Confused and Overwhelmed-Diagnosed Anal Sac Carcinoma (Woody has passed)

Awww, biopsies hurt. Hoping that Woody heals quickly.

Hoping you and Woody had a good nite resting. We are all here with you waiting for results, I pray that everything is alright. Blessings
Patti

Hope Woody had a better night. I'm with everyone else waiting for results.

Still waiting meh! I'm going with the no news is good news right? Woody had a restful night only up once for toilet and for the first time in months climbed in beside me for snuggles. I slept a little just want the results now so I know what I'm dealing with :)

So happy to hear Woody had a good night and hopped in with you for snuggling...that's so nice!! :p
Waiting on the news is stressful! Sending positive thoughts that all will be okay!!

Barbara

Good signs! Snuggles and fewer potty breaks :-)

Woodys had a bad night. Very unsettled really bad diar not drinking much and just standing we,re off to the vets today I suspect the stress of the hospital has flared up his pancreatitis.

I called the hospital to see if results we,re in but can't get a hold of the IMS. I'm shattered both mentally and physically, not slept in days:(

I know how this can get to you, I have been there many times. I am hopeful that Woody does not have the pancreatitis again. I know how hard of a time you are having and I feel for you. I am praying they get the IMS and get you some answers asap. Try and hold on a while longer, I know you are exhausted, but Woody needs you now more than ever. Blessings
Patti

Let us know what your vet says! We are all with you, sweetie.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

Results are in its Cancer

Oh,Tracy, I am so sorry to hear this and I know your heart is just crushed, honey. :( What is the vet suggesting for him? I have a friend who's baby was diagnosed with liver cancer almost 9 months ago and she has done very well until this week when she stopped eating. I'm not sure what all they are doing for Jessie but I do know she is on SAMe and Milk Thistle plus other things. I realize things are different in different countries but I hope the vet has some plan of action to help our sweet Woody have as many good days as possible for as long as possible.

We are here for you anytime, sweetie. I can hardly bear to think of how scared you are, about the grief I know has settled in your Soul. You and Woody are not alone on this Journey, either. We are right by your side all the way.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

Ok here goes, I've been trying to write this for an hour but can't stop shaking.

Woody has anal sac carcinoma which looks like it has spread to the prostrate. Lots of things were talked about most of which I can't remember there is various things they can do for him which could provided he pulls thru surgery have an extra 6 or so months :eek: I'm trying to stay calm but I'm crushed so I'm taking the weekend to think things over before making any decisions. I have an appointment with an ongologist for 15th oft should I want it, he wants to do more tests on Woody like taking a scrapping of his prostrate and something else that I can't remember to see how advanced the cancer is. I love this wee guy and he doesn't deserve this.

I took him to vet and he got a injection for his temp and some metronidazole vet just thinks it's stress he came home had a drink of lecade and is now throwing a plastic bottle around the room like a normal dog not a dog with cancer this is so bloody hard looking at him so happy and up until today I thought healthish x

I wept reading your post. How cruel and unfair this is, but there are always miracles. Nothing is etched in stone as far as survival time. If Woody has always been healthy he may defy the odds. I am so sorry for you as I know how you love him. I know what you mean by it being hard to look at them. Today is Tipper's Birthday and I have cried all day non stop. I wish I had the magic wand to turn back time for you and dear Woody. Please don't feel alone, as we are all in the same boat. All we have is today, I know that stinks, but it will have to do until someone figures out a way to change it. Having a Jack Russell is like not like having any other kind of dog, I know this from my JRT. They are so endearing, intelligent, and tenacious they are in a class by themselves. Some children aren't as smart as my Tipper. I know it is like a punch to the gut hearing Woody's results. I never expected anything like this. Tell me has Woody been neutered? I cannot remember his exact age could you tell me? He seems fit enough with no other problems except pancreatitis right? Please don't give up yet, let everyone here help and think this out together. By chance maybe someone else has dealt with this and can offer help. We will help you, we are all with you on this. I know I am wasting my time saying don't worry, so I will just say pray to God and ask for mercy for Woody, and I will do the same. Miracles do happen. God Bless you and Woody
Patti

I am so sorry to hear this news.:o You are wise to take a little time to process the news and think it over before proceeding. You are still in shock, so please be gentle with yourself. Thank you so much for letting us know. We are here for you and Woody and will be as long as you need or want us. Hey, we'd probably stick around even if you didn't want us.;) Big loving hugs,

Oh Tracy,

I am so sorry to hear this news and am keeping you and Woody in my thoughts and prayers.

