I haven’t written for awhile because I just found out not too long ago that my dog has lymphoma and I have been too sad to write. Before he got this I had no idea how common it is in dogs, particularly Bassett Hounds, German Shepherds, Pit Bulls and other higher breeds of dogs. It turns out to be one of the top killers of dogs. and it happens fast.
With him it started out as a tumor in his foreskin of all places. At first I just thought it was an infection so we treated it with antibiotics. However, after two weeks of treatment the swelling only got worse. I took him to a different vet and she ran three different blood tests and concluded that it was lymphoma. There is no cure for this awful disease. There are things that can be done. Chemotherapy is always an option and up to 85% of dogs may go into remission, but the odds are still not in their favor. They may live a year, but with a strong possibility of recurrence. The treatments can run about $400 a month or more, which most people can’t afford.
We chose to treat him with steroids and that is probably the most financially feasible. It costs about $20 a month. However, it does little for your pet. I’ve noticed he’s drinking three times as much water, he’s lethargic with some minor bursts of energy, he wants to eat more yet he keeps losing weight. His tumor has gone down–not entirely, but it has receded. He is also awake at times when he would normally sleep and you have to sit and watch him because he needs out more often. When I would take him for a walk it used to be he would drag me, now he hardly can keep up.
This all has happened within the span of a month and I can’t believe how fast he is going downhill. I’m not being fatalistic, only realistic and rather than being selfish I want to put him down so he doesn’t have to suffer–but my husband is in a different mind set. I know he doesn’t want to let Bruno go, but I don’t want to watch him suffer. I have no way of knowing what he’s going through but I told my vet it would have been better if he just got hit by a car rather than to get this terrible disease.
We have done everything we can possibly do including upping his protein, more meat and eggs. We can’t afford the chemo, most people probably couldn’t–and even then there is still only a small chance the dog will make it. Our dog is only 7 which makes this even harder. The upside here is that we bred him before he got really sick and there are puppies on the way in December.
I’m not advocating anything here, I just want others out there to know what to expect if their dog gets lymphoma, which is way more common than most realize. One of my dearest friends died from it a few years back and I had no idea that dogs could even get it. If you see an unusual lesion or swelling on your animal get it checked as soon as possible. It is so hard not to cry when I know he’s going through this and I guess that’s why I wish my husband could just make a non-subjective decision and let him go. It would be easier on Bruno. I have to watch him every day trying to licky-licky his tumor, thinking he’s making it better. His tumor is not going to go away and there isn’t a damn thing anyone can do about it except make him as comfortable as possible.
