My Boston terrier has mast cell tumors & declining. Euthanasia?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This depends on many factors. It depends on where the main tumor is located, if it has spread to other organs, among many other factors. Even high grade tumors can have a good longterm outcome of years of survival when treated aggressively with surgery and chemotherapy if there is no evidence of metastasis to internal organs. However, if there is already spread to internal organs like the liver and the spleen, the survival times tend to be closer to 3-4 months even with chemotherapy. Staging to check for metastasis usually includes thoracic radiographs, abdominal ultrasound and assessment of the local lymph nodes. At the very least, I recommend medications like Pepcid, Benadryl and prednisone that can help with these cases when there is still evidence of a mass present. Good luck and have a good night!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concerns. I am sorry to hear that Tara is not doing well. With her history of mast cell tumors, I am concerned that some, if not all, of the tumors you are seeing are mast cell tumors. If the veterinarian is advising euthanasia, it may be the most humane decision to make if she is suffering. If she is no longer eating, is getting sick and if the mass in the throat is causing complications I would take the veterinarian's recommendation into consideration. If she is still eating / drinking and seems to have a good quality of life, then I would maybe consider having the lumps removed and having her blood tested to see if there are any other abnormalities. I would also have chest x-rays taken to see if there is any spread of cancer into the lungs. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

A mast cell tumor is a type of cancer-- if your dog has a mast cell tumor, it has a form of cancer. Generally, mast cell tumors are in the skin or in the connective tissue just under the skin. Sometimes, these are more aggressive and do spread to other parts of the body including the intestine or colon. Primary mast cell cancer in the intestine or colon are quite rare in dogs, usually its the result of spread of the cancer from a primary tumor in the skin. Mast cell tumors contain histamine. Therefore, symptoms can occur pretty quickly. Histamine affects the entire body-- it can cause vomiting, hives, and vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels which can lead to swelling, bruising, etc). Vomiting or diarrhea as a symptom does not necessarily mean that the cancer has spread to the GI tract, rather it could just be histamine release from a primary tumor in the skin. I hope that clears things up a bit for you. Here is some additional information that you may find helpful. https://www.petcoach.co/article/mast-cell-tumors/ https://vth.vetmed.wsu.edu/specialties/oncology/information-for-owners/mast-cell-cancer

A response would be expected within 4-6weeks of starting paladia. Given the severity of symptoms you describe, I would recommend review by an oncologist to assess what else, if anything can be added or adjusted to improve her comfort and quality of life. Frequent histamine episodes are definitely cause for concern and consideration of euthanasia is a very valid option at this stage.

This is an extremely difficult decision to make. I always try to look at a dog's quality of life to determine if they are still able to do most of the things they've always loved. If they are unable to do half of their favorite things, it is likely that their overall quality of life has declined and euthanasia may be warranted. Since your dog is currently eating, drinking, acting and playing normally, it does not sound as though her time has come. However, since one of her masses ruptured, there is a chance that it could become infected. Ideally, the mass would be surgically removed and biopsied. If surgery is not an option, she may need a course of antibiotics to prevent the onset of infection in the open lesion. If the open mass continues to bleed or begins to cause discomfort, you may need to decide if she should have surgery or euthanasia. If you are beginning to question if the time for euthanasia has arrived, consider discussing this with your vet to get their take since they have examined your dog and can provide some insight into her current quality of life. I hope this helps.

I'm very sorry Daisy has so many tumors! The course of treatment depends on the grade of the mast cell tumors (MCT). In low grade tumors that have been removed with adequate margins, further treatment is typically not needed. If there is spread to local lymph nodes, for example, then addition treatment is needed. Once the grade of the tumors is known, that will help your decision, but given that you think she might be at stage 3, I would recommend doing surgery and chemotherapy. As for holistic treatments, there may be complimentary treatments you can do in addition to the surgery and chemo, such as acupuncture, and I would discuss the use those with your vet.

Since both the tumors were low grade and have not yet metastasized there is no indication to worry about an abbreviated life span at this time. Since your dog is so young and has already had 2 MCTs he will likely have more pop up in the future. It's important to have any little lump or bump you find on him to be checked out by your vet. The sooner they are removed, the less likely they are to spread.