3 Year old dog, with cancer? - Page 4

I still haven't heard back from the owner of the dog who was put down for cancer so I don't know how the vet came to the conclusion.  

Thanks so much Hexe!
I did call the vet and ask that they test for Lepto if they havent already.
The diagnosis they suspect is even more frightening than the word cancer for me at this point.
I feel like I am having a really bad nightmare, and I just cant wake up.
Here is the link, I am going to continue to research this online but at first glance it seems it is a hereditary cancer in GSD's and if one puppy has it, half the litter will..........


http://www.vetgen.com/canine-rcnd.html 

Again, I'm not saying that it's impossible for your pup to have this, but I've not been able to find any documentation of a case of this being diagnosed in a puppy this young; the nearest I can find is an article published in 2000 which postulates that microcystic lesions in the renal tubes of 12 month old GSDs *might* be an early signalment of the hereditary disease:

Renal microcystic tubular lesions in two 1Year-old dogs - an early sign of hereditary renal cystadenocarcinoma?

Moe L, Gamlem H, Jónasdóttir TJ, Lingaas F.
J Comp Pathol. 2000 Aug-Oct;123(2-3):218-21.

Additionally, this is an extremely rare cancer; it appears to be linked to a specific dog from Norway, and it's possible your pup's lineage alone could possibly rule it out, from my quick review of the research literature.  If it should turn out that your pup does have this, and is showing clinical signs at such a young age, I imagine the researchers who have worked on this would be interested in the case; several of them were in the US when the the most recent (2003 and 2004) papers on the subject were published, in which they identified a gene mutation associated with this condition in GSDs and later were able to map a chromosome affiliated with this gene:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14532326

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15366374


At the moment, until you know for sure what's going on with your pup, it's probably best that you don't post anything specific regarding his pedigree, but I think it would be safe to say whether your boy is from North American (AKC or CKC) bloodlines, or from European lines...it's already known to involve a Norwegian dog in particular, so that's not news and shouldn't get anyone's shorts in a bunch.

Hopefully the little guy is improving....

GSDS4EVER-Prayers & hugs to you & your little guy....hoping for a miracle.

To everyone else, God bless you! 

jackie harris

Thanks so much Hexe, for all of your insight.
I did read online that it was a gene mutation , and that if one parent had it it could affect half the litter, but I did not know that it was traced back to a specific dog.
In any event I am not looking to destroy anyone's dog, livelyhood, or show career, I am simply looking for answers because I am devastated and have never heard of this before .
I dont even believe it, and cant comprehend it myself.
My intention was/ is never to post anything that would hurt anyone just looking for info specific to the GSD dog world and this particular illness.
he is my TOP and only priority at this point , but of course I want people to be aware this could happen and be aware in order to  get any feedback or additional insight that is out there .
In am relieved to hear this was traced to a specific dog, and that it is rare.
My pup has been hospitalized since Monday, my vet has been working diligently to get him stablized and he is being transeferred tomorrow to an Internal Medicine Specialist .
The last 4 days have been spent in the hospital on IV fluids,  meds, xrays , and ultrasounds.
They did test for Lepto based on my request at your suggestion, but it did come back neg.( TY for that BTW!)
He is improving, I should say only his bloodwork is as far as his kidney function and white blood cell count but they attribute that to the catheter and meds .
Both have reduced significantly but are still a bit higher than " normal" range, only due to  the catheter that is currently removing his urine and draining the toxins.
His urine is nealry clear  compared to the  urine that was removed on monday by injection when the vet couldnt insert the catheter.
he described what he removed as "Port Wine",.
He tolerated small amounts of food yesterday but only when coaxed, and fed by hand.
Today his appetite was better which is great news.
I truly appreciate all of the info you have provided, I have been worried sick.
In my gut I dont believe this is going to be cancer, I told my vet that and his response was:
If it is not cancer that caused these changes to occur in his kidney then there is either a congenital abnormality , or tumor etc.

He also warned me that if it is not cancer and indeed a congenital abnormailty or birth defect other organs might be affected, and we wont know until he is ssen by the specialist tomorrow.
I thank you all from the bottom of both our hearts.
Its been a testing and tough week. I am crippled with worry ,and disbelief.
For the record only he is from European lines,

BTW , thank you also Jackie Harris for your prayers and concern.

I will know more tomorrow.
He is being transfered at 2:00 EST along with his records .

He is a calm sweet, and intelligent boy who stares everyone in the eyes that is even speaking in a room.
Its as though he is listening and understands, He still greets the vet , and vet techs with a wagging tail and a kiss , although he doenst even try to get up.
he was a normal and healthy pup until sunday when he refused his food, and he went downhill so quickly I am truly afraid for what tomorrow will bring.
I will post an update tomorrow promptly after his consult.
Please keep him in your prayers.
We could both use a miracle  right about now.
 

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to give everyone an update as i dont know how much time I will have over the next few days after todays news.
Not as bad asit could have been, but unexpected and life threatening none the less.

