Hello everyone, I just found this board, too. My dog Vai just had an ultrasound this afternoon that showed an inoperable TCC mass in her bladder near the trigon. She is a 14+ (rescued from a humane society at an uncertain age in early 1993), and is some kind of maybe aussie shepherd/maybe husky/maybe terrier mix. She has been relatively healthy her entire life and very happy--a hard working walker.
Until last April when she was diagnosed with cutaneous hemangiosarcoma on her belly, and the lesions were removed by laser and she recovered well. In September I noticed the lesions had returned but they looked different-- more nodular than before. I also found many small black bumps on her body. The derm found that the smaller bumps were also cancerous but assured me this type very rarely spreads to other parts of the body. She had laser surgery again and recovered quickly, but still didn't seem quite right. She had four new black bumps within a week, and after no extreme sun exposure. I talked to her vet, and we both agreed she should be fine, that it was just residual recuperation. But she still acted strange in regard to her usual routine. She started slowing down so I assumed it was her osteoarthritis (she's 14+). (She also has some of those fat lumps, masses on her neck and chest, which have been needle biopsied and found to be nothing peculiar--she's had those for at least 5 years).
Two weeks ago I noticed she was not eating anything but treats, she began having trouble walking. I decided to take her to a vet who does acupuncture and Chinese medicinal herbs, and scheduled for this past Tuesday. By Teesday, Vai was in terrible shape, could barely walk and fell down the stairs insisting she go outside. When we got to the vet, He decided to do another blood panel and UA, etc. He found that her body ph was acidic, her white blood cell count quite elevated, she was anemic, and low thyroid. Her kidney and liver BUN and creatinine were all normal, but she had blood in her urine. He started her on 500 mg amoxicillan. I consulted her other vet, who said to treat her that way, and then perhaps bring her in for an ultrasound. She finally ate people food and acted happy Tuesday and Wednesday, but Thursday night Vai collapsed outside and couldn't get up and then hid behind a desk when I brought her inside. I hand fed her some hamburger hoping she was just weak, and I gave her a deramaxx. The next day she was much better.
Anyway, today I took her to her regular vet and learned from the ultrasound that she has a mass in her bladder. When we got home she had a chicken breast and her first piroxicam, followed by sucralfate. She is also on an experimental arthritis treatment and had been since April which is 50 mg of doxycycline twice per day with her Cosequin (Glucosamine CH.), as well as Nutripro vitamins. She is supposed to finish the amoxicillan. I am going to talk to both of the vets about the various herbal treatments that I've read about on this board. I feel for all of you suffering with this. Vai has never done her business in the house until this past Thursday. She is still not eating well, nor will she take her meds wrapped in any type of food. I know I just found out today, and that I've rambled on far longer than I intended to, but has anyone been as blind and stupid as I feel right now? Did any one else dealing with this not recognize that their pet was peeing blood? I feel like I should have realized it was something other than arthritis a lot sooner than I did. Why did I have to wait until the poor, dear creature couldn't move to take her in and have her checked out? The easy answer is that I'm a destitute and busy grad student, but... it is not easy to accept my own obliviousness to my special friend. Thanks for sharing your stories, and thanks for letting me add mine. I hope all of your animals are responding well to the treatments you're trying, and I'll probably be back to ask questions, update on this case, and check on your pups. (ALSO- if your dog is white-furred or pink-skinned, you should use a paba-free sunscreen on them WHENEVER they are in the sun. I don't know if my dog's skin cancer can be linked to her bladder cancer, but the skin cancer was definitely not pretty--and who wants to spend money on something perhaps so easily preventable? I get a coppertone spray SPF 30. If the dog doesn't like the spray, put it on your hands and rub it in). Best to all-- Karen and Vai