Waiting For Diagnosis

Our 14 year old female lab/Bull Terrier mix  will undergo ultrasound on Monday to look for TCC.  Bear has been "squatting" frequenty and for long periods for several months but we thought it was probably due to her advanced age until we noticed blood in her urine last month.  She was treated for a UTI and seemed to be better but we noticed blood in her urine again today.  Her urine test today revealed high levels of transitional cells.  The vet recommended ultrasound and more extensive urine testing so we are waiting and praying it's another UTI and not TCC.  She's on pain meds for now and seems content, she's eating and drinking but not as active as usual.  The vet called and told us to hope for the best but be prepared for TCC.  She mentioned a drug called Proxicam? that could possibly shrink the tumor and make Bear more comfortable. Bear joined our family shortly after we started dating when she was 6 weeks old, she is like our child.  She's been a joy to us for so long and the thought of losing her is heartbreaking.  She is a great old girl, she grew up on the beach in Hawaii and has given us so much love for more than 14 years.  I am so sorry for everyone who has lost their canine family members on this site, please pray for Bear and hopefully we'll be blessed with having her with us for at least a couple of more years.

Hi Bear's Mom,

I am sorry to hear of your predicament.  I know this will be a very stressful time for you.  I'm not sure that you asked for any advice, but I just want to remind you that come what may, Bear will never know that she is sick.  So as sad as you may be, do not waste any of the precious time you have with her on being sad.  Enjoy every minute you can with her.  My Annie was diagnosed over three years ago and her only treatment has been Piroxicam.  She turns 13 next month and is still doing okay. She has her good days and bad days, but she has been happy all this time.  My only regret is the many many days I cried and worried when I should have been taking advantage of the time I had to spend with her.  I've learned my lesson and am grateful for every second we can spend together!

Good luck to you and Bear; we will definitely remember you in our prayers tonight.

marty 

 

On 3/26/2008 Gentleannie wrote:

Hi Bear's Mom,

I am sorry to hear of your predicament.  I know this will be a very stressful time for you.  I'm not sure that you asked for any advice, but I just want to remind you that come what may, Bear will never know that she is sick.  So as sad as you may be, do not waste any of the precious time you have with her on being sad.  Enjoy every minute you can with her.  My Annie was diagnosed over three years ago and her only treatment has been Piroxicam.  She turns 13 next month and is still doing okay. She has her good days and bad days, but she has been happy all this time.  My only regret is the many many days I cried and worried when I should have been taking advantage of the time I had to spend with her.  I've learned my lesson and am grateful for every second we can spend together!

Good luck to you and Bear; we will definitely remember you in our prayers tonight.

marty 

Marty,

 

Thank you so much for your words.  We received the result's of Bear's ultrasound and she does have a tumor (TCC) in her bladder.  The tumor is quite large but is in an area where it can be treated.  Our vet is conferring with a specialist to develop a treatment plan but I'm sure we are going to go with the piroxicam.  It was heartening to hear Annie is doing so well, I can only hope and pray Bear responds well to the medication.  You are right about her not knowing she is sick, she has had 2 really good days and is back to her tail wagging and barking at anyone who comes to our door.  Patrick and I are both spending as much time as possible with her, she's turning into a house dog as we let her in continually throughout the day to cuddle and just lay on the rug and hang out with us.  We are hesitant in playing with her, afraid she'll get hurt so we've turned into over-protective parents. We've backed off on the pain meds and only give it when she squats more than usual.  The ultrasound did not show any masses in her other organs so we are hoping the cancer is confined to her bladder.  Your message really made our day, we thought we were going to lose her quickly and your message has given us hope that she will be with us longer than we expected. She is our baby and we are going to stay optimistic and just let her know each and every minute how much she means to us.  Thanks for the great news, hope to hear from you again.  Give Annie a big hug for us.

 

Tammie