Request for input.. Doggo health issues

We're wondering how Holly is doing? Dogs are extremely resilient. With some help they can do amazingly well. Selling as she's a mixed breed, I wouldn't link it to any of the breeds she is mixed with. Displaysia in labs is typically with hips from my experience.

 

Hey all, so Holly is doing reasonable, still favoring her left front. When she runs, as she is prone to do, her left front leg swings outward from her body, and she'll basically let it drag.

So, no x-ray taken, at least not yet.

Dr put her on Carprofen for 14 days, that was supposed to help with inflammation and pain. She's also on Movoflex, once daily.

She does seem to have some swelling in her chest/shoulder area (armpit if you like), so I'm not sure it may not be a lymph node issue.

Her next vet appointment isn't till 1/12, but I am on the cancellation list if something opens up.

She does have a growth on her right elbow area, but that doesn't seem to cause her any pain or restricted movement.

It hasn't grown in the past 6 months or so, so the vet seems unconcerned about it.

Her biggest complaint if she could talk would probably be being left home all day alone.

Nowadays the dog that didn't like car rides has to go for a ride every day after I get home from work.

She jumps into the back of the truck fine, but I help her out, as it's tough on her to jump down. And trust me, it was hard to get her to adjust to that. She doesn't really like being picked up.

 

Our Golden /Chow, who lived to 16, had a hard time getting in my truck her last couple years. I built a set of stairs (2 steps) so she could easily get to the floor of the back seat. She loved it. Get her loaded then throw the steps in the back.

 

We made a ramp with carpet on it for our German Shepherd. Going up was fine but halfway down, she would jump off the ramp. campinspecter made a subfloor in the back of the truck so the ramp could slide underneath when we weren't using it.

 

Scout didn't like the steps at first so we would put her on a leash, pass the leash through to the other side, and give it steady pressure and she would eventually go up the steps. It got much easier with time.

 

Well, some good news..
I got a call at work today, the vet had a cancellation for tomorrow @11AM.

 

Good luck! I hope they get her on the path to a quick recovery!

 

Any update yet? Really hoping you get good news!!

 

Sorry for the late reply, had company come over after work.

So, it's good and bad news.

First off, I was partially correct, Holly has not one, but two growths in her left front shoulder area.

They are fatty nodules, and not cancerous.
(Vet took sample for analysis)

The bad news is that one is in an area in the shoulder region where all the nerve connections run.

My vet said that she wouldn't attempt to remove that growth due to the possibility of causing further harm.

It would be a specialist that would have to do that surgery.

So, Holly has 2 fatty nodes, one of which is causing problems with her walking.

She has arthritis in her knee which is exasperated by the growth in the shoulder region.

She says basically to let her know if it becomes a pain relief issue, but not much more she can do.

So, there doesn't seem much to be done further at this point.

 

Sorry to hear this report for her and your family! What you are describing I suspect will only get worse as time goes on. As a surgeon I advocate for surgery as a chance to cut is a chance to cure!
What town are you in, PM is fine. I’ll check some resources and see if I have any contacts in the area for you.

 

Heck of a nice offer if only to minimize growth to reduce discomfort

 

Chaz you could try this. chewy.com/petsmont-buddy-guard-powder/dp/1405222?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20648416049&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20648417993&gclid=CjwKCAiAu67KBhAkEiwAY0jAlfyU2wXu96x7BM6C6NYinoJDQE8XmFYcbIARvrJB6BPeQxVwvysqqxoCo-8QAvD_BwE https://share.google/vjCmtcaMphcyREXet

It seems that many people have good results with this.

 

It sure does sound like much better news than it could have been! Several of our dogs over the years have had lumps that we were sure would be cancerous. Nope, just what the vet called a fatty tumor. Her advice was also to just let them be and not remove them. All of the dogs lived long happy lives and died from something entirely unrelated to the fatty tumors. All told a good outcome!

 

Hey all, sorry for the lack of updates.

So, last Monday Holly was doing poorly, and in pain. I called the vet, and they got her in the next day.

The vet wanted to do some X-rays, so I agreed.

So it seems that the fatty nodes are not her primary issue, she has a lot of arthritic buildup in her neck.

As I have neck issues as well due to ruptured discs, I could relate. It seems she has issues with the nerves due to the arthritis, and that was not giving her good feedback from her left leg/paw.

Dr prescribed gabapentin (2xdaily 300mg each) and galliprant 60mg once daily.

She is doing much better, but I know it's still just a quality of life measure, and not a cure.

 

But at least she is more comfortable. That’s worth a lot. Thanks for the update, was wondering about her.

 

Thanks for the update. Glad Holly is doing better on the meds!

 

Yes, brother, thanks for the update. Glad she is feeling better

 

I’ve been through similar, lab had bone cancer at 10 years, removed a leg. She was in ok shape, but a tad stocky. It added 9 months to her life, but quality wasn’t great. At the time our kids were young. I wouldn’t do it again.

I’d try all the drugs, as long as they can use the outside facilities, that’s all I ask. They can lay on their bed all day. Just like with us, they reach the end, 13 years for a large dog is a good run.

I had a friend years ago, kept pushing it, eventually the dog couldn’t walk, couldn’t get outside to relieve themselves. Most vets give guidance, won’t tell you what to do. I’ve had some where it was obviously the end, they offered up a specialist 1 hour drive away.

 

Chaz Thank you for the report! The gabepentin is widely prescribed and seems there are no serious side effects. Our old age Puggle has been on it for quite awhile and helps tremendously with her mobility. We do have to pick her up to put her in the truck and up on “her” chair though. At 13 it’s to be expected.

 

My wife has a prescription for this...I just wish I could afford health insurance that would allow her to go to an MD and not a DVM!