Sending huge loving hugs, Lori

Hi Tracy

I wanted to say I have some thoughts on this but have to dash out, but I think I remember your in Scotland so probably in bed by now so I will get a post to you before you wake up. Try get some rest and we will all work on this together for you and Woody xx

Darn it, I'm so sorry to hear that the verdict really was cancer.

Okay, so Trish might have some thoughts that would be helpful. Taking time to think things over, when you aren't feeling as pressured and overwhelmed is probably a very good idea.

What was the prognosis if you opted not to do surgery?

hugs,
Sharlene

So sorry to hear the grim diagnosis. You and Woody have my heartfelt sympathy. You are facing some tough choices as you try do do what's best for Woody. I hope you will be able to enjoy what time you will have together, short or long, and we will be with you all the way. Hugs,

I read up on this as much as I could today. There is still hope, I will post tomorrow some of what I found. Please hang on to that thread of hope, I will pray for you both tonite. Blessings
Patti

Quote:

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Originally Posted by goldengirl88

I wept reading your post. How cruel and unfair this is, but there are always miracles. Nothing is etched in stone as far as survival time. If Woody has always been healthy he may defy the odds. I am so sorry for you as I know how you love him. I know what you mean by it being hard to look at them. Today is Tipper's Birthday and I have cried all day non stop. I wish I had the magic wand to turn back time for you and dear Woody. Please don't feel alone, as we are all in the same boat. All we have is today, I know that stinks, but it will have to do until someone figures out a way to change it. Having a Jack Russell is like not like having any other kind of dog, I know this from my JRT. They are so endearing, intelligent, and tenacious they are in a class by themselves. Some children aren't as smart as my Tipper. I know it is like a punch to the gut hearing Woody's results. I never expected anything like this. Tell me has Woody been neutered? I cannot remember his exact age could you tell me? He seems fit enough with no other problems except pancreatitis right? Please don't give up yet, let everyone here help and think this out together. By chance maybe someone else has dealt with this and can offer help. We will help you, we are all with you on this. I know I am wasting my time saying don't worry, so I will just say pray to God and ask for mercy for Woody, and I will do the same. Miracles do happen. God Bless you and Woody
Patti

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Patti

Love and licks to Tipper on his birthday, and I pray you have many more together. Your right about the JRT Woody is very typical of the breed, stubborn, loving, feisty I could go on lol. Woody is a rescue dog is aged at approx. 5 years by the rescue but both my vet and IMS thought he was more like 8 years. As it was a rescue their policy is to neuter before rehoming so Woody was done 28 May 2010. Woody has a heart murmur and takes 5mg fortekor daily for this, has a luxating patella on his right leg, suffers the occassionaly bout of pancreatitis but this pretty much it. He came to me with the heart murmur and patella, he spent a lot of time in rescue and no one wanting him due to his medical conditions which to me were never a problem.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Trish

Hi Tracy

I wanted to say I have some thoughts on this but have to dash out, but I think I remember your in Scotland so probably in bed by now so I will get a post to you before you wake up. Try get some rest and we will all work on this together for you and Woody xx

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Thanks Trish I,m not ready to do the whole research thing just yet, I will but I would appreciate any thoughts on this.

I,ve calmed down quite a bit, still feel sick but better than I was. My own vet called me at the end of his surgery tonight to check on Woody, he also told me that he had the report faxed through. to him from the Hospital and its a prostate flush they want to do as well as the scrapping. The options that I have got are listed below:

1. Go see ongologist on 15.10.13 and let them do the additional tests on Woody but he wouldn't, be kept in due to his stress
2. If I don,t decide to treat they are giving him a 2-3 month time scale depending on how fast the tumour grows.
3. If I decide to treat depending on the results from 1 then they can remove the anal sacs and glands on both sides and treat with chemo this may give him 6-12 months.
4. There worry is the surgery as its very tricky on a small dog (not impossible) but they are worried about his heart being able to stand the operation, recovery and then the chemo. Now I am fully aware that dogs with heart trouble are more at risk but I also know that anathestics are more advanced now.

