Im so sorry you are facing this. I don't have any experience with lymphoma but I understand how difficult it is to have a pet who is ill. I hope that you and your pup have many happy times left to share.

I haven't had any experience with lymphoma either, but I remember the shock when we learned one of our animals had kidney cancer. "Oh, no--not Morgan!" was our reaction. He was 7 years old and had always seemed supremely healthy--not the least bit fragile. Right now you're dealing with shock as well as grief. It's hard. The only advice I can give you is to try to be calm and loving around your dog, so she's less likely to pick up the more difficult emotions. You have my sympathy.

((((Perennialfan))))

I’m so sorry your dog has been diagnosed with a type of cancer. My brother had a dog who had lymphoma. They did chemotherapy. It was not intended to cure the lymphoma, but extend life by putting the lymphoma into remission for a while. The chemotherapy is not as strong as the typical cancer chemotherapy in humans and thus does not have the really severe side effects.

I'm so sorry, my heart breaks for you. I just don't think I have the ability to deal with the loss this last year or two and one of the reasons I don't have a pet right now.

My brothers dog of a few years ago had lymphoma. They held a family meeting and decided if they would treat (meaning curbing a vacation, it wasn't cheap) or let things run the course.

D was the sweetest, best behaved dog. A rescue from the pound at a year or so old who appeared to have a lot of irish setter in his mixed lineage. I believe he was about 8 when diagnosed.

They treated and he tolerated it well. He never did appear especially sick - ate, played, went to the office with his 'mom'. In fact it was hard - immediately after his infusions the vet said his saliva was toxic and we were to avoid his mouth. He was a big kisser! :)

Treatment bought them an additional year, maybe 15 months. I don't remember now exactly how it became apparent the disease was active again, but believe they found another lump...it wasn't that he was in pain or losing ground. Watching him carefully, they came to agreement with the vet when it was time to let him go.

(((Hugs)))

https://vet.purdue.edu/pcop/canine-lymphoma-research.php

Actually there have been great strides in treating lymphoma in dogs, as compared to 10 years ago. My daughter's dog was diagnosed and treated for lymphoma at that time when it was a little more than experimental theough the University of Wisconsin at Madison which had developed a protocol. I have recently heard of several dogs living several years after diagnosis with the protocol improvements. I also had a dog which went through chemo and they seem to tolerate it well.

yes, its true that it is recommended that they don't kiss you and you have to clean up their poop and wash downy their pee as best you can while undergoing treatment.

Hopefully you have pet insurance, as I've always recommended to my friends and family because the treatment is expensive. Considering your dog's youth, he might have an excellent chance of long- term remission.

I'm glad to see there is some hope. I've been holding my breath because it's not something I've ever been through. Now that people have answered, I want to wish the very best for you for perennialfan. It's so hard to make these decisions with someone you can't communicate with verbally. Keep venting to us if you need.

Right at the beginning of Covid my 14 year old dog was diagnosed with lymphoma. He had been in exceedingly good health his entire life and had really only slowed down a little. We thought we would have months with him but the reality was that it was only 2 1/2 weeks. We believe he actually had a stroke. It was a very difficult time for us . 12 days after he passed our other 10 year old dog ruptured a disc in her back and we had to also let her go. I'm not relating this to be the bearer of bad news, only that I so sympathize with you and what this entails.

My beautiful boy .

@perenn…..so sorry your dear pup is in poor health. i know it’s heartbreaking.

My dog was diagnosed with AIHA. His body had a bad reaction to his rabies shot, and it put his immune system into overdrive, so he was destroying his own blood cells. We discovered this when he had bloodwork ahead of a dental cleaning. He went on a regimen of the kinds of meds that transplant patients take. That's the backstory.

When we would go to the specialist, there were many dogs there, who were there to have their chemo, and, believe me, they looked GOOD.

