My doggy is sick:-( What to do?
May 8, 2011 3:22 PM   Subscribe

I recently returned home from a 6 day trip to find that my 11 year old, previously very healthy and lively dog had a large lump on her throat, a bit bigger than a golf ball.

The next day I took her to the vet where they aspirated it and couldn't get enough fluid to analyze it. One possible diagnosis is a ruptured salivary gland, but subsequent xrays show a mass that is not exactly in the right location for that. I took her back today and they again couldn't get enough fluid. Over the past few days she has been eating and drinking water, but otherwise has deteriorated--she is extremely lethargic, and in fact today I had to pick her up to get her home (she's 42 lbs). I don't know how to attach a photo, or I would. She most likely needs surgery, especially if it is the salivary gland problem. They would have to remove the salivary gland. I've googled and that is pretty much the only solution for this problem. However, her regular vet, who is out of the country, doesn't seem keen to do the surgery, and won't commit until he sees her (he returns Wednesday). I live Santa Monica. They referred me to a surgeon (Animal Surgical and Emergency Center), but I have to make an appointment tomorrow. This will likely cost thousands of dollars and apparently is not a very easy surgery to get right. Also, there has been no actual diagnosis yet, due to the lack of fluid to analyze. My questions: Does anyone have anyone have any experience with this, generally? I'm also looking for recommendations for good animal hospitals in the area. To complicate things, I'm starting my first new job in 10 years tomorrow so places with after hours services would be great. Sorry for the rambling but I'm stressed and sad and worried that I might have to put her down.
posted by parkerposey to Pets & Animals (6 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Have you seen an oncologist or an internal medicine specialist? If not, please get a referral to one first and don't leave something like this up to your rdvm (day practice vet).

VCA hospitals usually have good staff and are well equipped to deal with advanced care. There looks to be a couple in santa monica.
posted by TheBones at 4:00 PM on May 8, 2011 [1 favorite]


My dog has had a sialectomy for a cervical sialocele (ruptured salivary duct with a pocket of saliva at the place where her jaw met her neck). She was four when she had the surgery and has been in great health since. Extracting enough fluid was NOT an issue in her case. If it is a sialocele, it is good to have a board-certified surgeon performing the removal because there are some very delicate and important nerves and vessels running in that area. Add in inflammatory processes and damage and...yes, that's why I'm glad my dog had hers done in a teaching hospital with multiple specialty services, including surgery.

Sialocele or not, given the many important structures in that area of the body and your dog's age, I certainly see why your regular veterinarian would prefer to refer to a specialty center for care and further evaluation.

Animal Surgical and Emergency Center has a good reputation. They are a referral hospital with multiple specialties besides surgery, including oncology, radiology and internal medicine. I would be very comfortable bringing my animal to ASEC.

(I've heard good things about the VCAs in the Los Angeles area as well. I would reckon the costs will be similar to ASEC's.)
posted by Uniformitarianism Now! at 4:53 PM on May 8, 2011 [1 favorite]


I am so sorry for your problem. I recently lost my 13 year old dog to a sudden illness. Most of my dogs have lived to be 11, Coda to 13 and one to 16. Be aware that most big dogs don't make it much past 11. You may have to just get ready to let her go. It is up to the individual but I will not put my dogs thru too much medical interferance or spend thousands, so many healthy pups out there looking for good homes. Best wishes whatever you decide.
posted by cellar at 8:51 PM on May 8, 2011


Response by poster: Thank you. She's 42 lbs so I was hoping she has a few more years in her. But I also need to hear that perspective, because I don't want her to suffer if it won't amount to another several years of happy life for her.
posted by parkerposey at 8:56 PM on May 8, 2011


I don't want to mislead you, since you already have doctors on the case, but I just thought I would share my story. My small, five-year-old dog became very lethargic one night last year, and when I checked him out I found he had a huge round lump right on his throat. My vet, who's wonderful, diagnosed him with tick fever the next day and treated him accordingly, with a bunch of shots (sorry, I don't know what they were) followed by a few weeks of antibiotics. Ticks abound where I live, and unfortunately, the ones that live in and around our yard carry disease. So tick fever was something I had seen before. And I was doubtful, because it was the first time any of my dogs had had a lump of any kind on their throat like that. I remember thinking that the vet was bizarrely unconcerned about that lump, brushing it off and saying it would just go away, but sure enough, it had shrunk away to nothing by the end of the course of antibiotics, and my dog got completely better. Again, I expect your vets will have considered all the possibilities, but if your dog has been exposed to any ticks, maybe you could ask them about this?

Best wishes to you both.
posted by two or three cars parked under the stars at 9:06 PM on May 8, 2011


Response by poster: Well, we had an infestation of brown dog ticks last summer and she was bitten a lot. But it has been several months since she has had a tick on her (probably since September or October). However, I will definitely ask about this, since it seems it can stay in her system without symptoms for some time. They did blood tests, but since I didn't mention the ticks, they probably didn't test for that. Thanks.
posted by parkerposey at 6:50 AM on May 9, 2011


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