than like the initial lump which is hard.

Her weight is good, her attitude, and quality of life is good.... which is wonderful. But..... now that there is erosion in the mouth, she could go downhill fast especially considering the rate of growth of this tumor. When the erosion continues, she will not be able to eat and her mouth will cause her much pain. Whether that happens next week, or next month, who knows. But if the rate of growth is any indication.....

There is also a chance that her skin will not be able to stretch anymore, and the tumor will split open.

He gave me some NSAIDs to try with her (anti inflammatories) for pain and also hopes that some of the "soft parts" of the tumor might be swelling. We start with 1/4 tablet for a couple days, if no difference, then we try 1/2 for a few days. If side effects, or the med does not help, then we go with pain meds, either tramadol or morphine.

So there you have it. While the timeline is questionable, and can only be guessed by the rate of growth between March and now, it is highly probable she will have to be euthanised within the next couple months because either she won't be able to eat, the tumor has split open or it has reached her eye.

It is improbable that the tumor will stop growing... not impossible, but very very unlikely.

So I ask of you, please enjoy the pics, and mega vibes that Brandy can pull through untill after my daughters birthday on July 20th. If she's still doing well then, I'll be asking for more vibes that she pulls through till after August 14. (my dd is going to cadet camp for the first 2wks of Aug. and would never forgive herself if she couldn't say goodbye).

Thank you for reading.

Oh, she's beautiful - I hope a miracle comes for your family.

Thank you both...

:hugs;

Aww Chris, poor baby... I am so sorry this tumor is growing like this... Just shower her with love, and enjoy your time with her... Maybe it's time to change her to wet food? Also, would a steroid shot help her at all?
many vibes, I will be praying for a miracle

She is on wet food Carolina For the last few months she has dry food soaked with water, or mixed with wet food.

No, a steriod shot wouldn't help. She's at the pallative care end of things now, nsaids or pain killers as long as she continues to eat.

Not a good day.... talked with my daughters, and just uggggg. By the time I talked to them, I already had my crying out of my system for now.

Thanks for the well wishes and vibes.

Many mega

Aw Chris...Brandy is such a sweet and beautiful dog. This story just breaks my heart! I can only imagine how hard this is on you and your family! Please give her lots of hugs and belly rubs. Sending tons of

Oh Chris! I wish the news was better - but enjoy the time you have with Brandy!

I love the happy pics of her!

Oh my god this sucks! You've never said what kind of tumor/cancer it is but Pfizer is coming out with a cancer drug for mast cell tumors called Palladia. Technology isn't fast enough.

Something else you might consider just to maybe help her further is www.silverliningherbs.com if you e-mail the business owner he could tell you what combination of herbs you might use. I thought this stuff was a bit of a joke but I have been using the k-9 joint supplement on my dog and it really does work. When he's off of it he limps way more than when he's on it. My whole barn uses it for their horses and seem to like it.

It's just another thought to maybe give her something easy on her tummy that even if it didn't work wouldn't hurt her either. I don't know how you feel about using stuff like that but I thought I would offer it up.

She looks great. There's a lot of good pain meds out there I'm sure you can keep her comfy for quite some time, her attitude doesn't seem to have changed from any of her past pictures. I feel so bad you are going through this but you have to know you've done all that you can for her and that she's been living a really great life with you and will hopefully continue to do so for quite a bit more time!

Originally Posted by Plebayo

Oh my god this sucks! You've never said what kind of tumor/cancer it is but Pfizer is coming out with a cancer drug for mast cell tumors called Palladia. Technology isn't fast enough.

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No I didn't. I never had it biopsied because I didn't want to subject an older dog to the trauma, and I trust my vet when they said 95% of these tumors are cancerous, and her's is inoperable due to where it is.

Something else you might consider just to maybe help her further is www.silverliningherbs.com if you e-mail the business owner he could tell you what combination of herbs you might use. I thought this stuff was a bit of a joke but I have been using the k-9 joint supplement on my dog and it really does work. When he's off of it he limps way more than when he's on it. My whole barn uses it for their horses and seem to like it.

It's just another thought to maybe give her something easy on her tummy that even if it didn't work wouldn't hurt her either. I don't know how you feel about using stuff like that but I thought I would offer it up.