We had to isolate our guy from other dogs, and I guess that you will have to do the same, since she will have a compromised immune system. Argos couldn't have walks because of the possibility of disease, and, of course, he couldn't have any vaccinations or even heartworm pills. His world ended at our driveway, and we used a lot of bleach on it to protect him. Eventually, the bacteria in his mouth did him in, but we were able to keep him going for almost 3 years. It was very expensive, but it was money well-spent. It's been 7 years, and I miss him every day.

I wish you all the best.

I'm so sorry.

No suggestions or experience to share, only thoughts of comfort and strength as you face into this difficult time.

I am so sorry that you have to make this decision but when faced with something similar the vet told us to forget about all the should not feed your dog stuff. Make your days with your woofer as enjoyable for both of you as you can.

I'm so sorry. Yes, we lost our first dog to lymphoma. She also was 7 when diagnosed. This was 15 years ago, so quite possibly treatment has changed. We chose to treat, which meant driving her over an hour to a vet specialist, who could give her chemo intravenously. It was drop her off one day, pick her up the next. We did that a bunch of times ... six, eight, ??? Annie never hesitated to trot back into the vet's office, so they did treat her well and kindly.

We were told up front that this chemo was milder than "people chemo," it was meant to extend life, not to get the patient so sick that all the cancer cells died. Annie's quality of life the last 8 months was good. She played, bossed the other dogs around, ate well. Up until about the last 3 days. Then she lost energy. We knew "it was time" when she didn't eat her favorite meal (salmon skin). Even then, she walked fine into the vet's office. She was the first dog we lost, and I couldn't bear to be in the room as she was put to sleep. My DH said it was peaceful. I was comforted to have her ashes sitting on the top shelf of our bookcase for many years.

Sad days coming, perennialfan275, but good days before then. Enjoy them. We will all be thinking of you.

I am experiencing it now with my daughter's cat (17 years old) whom I've been cat sitting for a month while DD moves. DD had thought that she was just gaining weight through inactivity and overeating, but I thought it was more like abdominal distention or even ascites (fluid collected in the abdominal space) - still, she was her usual picky self, urinating and defecating well - for the first 7 or so days. Then she ate/drank less and less, urinated and defecated less as well, and was getting more bloated. I took her to a nearby vet, who felt a mass in her belly along with lots of ascites. The vet who did the ultrasound first thought lymphoma, but the attending vet thinks it is possibly mesothelioma. Either way, he says it is too far advanced at her advanced age to treat, so we are just going with comfort care now.

The large amount of ascites and lack of nutrition has made her weak and wobbly, and unable to manage a litter box, so she is remaining with me because I can deal with the urinary accidents. I've tried diapers but the shape of her doesn't lend to them staying on.

Needless to say, DD is devastated - she just lost her beloved dog last Christmas. This is one very sweet and affectionate cat, and she will be missed by us both.

I'm so sorry you are having to go through this. It's a personal decision and it is never easy. It's the price we all pay for the love of animals. As for me, I don't believe in extending the life of a terminally ill animal. Just because an animal tolerates something better than humans doesn't mean their quality of life isn't altered. Animals are stoic. They live in the now, not in the next hour, day or week. My mantra is always a day early rather than a day late when it comes time to euthanize. My last two dogs had bacon cheeseburgers on their way to the vet and walked in on their own. They had a peaceful passing surrounded by love. Love her, spoil her, and know when to let go.

I'm so sorry Perennialfan. It is so hard to decide when to get treatment and when to let go. Neither one is easy. Both come with residual feelings. In the end you will do what is right for your pet. Hugs to you and your pup.

I am with Wildchild on this. I made the mistake with one of my beloved to not be proactive. It was a very bad mistake. I wont do that again. I love my pets more than I can say and I do make those life and death decisions for them. I have never regretted deciding to end things rather than seeing it out. They trust us. It is so hard and I bear the burden but I do it because I love them. They dont always understand. I have had two euthanasians where the pet wasn't ready to go but I knew what they were in for and it wasn't going to be pretty. But I love them so I made the decision.

patriciae_gw I completely understand. You have stated it so well. I've been there also. Every time I have to make to make this difficult decision for an animal I think of my heart dog who I thought I was saving. His legacy is for me to never wait too long or make decisions based on my feelings again. I have a friend who is a retired vet. He used to do home visits. He told me, that in his experience, at least 70% of animal owners waited too long adding to their pet's needless suffering.