The beginning of our consult was a blessing, the specialist took a look at his records, and the ultrsound and told us he could not see any congenital abnormaliies or indication of cancer and he believed the changes in the kidney were caused by the bacterial infection that caused the blockage. 
He was happy his bloodwork and cultures were improving and hopeful they would continue to improve and no organ damage would occur.
Phew..... : )
Then he palpated our little man on the table and when he pressed on his bladder urine began to spill on the table a bit heavier than a dribble but pretty clear so I still didnt panic. 

he then asked when the last time he urinated was and having only had the catheter removed 2 hrs previously we let him down to pee which he did twice outside the hospital becfore going in for our exam.
The issue he said was that his bladder was still pretty full and not draining appropriately which concerned him , and us especially since he still has an infection and needs to empty his bladder and not host the bacteria.
he then took our little man in the back to perform an ultrasound of his own.
he was gone for what seemed like an eternity, and I began to get concerned after feeling releived too soon.
I apologize for the spelling errors, I havent slept in days and dont have the energy to check spelling.

I am not writing a book so I will get to the point, when he returned he told us he found an abcess in the left kidney which was still significantly enlarged but "understandable" , and attributable to the infection.
Also likely the cause of the obstruction and stilll an issue as his bladder is full, not completly draining, and the clear fluid should be black on the utrasound but instead it is white , cloudy and speckled with protein and bacteria.

So he has issues, then he went on to say he did a complete abdominal ultrasound and he also found a blockage in the intestine.
Not a true blockage, but what he described as a secondary infection and intussusception.. He said he cant have anything by mouth which explains his lack of appetite because it will just make matters worse.

He also said without surgery to remove these obstructions, organ and tissue damage will likely occur and be irreversable.
he said with surgery he feels he will make a full recovery and lead a normal life.
he refered us to Cornell, not the end of the world I intended to make an appt for monday for follow up ( in my head at the time).
Well according to the Dr, it cant wait and he could die before monday if the obstructions are not removed and become septic.
so he was admitted, a new cathetar in place, IV meds and fluids and he is there tonight being transferred to Cornell in the morning.
he is down to 14 lbs and does not even look like the same puppy I had a week ago.
he is such a sweet boy, so smart, intelligent, and sensitive....when I cried he just stared into my face like he was trying to figure out what was wrong. He bacame alert and started wagging his tail and kissing me, to comfort me? go figure.
He said the surgery will likely be between 4-6K, and euthanasia was another option.
Well not for me I told him, if he is not terminal he is going to get whatever treatment he needs to live the normal and healthy life he was born to live.
So tomorrow we are off to Cornell and need to pick him up in the morning to transfer him.
Sugery will likely be tomorrow or Sunday at the latest while I scramble to get the funds in order.
I wanted to give everyone an update, and thank you all for your support, insight , and prayers.\
I will be in touch and hopefully back online in the next 48 hrs with good news that my monkey is on the road to recovery.
Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers this weekend.
he has been through so much this week fighting for his life, and this weekend willbe very tough on him I am sure.
That's all for now. I thank God it wasnt cancer........and Thank you all for your support !!!!
God Bless!
 

I'm relieved you've got a diagnosis now, and the cancer specter has been removed from play, even though the specialist's findings aren't all that comforting...but that stuff can be repaired as opposed to the RCAC, so I'm optimistic for your boy!  But the surgery definitely *can't* wait--time is absolutely of the essence in getting the intussusception repaired; the faster it's repaired the less of his intestinal tissue will need to be removed, and the faster he'll recover.  It sounds like everything's coming together now, and this 'trial by fire' nightmare has an end in sight that's positive. :)  Hallelujah!!!

What's this trooper's name? I've got a vet tech friend (she's very good) who relocated from NE MI to the Ithaca area earlier this year, and she was going to be working at Cornell's teaching hospital...I'll ask her to keep an extra close eye on the little fella while he's hospitalized and see that he gets extra snuggle time when you aren't there to give it to him (I'm guessing you'd stay 'round the clock, and sleep in the recovery area with him if they'd let you, but I know they're not gonna go for that...). 

Continuing to keep him in my thoughts, and sending good wishes to both of you that he's soon on the upswing from all this, and back to being a normal, happy, healthy and super-loving puppy boy again! 

That would be awesome Hexe. Thanks so much and thanks for your kindness, concern , and insight.
The support and knowledge on this site is impresssive to say the least.
All sharing knowledge, insight, care, concern, and love for this awesome breed.
My little monkey is named Foru and he will be up at Cornell tomorrow for his surgery.

He could use all the friends he could get right now. He is a sweet boy, and has had no reaction tempermant wise to any of this. He still gets happy to see the vets, and vet techs in the morning and greets them with a wagging tail, and kisses in the air through his ecollar even though he knows full well what they are there to do, and most of it is still quite uncomfortable .
He is fearless, and nothing really affects him.
The first portion of our visit at the consult was so positive, I was thrilled.
In the end I wasnt thrilled, but instead relieved.
I asked the vet point blank if he felt I was making the right decision after his discussion on the pros and cons economicaly and the other option of euthanasia because of the expense etc. His reponse was "YES", this puppy looks alot better on the outside then he does on the inside. and he deserves a chance.
Chance was the word he used although probably not the right word because they assured me he us expected to make a full and complete recovery.
There are risks , of course as with any surgery i:e infection, anesthesia etc 
Foru's spirits are up, he is happy to be alive, and is openly grateful to all who are participating in his recovery.

I will keep everyone posted as term permits.
Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Sorry for the typos and spelling errors , its been a tough week