How long will my old dog live with an anal gland tumor, no surgery?

I'm so sorry to hear about Reshmk's diagnosis. There are many variables that come into play when discussing life expectancy, and unfortunately not all of them can be predicted. Anal gland adenocarcinoma can be locally invasive and sometimes the tumor gets big enough to cause significant pain and discomfort for the dog, or can grow to a size that inhibits normal/comfortable defecation. So, sometimes the limiting factor is a determination of quality of life based on the direct activity of the mass and its effects on a dog's comfort level. Other times, we can have less direct symptoms related to the cancer, either due to metastasis and those effects on the organs, or due to hypercalcemia, which is a common secondary issue with this type of cancer. Hypercalcemia can lead to excessive thirst and urination most commonly, or can cause GI upset, vomiting, and decreased appetite. These symptoms of hypercalcemia can sometimes initially be managed with medications, but often decisions about quality of life are made when the dog feels ill and medications can no longer control the symptoms. The best one to offer input on a specific survival time would be your vet, who knows the details with Reshmk's cancer and how aggressive it appears, but with the knowledge that it has already been diagnosed in the regional lymph nodes, I would anticipate a survival time of 6 months or less, as the general survival time even with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy is still less than 3 years. I'm so sorry again about this sad news. I hope this helps.

I'm really sorry to hear this. Unfortunately, surgery is the mainstay of treatment. It is the only proven method to influence survival of dogs with these tumors. Usually dogs with this type of tumors also have kidney failure or high calcium as well which can complicate things. Metastasis (spread) can also be a problem. There is a drug called Palladia (a chemotherapy agent) that is usually given to the dogs after surgery however, I am unsure if it is helpful without surgery being done first. You would have to consult with a veterinary oncologist about that. That being said, that medication is extremely expensive. There is not much that can be done short of surgery and chemotherapy. If you cannot afford treatment then all you can do is make her as comfortable as possible and when it gets to the point that her quality of life is no longer good then you should consider humane euthanasia so she does not suffer. There are no over the counter medications that can be recommended. Hopefully this article will answer more of your questions. ( https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/anal-gland-tumors ) Again, I am sorry to hear this. I hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Anal gland tumors are usually adenocarcinomas. The good news is that in general they tend to progress rather slowly. With no therapy, usually it will another 1-4 months before you start noticing signs of the tumor getting the best of him. How long it will take depends on how advanced it is right now. This tumor does not tend to be painful unless it spreads to the bones which is rare but in that case you would notice limping for example. When they get big enough they can affect defecation for example and so the first indications you would get at home that the tumor is progressing and affecting him is if he starts having trouble defecating. Sorry for the sad diagnosis. I hope you get to spend some quality time with him. Good luck!

You are very welcome and honestly, though we wish you weren't in this situation, we're very glad to here. The progression growth for this type of tumor varies greatly by pet. This could be something that has been going on for a while and may always be there without showing much symptom. You'll want to continue monitoring her for any discomfort and report any changes to your doctor. At that time, if it ever comes, you might discuss changes her diet to a softer food. Be sure any changes are made with approval of your treating physician though. With Kidney and Pancreatic concerns diet can be very important. Please let us know if you have any questions of concerns.

Hi, sadly it is probably an anal sac carcinoma. I think by the sound of the dimensions and the age of Tink, that it would be kinder to put Tink to sleep when she starts to be in pain. sorry to sound a bit brutal but we need to make Tink's welfare the main priority, I am sure she is a very much loved member of the family. Thinking of you at this difficult time.

If your dog is happy and you feel that she has a good quality of life and can poop fairly easily, there is no reason to put her down. Listen to your dog. She will tell you when it is time to go. Your dog knows. Apart from that there are quite a few ways to control pain. 1) arthritis pain is probably the worst and worse than tumor pain at this stage. So if she is stiff and wobbly you may want to ask your vet about giving her an NSAIDs for arthritis (she needs to have normal kidney and liver parameters, though, but since you had surgery done recently, your vet may be able to use those blood work results). 2) if she cannot take NSAIDs, then there are other pain medicines available. The lumps under the skin either side of her anus could be filled anal sacs which could be expressed. They may not be tumors. Your vet may be able to stop the bleeding of the tumor by cauterising it, or you can get some Yunnan Baiyao powder or capsules and put the powder on the bleeding wound. It should stop the bleeding for a while.

It can vary from patient to patient, but without aggressive surgery and additional therapies like chemotherapy, it may only be weeks or months. Additional testing that would be needed is abdominal ultrasound and blood work. It is probably a question best directed to the vet that diagnosed the cancer, since they have more information on your case than I do.