So although its pretty grim its not over for him yet and there are possibilities out there its just choosing the right one for Woody, not for me.

Thanks again everyone

Tracy x

Oh dear...I am so sorry to read the news of Woody's diagnosis. You have a lot to think over...but there are options that could work. I hope once you can sit with the oncologist and get more detailed information you will feel better able to decide what would be best for Woody.
Thinking of you and hoping for the best.

Barbara

Hi Tracy

I am back! I have had a bit of a lookaround at some of the websites detailing this condition. Just a wee word of caution when you do start to research it, just be careful what you look at. A lot of them are vet websites that are not involved in a lot of research. The website I have selected to post to you in is from the Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology. I believe this is good information from a society who are focussed on cancer surgery in our pets. They also outline the medical treatments if that is the path pet owners decide to go down.

The treatment of choice appears to be surgery to remove the tumour plus any affected lymph nodes, with radiotherapy to zap any local recurrence +/- chemo. Did they mention if the lymph node they have biopsied from Woody was affected? But surgery plus radiotherapy does appear to give the best options for longer survival. High calcium is common in these dogs as parathyroid hormones come into play and high calcium can affect the kidneys and maybe causing the excessive drinking and peeing you are seeing with Woody, you have mentioned it had been elevated on earlier posts but his latest one is OK, so that has to be good!!! The other good thing is that Woody is on Fortekor (Benzapril) which is a kidney protector as well as helping his heart murmur. What were his kidney tests? Creatinine and BUN?

They list the prognosis as fair to GOOD for this type of tumour!! So by golly we are sticking to the GOOD end of that spectrum! :D They include mean survival times and disease free intervals so only have a look at this if you feel up to it, you may want to spend the weekend loving your gorgeous little Woody and deal with all this next week before you see the oncologist. But some of the dogs can live over three years.

It is a tough road to be sure, I know exactly how you are feeling as I have been given the news that my dog has cancer twice, first in his liver when he was 10, where he went from nearly being put down to having major surgery to remove a large tumour that had spread out of his liver onto the omentum (that was two years ago!), no sign of any recurrence at followup scans so far, fingers crossed! Then adrenal cancer which was also operated on (10 months ago), doing good from that one too so far. I wanted to give you some hope telling you these stories Tracy, so once you get over the shock of the initial diagnosis we will most certainly help you look at what needs to be done.

I refuse to look at numbers, my dog Flynn is not a number and neither is Woody! The specialist veterinary surgeons these days are an impressive bunch and we will help you put a list of questions together to ask if you decide that going to see the oncologist is the way to go for you guys.

Hope you got some sleep, I am not going out tonight so might be about when you get up later on if you want to talk more xx

http://www.vsso.org/Anal_Sac_Tumors.html

Hi Tracy... just reading now about the news and Woody. Never give up hope, dogs are miracles in themselves.

I know exactly how you feel watching Woody play normally, meanwhile knowing they have major problems.

We are here for you every step of the way, and I'm happy to hear there are options. No matter which one you choose, I'm sure it will be the best decision.

We are all praying for the best outcome possible. Hope you can get some rest.

Oh my goddess Trish I can't believe you went to all that trouble for me and Woody and everyone else who has replied when you all have your own troubles. Today is a new day yesterday I spent it mostly crying and feeling sorry for myself but today I'm feeling stronger specially when I look at him with his little wiggly stump of a tail asking for food. He,s not aware he has cancer so I should take my lead from him. I am going to take the ongologist appointment I owe him that much it can't hurt to find out more of what is going on inside him. Trish you really are an angel x

God Bless you for taking Woody out of the rescue and giving him the home he deserves. Tipper has a heart murmur, and also has patella problems. I am hoping that Woody will be here for a long while. There were many options I read about so there is hope. Blessings
Patti

Appointment is booked with the oncologist for the 15th October at 10 am gulp.

