My 11-year-old dog has a gallbladder mass. Is surgery worth the cost?

Hello. Without the bloodwork, I can not address her overall condition to say whether surgery is appropriate or not. I would highly recommend that x-rays of her lungs be done to see if there is any evidence that the mass on her liver has metastasized to her lungs. If this has happened, then I would not put her through surgery. An ultrasound of her abdomen would also be very useful in looking at the liver, gall bladder & kidneys, & would give much more information about what is going on. In the meantime, I would start her on insulin to try & regulate the elevated blood sugar. Talk to your vet to see what the next best steps for Layla are. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Unfortunately without seeing the tests myself, I cannot say for sure whether or not it is cancerous. A lot would depend on its location as to whether or not it needs to be surgically removed. You could have an abdominal ultrasound done to help identify where it is located. Sometimes the mass can be aspirated during the exam and a small sample of cells can be examined under the microscope to help determine whether or not it is cancerous. If it is on the spleen and it is bleeding or growing then I would recommend a splenectomy. I have seen these masses be both benign and malignant. Removing the spleen is the best treatment to prevent both types of masses from rupture and prevent the cancer from spreading. As far as costs, I would talk to your vet about whether they offer payment plans or care credit. I would also ask for an estimate beforehand so your can properly plan. I hope this helps!

It’s hard to know what to recommend without having access to Riley’s full medical record. I wouldn’t necessarily think the Lyme disease would change your decision since it can be treated and the liver and gallbladder changes would not be related. It might make sense to try to sample the liver masses first to try to determine whether or not they are cancer, although this might not be possible. Don’t be afraid to ask your vet to discuss pros and cons of surgery with you again if you’re having a difficult time making a decision.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bayley! If the CT scan showed a possible foreign body and the lump significant decreased I would go for the surgery. The only way you are going to know and possibly fix this permanently is to try. I know is is hard to make the decision and scary to put our pets under anesthesia for surgery, but I think it is the only option you have left at this point. The Vet will likely approach it as an enbloc mass removal. Likely to remove the entire swelling and then open it up. If no splinter is found then they should biopsy the tissue. If Bayley did well with anesthesia for the CT scan then she should do well for this. I wish you both the very best!

Without having examined Roxy myself, and without seeing her ultrasound images and lab results, it’s a bit tough to advise you. I will say that gall bladder surgery is considered quite a major procedure in cats and dogs, unlike in people where it borders on routine. I almost always try a medical approach first, usually ursidiol and perhaps and antibiotic chosen based on culture of the bile, and sometimes even steroid medications, in these guys, before recommending surgery. I hope your vet has given you some guidance regarding prognosis. I always refer patients for gall bladder surgery to a boarded surgeon, since it’s very delicate and can be quite challenging for someone who hasn’t done them often. I would advise that you reconnect with your vet and discuss the possibility of a brief trial - maybe 2 weeks - of medical management before surgery, to see if that might be a Workable compromise.

Unfortunately, this is a difficult situation because most tumors that are cancerous and rupture are not going to heal on their own. A double mastectomy will be a very large and could be difficult recovery time for an 11 year old dog. Also, please know that even with surgery, you may not get another 3 years out of her simply because she is already at the top end of her life span. Also, there is always the risk that the cancer has already spread. Another option you may want to talk to your vet about is whether they can just do a palliative "debulking" of the mass that has ruptured. If there is a way to just resect the one tumor that has ruptured, this potentially could give her a good quality of life without doing a full double mastectomy. With the tumor being ruptured, I am afraid you are being forced to either do a debulking surgery, full mastectomy, or euthanasia. Leaving it alone isn't a good option because it won't likely heal on its own and if it isn't already, it will become infected.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am very sorry that BJ is so sick! It sounds as though your Vet is doing a very good job trying to get BJ better. All those supplements and antibiotics are perfect. Sometimes though they do not work and surgery is need to remove the gall bladder. I am assuming that BJ has had an ultrasound when he was first diagnoses? It may be warranted to recheck the ultrasound if the values have worsened. If he is feeling fine and the ultrasound has not changed then maybe you can discuss with your Vet giving him more time with the medications. If he is feeling poorly and the ultrasound reveals that the gall bladder wall is unhealthy or about to rupture then surgery is his best chance. There are no other medications that I can think of, he is on everything already! I wish you and BJ the best!