My senior dog has diabetes & liver tumor. Surgery or euthanasia?

Hello. I am so sorry for this diagnosis. Diagnostic tests are often very helpful, but sometimes you need to get an actual biopsy to really tell what is going on, & nothing is a substitute for a surgeon getting his eyes on a situation. Yes, it is expensive, a scary to think about surgery, but If this is something really serious, & there is a possibility that surgery can be at least partially curative, then you may have many good years with her. You might want to check out Care Credit ( https://carecredit.com ) which is a medical credit charge that can has some favorable rates to pay off an expensive procedure. I know whatever you decide, it will be best for you & Baylee. Good luck & thanks for contacting PetCoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Your veterinarian may be referring to a thyroid tumor. The next step before considering surgery would be proceeding with a CT scan to check on how invasive the tumor appears to be. Then the next treatment option can be determined. A FNA can be performed at the time to determine the tumor type. If not too invasive surgery may be possible. If too invasive, and this is a thyroid carcinoma (the most common tumor in that region), radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be next best options. The prognosis with these tumors depends on the type which is why that needs to be tested. Also, it depends on how invasive it is and if it can be resected. If you think you have more information on the case that you did not describe in the question, feel free to request a consultation with me and I can continue to help. Best of luck and have a blessed day!

I think it depends on how stable she is, what her overall quality of life is aside from this sudden new issue. (Here is some helpful information about quality of life: https://www.lapoflove.com/Quality-of-Life ). It also depends on her prognosis after surgery, which your vet can help you determine. I think surgery and euthanasia are both reasonable in this situation, but the can't tell you which would be better from your description. I hope that helps and I'm sorry your family is going through this.

Liver tumors may or may not be truly "cancerous", i.e. Cause metastasis to other parts of the body and severe disease. Dogs can have benign liver tumors that don't metastasize, however they can get very large and impact liver function. There's really no way to know which type of tumor - benign or malignant - your dog has without a biopsy of the tumor. Ultimately the increase in water consumption is concerning, as polydipsia (increased water intake) can be a sign of severe liver disease. Some blood work would help to understand whether there is significant disease, as well as possibly an ultrasound exam of the liver. There may be medications that she could benefit from that would improve how she feels, however ultimately it's likely that addressing the tumor surgically - if that's even possibly - is the only way to definitively improve the situation.

I'm sorry your dog isn't feeling well. Regarding your comment about leaving kibble in his bowl without eating it, yet still eating 2 cans of food a day and some treats--it sounds like he is getting enough food and appetite is not a problem. When you say he is "pooping everything out," is he having diarrhea? Or does it seem that he is losing weight even though he is eating a lot? Or is he pooping very frequently? To review the list of problems/symptoms that you have given: *losing weight even though he is eating a lot (if this is what you mean by "pooping everything out") *uncomfortable/moaning *enlarged liver *blood test negative for Cushings disease Considering that he is 13, given the problem list above one of the biggest things I would worry about is cancer of some kind, and arthritis may be contributing to his discomfort. Unfortunately there is not any ONE test for cancer, so its not something your vet can just submit a blood sample and get an answer for. If you are wanting to KNOW what her diagnosis is, your vet will need to run full lab work (a full chemistry profile, a complete blood count, and a urinalysis), take X-rays of his chest, and probably perform an abdominal ultrasound (sonogram of the belly) as well. If an abnormality is discovered on X-rays or ultrasound, a biopsy may needed. Regardless of the cause, and even if you don't have funds to do a lot of diagnostics, you can focus on making him comfortable, with the understanding that his time may be limited. Ask your vet about pain medications. Don't worry about him not eating kibble--if he prefers canned food that is fine. I'm sorry I cannot give you black and white answers as to what is wrong. But he's a very lucky boy to have someone who cares so much for him. Wishing you both the best. Thanks so much for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Abel has diabetes! Abel will need to be started on insulin, which will need to come from your vet. If Abel has been lethargic and not eating much, my recommendation would be to have him hospitalized at the vet as soon as possible to get his blood sugar under control, so I'd call them right away and see how quickly he can be seen again - even if the vet isn't free to talk to you when you call, I'd recommend you ask the front desk how quickly Abel can be seen. Untreated diabetes can definitely make a pet become much more sick very quickly, so now that you know it's diabetes I would get Abel rechecked. That way when you bring Abel in, you can talk further about the diabetes diagnosis, and your vet can help you become comfortable with measuring and giving the insulin. When I diagnose new diabetic animals, I usually have the owner practice giving injections of saline to their pet in the hospital so we know they will be comfortable with drawing up the correct dose of insulin and giving injections at home. Your vet will also likely want you to start Abel on a prescription diet formulated to help maintain a more steady blood sugar. I hope this helps and he feels better soon!

Poor amber,, that liver is massively enlarged and I would expect breathing difficulties, inability to eat and abdominal pain. Although scans and biopsies may provide information on the underlying cause, euthanasia may be the kindest option at this stage