Thursday, May 15, 2014

What to do

Claren has a tumor/lesion, something, on her liver.

She was drinking a lot and often vomiting the water back up, so I took her to the vet. Her bloodwork had an oddity in it, so the vet wanted an ultrasound.

She said we could wait and retest the blood in a month, but why wait, I thought.

We had that ultrasound today, and found the reason for all the drinking (the vomiting cleared up already).

Now I am faced with another choice, and this time I am thinking, why not wait?

The first option is a biopsy to see what the thing is. A biopsy is pretty minor, but it is still surgery and I am not sure I want to put Claren through it.

She seems happy, so why go looking for problems on a 12-year-old dog?

Well, the answer is that if the thing was malignant, it would be easier to remove it now. The vet said it looked like it could be removed if needed but acknowledged that that surgery would be major.

My instinct is to just wait and redo the ultrasound in a few months. That'll tell us whether the thing is changing. Of course, if she falters, I'd get her to the vet sooner.

I cannot imagine life without her -- I look for her now when she is not at my side. But I am not sure how much medical stuff to do to an old dog.

3 comments:

Sand. said...

:( I feel for you. It's amazing what a huge part of our lives they are, and how horribly short in comparison. As you say, sometimes a very complex surgery is higher risk than the actual issue it's treating...especially in an older dog, however good of health. I know some folks with a similar situation and they opted for surgery hoping they'd get longer...unfortunately it didn't help much and they endured the painful recovery from the surgery that they almost felt was worse than had they just left nature to run its course. Surgery is difficult on older animals, and I'd want a clear idea of how difficult it will be on Claren and her chance of recovery. That or I'd just love the crazy out of her for as long as possible, and revisit the more risky options when she's not doing so well.

Whatever your choice, many many pats and treats to Claren.

liz szabo said...

Give Claren a big hug and pat for me. We miss both of you. I know you'll make the right decision for her. Nobody could be better for her than you, Matt. And I hope you get the wheelchair issues worked out. Liz Szabo

Matt said...

Thanks all


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