What can be done for a dog with an inoperable bladder tumor?

So sorry to hear that Skylla has this problem. Depending on the location of the cancer in the bladder, surgery would be the best option followed by radiation. Radiation alone is not usually recommended as the bladder tends to get very damaged and non-functional. As far as non-surgical options, your vet is correct to give an NSAID like Previcoxx however, a better NSAID to use would be piroxicam but I do not know if it is available in your country. If an NSAID alone is not working we then go to using NSAID plus chemotherapy (mitoxantrone). A third option is chemotherapy alone with vinblastine or other combinations of drugs. You will need to speak to your vet to see what options are available in your country and the costs involved. Also, it depends on where in the bladder Skylla's cancer is located. You could also refer your vet to this article if they are not used to treating this type of cancer. ( https://www.purdue.edu/vet/pcop/files/docs/CanineUrinaryBladderCancer.pdf ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

It really depends on the location of the tumor in the bladder. If the tumor is located near vital structures like the ureter or urethra than it will be extremely difficult to remove the tumor. You could take her to a veterinary specialist (oncologist and/or a surgeon) for a second opinion to determine the best way to treat. Radiation and/or chemotherapy may be help.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thanks for such detailed information. Cytology is rarely diagnostic for this disease so I would still be suspicious that a malignant tumor such as TCC is much more likely. This is because of what you described but also due to the fact that this is way more common than benign tumors of the bladder. There is a test that your veterinarian could consider which is easy to perform and is non-invasive. This is also very sensitive and specific meaning that typically a negative or a positive result can be trusted. This is called the BRAF test which is performed with a urine sample. Good luck and have a great day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry to hear about the cancer diagnosis. While this cancer is unlikely to be cured, there are other strategies you could consider such as radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy which may help prolong Odie’s survival with good quality of life. I would recommend you check in with a local veterinary oncologist who can review the case and make further recommendations. Have a great day!

There is limited scientific data available for CBD oil in pets. Studies are just starting to look at the use of CBD for arthritis in dogs and seizure control, but nothing has been published yet. At this point there is no known information on appropriate dosing. So I'm afraid I cannot tell you if it might make any difference. Because of this lack of data, most veterinarians are not comfortable recommending the use of CBD, but some owners try it anyway. Hopefully she has also been tested for a urinary tract infection, as it is very common for them to develop infections when they have bladder tumors. If this has not been done, you may want to discuss the possibility with your veterinarian, and evaluate a urine sample for signs of infection. Sometimes a urine culture is necessary to identify infection and find an appropriate antibiotic. I hope Henna can be made comfortable for the time she has left. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, sorry to hear about Tiki. It depends on why she is having these frequent small urinations. Masses in the bladder can indeed cause an increase in urgency and dogs may want to urinate more frequently without having much pee to expel. Unfortunately, depending on where the tumor is, if it is blocking the urine outflow tract, then the frequency of her attempts may be associated with being unable to urinate completely and thus needing to go more often. This process can indeed be be painful. If painful, Tiki may vocalize (whine, cry, yelp) when urinating. If she ever is unable to urinate, then she will need to be seen on emergency basis for this. Monitor for any vocalization while urinating, bloody urine, or straining to urinate and not producing any urine for over a 6 hour period. You may also see vomiting and a decreased appetite with complications associated with this mass. If you note any of these then have Tiki evaluated promptly. Dogs with bladder tumors typically do show improvement of their symptoms when on the piroxicam, so if she is not getting any better, your veterinarian may need to reassess her medication protocol and options. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Well this is quite strange. I don't know why the difference of 15 to 17 cells will make much a difference in the diagnosis. I would call them and try to get a more thorough explanation as to why they like to find the specific number of abnormal cells. If the urine does have an infection, I would have the UTi treated with antibiotics and then have the ultrasound repeated to see if the mass is still present. If so, I would probably just treat for transitional cell carcinoma which is the most common bladder tumor. You can visit an oncologist for chemo/radiation options. A lot of people just choose to put the dog on piroxicam which is an anti-inflammatory which helps to decrease the inflammation in the tumor but it isn't going to cure the cancer. Also I would put him on a joint supplement like dasuquin to help increase the mucus in the bladder wall which is also a natural anti-inflammatory. I hope this helps!