We took Major back to the vet on Monday because he was still not eating very well and he had started to vomit more frequently after eating. The vet did a full blood work up and other tests and everything came back perfect. This is the second time we had Major tested and got perfect results. Hmmm...
So, the doctor called me to discuss what else could be going on since Major has lost a lot of weight. He is down to 72 pounds from about 95 pounds. Last time we had him tested he was over 80 pounds, so the doctor was concerned but not as concerned. However, at this point she knew something was not right, but she wasn't sure what. After speaking with her further she decided she should check for an obstruction of sorts, assuming that he swallowed something he should not have since he is also chewing on things that he is not supposed to. The barium test revealed what appeared to be an obstruction, so we agreed that she should operate to remove the obstruction. Well, when she opened Major up to reveal the obstruction she found that there was not an obstruction after all, but a mushroom sized tumor. The vet is 98% sure it is malignant but we are waiting for the biopsy results to be sure. She decided not to remove it because she would have had to take too much of his stomach which would have left him very uncomfortable. I have to say that I was a tad bit annoyed that she didn't call us to let us make that decision because now if we should decide we want it removed we would have to open him back up again.
Ultimately, the vet does not recommend removing it because of its size and what the size really means ... it means that it has likely spread other places and it is beyond hope at this point. She said his life expectancy is about 6 months, if we are lucky. We have medicine that is supposed to help coat his stomach so that he can eat without feeling pain, but he is still choosing not to eat, which is incredibly frustrating. He wouldn't even eat the hamburger we made him last night, but he did eat a handful of treats that we hid his medicine in.
The whole thing is heart breaking - all we can hope for at this point is that he surprises the vet and lives longer than expected, but he has to eat! We are still searching for what we can feed him twice a day for meals besides treats.
For now, he goes everywhere with us and when we are home he is inside with us -- all we can do it spoil him and love him for the time we have left with him.
1 comment:
Anne and Doug
Marc and I are praying for Major. He is a wonderful dog and will always be a happy boy. Try giving him strained meat baby food (the 2nd foods pure chicken or turkey, the the 3rds with the vegetables). It is low in fat, high in protein and best of all he will love it! Mix it with steamed rice and cottage cheese for more substance. When Homer is sick it works everytime! The only hard part is, he won't want to go back to kibble. We're praying the happy boy makes it!
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