Please excuse my lack of introduction, but I am seeking
advice and quickly, please.
We found out yesterday that our beagle has been diagnosed
with high grade lymphoma. My local vet
gave me the number of an oncologist about an hour away. I've read different things about the
prognosis over the past 24 hours and am leaning toward not treating her due to
the quick progression of this type of cancer.
Needless to say, I am sick to my stomach. I never had a dog before and didn't even want
one. But someone dumped this girl at our
business and we took her in and she and I are two totally messed up females who
just happened to find each other and understand one another. I can't imagine how my life is going to
change once she's gone. Not to mention
the bond my husband and 10 year-old son have with her. We are all hearbroken..
My main question is…what can I do over the next few weeks to
make the remainder of her life comfortable?
I'll call my vet on Monday and ask about prednisone and some sort of
pain killer. Is there anything else I
should be doing? Our basic attitude
right now is to just let her have what she enjoys—food (she's a purebred
beagle), walks, and lots of cuddles.
If it helps, I'm including a post I made two days ago at
another board when I was considering switching her to a raw food diet for her
health. Obviously that's not an option
now, but there is quite a bit more info in that post.
Thank you so much for any advice
you can give me to help make these horrible upcoming days a little more
bearable for all of us.
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I have a beagle with swollen lymph nodes and am going to try
to give as much info as I can think of right now but am sure to miss
something. So please be sure to ask me
all follow-up questions needed.
Purebred
beagle named Millie
- Dumped
at our business after being used as a breeder
- Had
heartworm which was successfully treated after we took her in
- Spayed
- Approx.
age is 5 years
- Weight
30lbs
- On
Revolution for heartworm/fleas/ticks
- Has
been on Clavamox for approx. 10 days with about 4 more days to go
- Had
thorough dental cleaning yesterday; no extractions
- Previous
needle biopsy showed benign lymph node fluid
- Surgical
biopsy was taken yesterday while under anesthesia for dental surgery
- Pre-surgical
blood work showed no abnormalities in liver or kidney function, white
blood cells, or whatever else they check for
- Results
will be in 7-10 days
- Biopsy
taken on right node, which is noticeably larger than the left node (possibly
due to swelling from biopsy)
- Left
node is golf-ball size, right node is about double that
- Vet
noticed minor swelling about 6 weeks ago, at which point I began
monitoring the nodes myself with a noticeable increase within the past 2
weeks
- I can
hear her having difficultly swallowing, so if this isn't painful, I know
that it is at least uncomfortable for her
- Not
lethargic, great attitude, very affectionate, completely pack-oriented,
homebody, still loves walks—no major changes in demeanor
- On a
pain pill 2x a day for the next few days post-surgery
My concern (and the vet's) is that we had hoped her glands
were swollen do to the poor state of her dental disease. However, we both agreed that if there had
been dental-related infection her glands would have improved while on the
pre-surgical Clavamox. Since they are
getting larger, the vet opted to take the surgical biopsy and send it to see
what further info we can find.
While we wait for the results, I am researching possible
prognoses and would like to put her on a better diet. I will be totally honest and admit that her
diet has been very poor. Who knows what
she ate in her previous life; they obviously didn't not care for her properly. She had been eating outdoor stuff between the
time they dumped her and we took her in—she had worms, etc. Since being with us she's been on dog food,
but it has varied. I have been broke the
past few months and she's been on Beneful, which is hardly made of top
ingredients. However, I am getting back
on my feet financially and am making Millie's health a priority.
So while I can't come here with a definitive diagnosis, I
believe that improving her diet can only help as we begin the process of
figuring out what is wrong with her and put together an eventual plan of action. Should I go with a raw diet? Will a higher quality dog food suffice for
now? And what are some basic supplements
I can begin adding to her diet to help improve her immune/lymphatic system? Anything you can suggest will be greatly
appreciated and I am happy to answer any questions regarding anything I've
missed. Please help!