It's always a hard choice to make. The last animal I had to euthanize was my gorgeous 13-year-old cat , Henry. He had a tumor on his leg and the vet thought even if we amputated didn't mean it hadn't traveled. He was a large cat and it was a front leg. The vet said to go home and think about it and we did and about eight months later we did it. He was so pretty and so engaged and ate a can of Fancy Feast 30 minutes before. He even tried to jump on the exam table. Horrible experience but I knew it was only going to get worse.

Fast forward to today when I have an 18-year-old standard dachshund who is blind, deaf ,and has dementia. But he takes a walk every day, barks at inanimate objects, eats ,drinks and is healthy otherwise. I need to figure out if his quality of life isn't good. In June the vet was ready when I decided. He's unpredictable due to loss of his senses but if he attacks the cats or bites us, it will be time. The price we pay for loving them. I've been thru it too many times to count over the years. I'm sorry for your young dog to have this diagnosis.

Thank you all for your prayers and kind words. Unfortunately, my dog passed away yesterday. We are all completely devastated by this loss, and it will take some time for the wounds to completely heal, but I take comfort in knowing that her suffering was brief and that she was surrounded by people who love her at the end. It's always hard to lose a loved one, but for me personally it's even harder to see someone suffer and in pain. She also had a good quality of life up until the end (it was only about a week ago that we got her diagnosis), and that's how I'm going to try to remember her (how she was before she was sick and dying). A week ago she was acting like her normal self and you wouldn't even know she had this, but this disease escalated VERY quickly after she was diagnosed. I wish I had more to say about all this, but I'm still extremely shocked by everything that's happened these last few days.

perennialfan275 I so sorry for your loss. Losing a presumably healthy pet so quickly adds to the grief. Do take comfort that she didn't have to suffer for long and that she is at rest. Grief is a process but one day your sadness will be replaced by happy memories of her time with you. Peace to you and your family.

I'm so sorry. (((perennialfan)))

i'm so deeply sorry for your loss and i hope the memories of the time you spent with your sweet dog will bring comfort and healing to you. 💕

I'm so sorry.

I am so sorry for you. Please know that all of us on this thread are thinking of you.

I am so sorry.

I am so sorry for you. I know how it is to love an animal and then it's gone. Maybe it WAS a blessing that you had a happy healthy dog and then it was so sudden it was a shock but so much better than months of her and your suffering.

Oh my goodness. My heart hurts for you. Our pets are so much a part of our lives.

I'm so sorry for your loss. It's never easy. Run free pup!

I am going to say what I will say. It is not unfortunate your beloved pet passed. It is a blessing. Please take that as a blessing. Every time I have to make the decision it is so hard for me. Your pet passed in its own time. So rare. Wanting that is what made me make the mistake that I made. I wanted what you got. It didnt work well for me. I am sure my Emily Lucile suffered at the end because I wanted a natural passing for her. We get what we get. Do be at peace. When they have to go they have to go. I am so sorry.

I am so sorry. Hugs to you and your family.

perennialfan, your dog and our cat are roaming the elysian fields together. Our sweet kitty passed yesterday afternoon - only 5 days after her diagnosis. Very peacefully, lying in the sunshine, such blessing for her and us!

The family room seems so empty now.

I hope that you can find some comfort in the next several days - especially in your memories of your dear pet.

So sorry Rae. May you find comfort in your memories of your precious kitty.

So sorry, we love our pets so much, its hard to let them go. We have done this many times, and will continue to do so. Each one brings different personalities and most of all joy!

Oh my Raee. I am sorry. But at least you had that peaceful passing. We get what we get.

Thank you yeonassky and patriciae_gw. I just wanted to share with Perennialfan275 - that she is not alone in her grief.

perennialfan - I am so sorry.

I am so sorry for your loss.