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Thanks for the link...I'll check it out and see if they have anything for pain. I do tend to try to treat things naturally (both human and animal, although I am more educated in the human holistic approach rather than animals)

She looks great. There's a lot of good pain meds out there I'm sure you can keep her comfy for quite some time, her attitude doesn't seem to have changed from any of her past pictures. I feel so bad you are going through this but you have to know you've done all that you can for her and that she's been living a really great life with you and will hopefully continue to do so for quite a bit more time!

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Thank you. If the NSAIDs don't help, we will be looking at pain meds to keep her comfortable until the time comes.

Honestly, for everyone, the part I have issues with (and my children) is that this tumor seems to be localised... no enlarged lymph nodes, or any other symptoms.... so she may never look "sick". That is where I have troubles.... doing the right thing when the tumor decides to make her quit eating, or it splits or it hits her eye.... she'll look like she does now... healthy aside from a lump on her face (moreso in the first scenerio of her mouth and not being able to eat on her own)

With my in-laws dog, you could see she was sick.... arthritis all over, sores on her body, seldom wagged her tail, thin, raggedy... she looked sick. In that case you know you are doing what needs to be done.

I hope that makes sense.

I do know I'm going to do the right thing for her...she will not suffer.

Today, everytime I look at her, I want to cry or do cry..... it's not like this was a surprise, I knew it was coming but didn't have an idea as to when. Now even though noone can say with 100% certainty when her time will be, it can be said with 90% certainty that it will be within the next couple months unless a miracle occurs and it stops growing. I'm a bit of a pessimist... I have experienced one miracle in my lifetime...I don't hold alot of hope for one.

Tomorrow is another day, and I plan on spending some quality time with my puppy....it's gonna be a me and Brandy day, the kitties will have to wait. I may go buy her a harness. I would love to take her for a walk, but I can't because she walks on a halti which we can't use....if I use her collar she pulls so much she ends up coughing and gagging, which we don't need with her nasal passages having limited airflow.

Thx again everyone for all the support... you guys are awesome

Oh, she is such a sweetheart. She looks so perky and happy in the pics, especially the one where she is looking at Kizzy!!
sending some MEGA MEGA vibes for her to feel good for a long time to come

Thank you all.

I'm upping the antiinflammatory tomorrow to 1/2 pill as there seems to be little effect on her behaviour, and no affects on her mouth.

I also changed her food bowls.... Her tumor was getting in the way of her eating out of the normal bowl, so now she has this pieplate type of container, only 1" sides and bigger in diameter. It seems to help.

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

Thank you both...

:hugs;

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I just found this thread.
BIG HUGS!

My heart is just breaking for you and your daughter, Chris Many many vibes that Brandy will continue to have a good quality of life for as long as possible

to you all!! She looks like such a sweetie!!

many vibes that she will pull through this, and live happily for a few more years!!

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

My heart is just breaking for you and your daughter, Chris

Many many vibes that Brandy will continue to have a good quality of life for as long as possible

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Originally Posted by catloverin_ks

to you all!! She looks like such a sweetie!!

many vibes that she will pull through this, and live happily for a few more years!!

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Thank you all. I wish I could say that the tumor quit growing. I wish I could say the meds are working great. I wish.

The meds aren't working much, I've seen a little bit of improvement on her "wanting" to eat, but not on her "ability" to eat. The test is a simple one... I give her a dog biscuit and see how she chews it and whether her tail is wagging or not. Prior to meds, she'd be all excited, tail wagging, take the biscuit and walk away to eat it... she'd drop it several times, and fight with it to eat it. ( she used to eat it in one chomp, it never touched the ground). Her tail would stop wagging after she tried to pick it up the first time. Now it wags slightly longer but she still doesn't want to chew it...

her tummy is saying I want it, her mouth is saying it hurts...

we'll see, I have 1 more wk of these meds left...I'll keep trying them and hope it has an accumulative effect. If not, I'll call the vet and ask for a painkiller.

till then, she's on soft food (either canned, or dry dog food that has been wet with water) to hopefully prevent more erosion from occuring.

Oh honey, I am so sorry... for you and your girls...