Introduction: Roo and Java (13 y/o Labrador retriever x) adrenalectomy advice

[Roo]

I had a consultation yesterday with Dr. Bookbinder, and decided to schedule Java for an adrenalectomy. The date this will happen is October 25th. I have to admit that I'm very scared about this, since there is a possibility that if something goes wrong with this, I could lose her in less than a weeks time. The thing is, she does have a large tumor on her left adrenal gland, and her blood test levels are so high that it indicates damage is already done to her organs and that it will only get worse if the surgery is not done. The doctor has assured me that his approach is not agressive to the point where he is willing to remove the tumor if it would put her in jeopardy, which to me is a good thing. I think part of the reason I am scared is that right now she seems relatively happy, her biggest symptom right now is that she is hungry and thirsty all the time. The doctor has told me that with time she will develop other symptoms if we do not act, most likely kidney or liver failure. I really hope I am doing the right thing. It seems like every option has it's drawbacks. The adrenalectomy is the only option that may offer her a better quality of life but is also risky enough to possibly end her life during surgery, or afterwards if there are complications.

Moderator note - I have merged you post about the surgery with Java's original thread. We like to keep all the info about each pup in one thread. This way it is easy to look back at the history if needed.