We,ve had a really good weekend, Woody has been really naughty :p He has been getting away with all sorts this weekend like jumping up on my mums table to look out the window which he knows he,s not allowed to do but my mum just let him, we,ve been up the woods for the first time in ages and he even tried to chase a wild rabbit which again he,s not allowed usually to do but hay he was having fun :D To see him do all this made my mind up that I was going to do my best to fix this little problem that he has. I know this is serious but I,ve tried to find the humour in it all and have named the tumour Terry I don,t like saying Cancer and to be honest it is the only way I,m going to get through this. I,m all cried out for the moment and need to be pro active in this.

I have read the link that Trish so kindly gave me and I,m taking the positive from it. So I have 8 days to come up with a list of questions I need to ask the oncologist so if anyone has any ideas please can you let me know.

Glad to hear you are back on here. I read many things suggesting this is not the end for Woody. The things I would want to know are:
How long will this operation prolong his life?
How much of a recovery period?
Have you ever done this operation before? What was the outcome?
Is he a good candidate for this operation?
Will you know if this has spread elsewhere before undergoing this? What is the size of the tumor?
What are the chances of this being successful in removing all the cancer?
I am so sorry that you have to go thru this. I know it is without a doubt the most heartbreaking thing to find cancer in your dog. Please pray to God for mercy for Woody. Maybe Woody will have a miracle and all this will be behind you. I am praying for you both. Blessings
Patti

That's a great attitude! :):cool: And, we gonna put our boxin' gloves on and whup Terry's BUTT!

Patti - he will be getting more tests on the 15th Oct a prostate flush which should tell us if it has spread to the prostrate and anywhere else.

Leslie - Thank you for changing Woody,s thread title and yes the boxing gloves are on, I can,t and won,t give up on this little man yet. I made him a promise when I took him out the rescue centre that he would never suffer again and that I would give him the best life possible and as there are still some possibilities for him then I will keep this promise to him, cause he deserves the best my little Woodydog ;)

You go!! Get those gloves on and save this dog! I am behind you 100%. When you get fighting mad it makes things happen. I am glad you are up and ready to battle Terry. We will all help you win this battle with Terry. Woody has a wonderful advocate. Just keep up the attitude and Woody will come thru this. I am so glad to see someone else get mad like I do and get ready to whip butt on Terry. Blessings
Patti

Good for Woody!! Having fun and getting away with all the naughty things he likes to do!! Don't blame you for a day of despair and tears but it sounds like there's plenty of hope now. I think both you and Woody have plenty of fight inside. Everyone here will be sending big positive energy your way!!

Barbara

Tracy,
Whip Terry's butt! Woody sounds like he's very strong and there are options. Maybe it hasn't spread to the prostate?

Now that you've done some research, now you're more prepared to assess what to do and if this particular surgeon is the right one.

Crossing my fingers for you and Woody!


,

I say let Woody be a naughty as he wants, he deserves it. He is a beautiful Jack Russell. We are all behind you, you are not alone. We are with you all the way thru this, you can't get rid of us that easy! Blessings
Patti

Evening all - We,ve had another good day, Woody has had a few walks, and has played quite a bit, and his poo is firm again :D He is eating and drinking well and as I type this is running from room to room with his toy in his mouth (its 11pm here lol). The only thing I have noticed is he gets tired often and has to have a little sleep then he,s back up and ready to take on the next walk or the next toy chasing.

I have done a little research today into the oncology department at the hospital we are going to and it seems to get a good reputation, I don't know how to do links but if you google [url]www.glasgowvetschool then go to oncology we will be seeing J Morris.

It looks like a good place and Jo Morris sure seems to have some experience, so we'll all be waiting to see what they tell you.

I'm so glad that Woody is having a blast and lots of fun! Good for him!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

You should feel very good with such a competent specialist. I looked at her page and if you click the grants tab on her write up she's been working on targeted gene therapy for canine cancers, amongst other things. Sounds like you are going to have the best for Woody!!
I hope the meeting goes well and that she gives you the answers you're looking for and options for treatment that will help Woody.

Barbara

Hi Tracy

So pleased to read your latest posts!! I am glad you were able to take the positives out of that link now that you have come out of the initial shock of the diagnosis. I was just wondering how they came up with it, you had mentioned they biopsied the liver and a lymph node, did they feel the anal mass as well?

That's great he is pooping well, I had read that their poop can go all pencil thin because of the mass so I am thinking if they look normal the tumour may not be too big? The prostate is close to the glands so I guess they are looking for local invasion.

Flynn who is Woody's doppelganger :) arrived in this forum with some of the signs of cushings but tested negative, he was eventually diagnosed with the adrenal tumour and we went through surgery. So I am sure no expert on cushings, but hopefully I am some help for those facing surgery. Most doggie parents when facing surgery ask what questions we would ask so I have came up with a fairly standard list of questions to ask the surgeon, these are based on the questions I asked my surgeon. I have tried to focus them on Woody's case, it does look bit of a daunting list when I finished!! you might already have some of them down, so just pick and choose whatever will be helpful for you guys :) Hope it helps!

Questions to ask when considering if surgery is an option for Woody
1. What type of tumour do you suspect?
2. Expected life span for my dog in a normal situation. If your dog is close to, at or past his expected lifespan for his breed is surgery going to be of any benefit?
3. Prognosis for my Woody if we do not operate
4. Are there any other health problems that could impact on a positive surgical outcome, for example: if your dog is overweight or has heart, BP, liver, kidney or lung conditions
5. I have read radiotherapy with surgery gives better outcomes, is this an option for Woody, how about chemotherapy as well? What symptoms would lead you to consider these options? Ie positive lymph nodes etc
6. Is there any sign of tumour spread – prostate? Lymph nodes, lungs? What is the impact of this on prognosis?
7. Are his kidneys at risk (I am thinking here of Woody’s excessive peeing/drinking, periodic high calcium?) is his renal function good enough for surgery, how will you manage this while he is in hospital?
8. Surgeon recommendations – would he/she do it for their own dog?
9. How many operations of this type have you done? What complications have you experienced? What were the outcomes?
10. Please explain to me how you will do the surgery, which part would likely give you the most trouble? Will you be doing the actual surgery or a resident in a teaching situation? If so, is their close supervision?
11. Are you planning on taking the lymph nodes (as recommended in the literature)
12. Will there be a specialist anaesthetist available for the surgery?
13. What are the risks associated with this surgery, including
• Bleeding
• clots
• infection
• Kidney damage
• Continence problems postop
• wound problems
• bowel problems
• anaesthetic risks
• death (sorry but you have to ask that risk too)
14. How long will the surgery take and when will you contact me so I know all is OK, when can I visit after surgery?
15. How will the postoperative period go, how long would you anticipate he would need to stay in hospital? How will we manage pain? Bowels and bladder?
16. Hopefully this will not happen, but if your dog collapses, e.g his heart stops either during his surgery or afterwards what emergency measures should be undertaken, do you want your dog to have CPR, how far are you (the owner) willing to go for your dog to be saved in such circumstances
17. If there are problems when I take him home, who do I contact? Hopefully the surgical team until all is stable.

Half the battle is won already with Woody being in such good spirits. That's great to hear.

It also is wonderful to know that Woody is in such good hands at the vet school.

Keep up the good work and we'll be waiting to see what they have to say.

A link lesson for you -

When you are on a site you want to share with folks, simply put your cursor on the URL bar, address bar, at the top of the page (It will usually start with http or www.). Left click the mouse while the cursor is on the URL bar and it will change colors to blue. Right click the mouse and an option list will appear. Choose "copy" and that link is captured. You then go where you want to share that link, like this forum, and in the reply box right click the mouse for the option list again. Choose "paste" and the link will paste here, or where ever you want to share it. You can save links for your own use this same way but instead of pasting the link you have captured on another web site, paste it in a Word, etc. document and save to your Documents. ;)

It would seem you got a good one with Jo Morris looking at the tons of experience. You and Woody are in my prayers and please trust that things will turn out for the better. It does my heart good to know Woody is enjoying himself and playing. We are all pulling for you both. I said a prayer for your Woody in the hospital chapel today. I went down all the cush babies and included them. I did a special one for my Tipper. I pray God is listening, as there is a huge brass bell outside the chapel in the hallway and you ring it for prayers. Let me tell you they probably heard it all over the hospital when I was done. Blessings
Patti