My Golden Retriever has a lung tumor. What does this mean for her?

I'm so sorry! Unfortunately Golden Retrievers are a breed that tend to have a genetic predisposition to cancer, and while it is certainly not common to develop cancer at a young age I would not say it is unheard of. In veterinary medicine we don't have the funding to research and collect quite as much information as for people and so I don't think there are numbers out there that would tell us how often 3 year old Golden Retrievers are diagnosed with cancer that affects the lungs vs. lung lobe torsion. Hopefully you'll have a diagnosis soon, and I'll hope for the best for Maya.

It depends on whether or not it is a primary lung tumor metastatic disease. Ideally, you should take your pet to see a veterinary oncologist to discuss the best treatment plans(surgery vs. chemotherapy). Discuss referral with your veterinarian.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Lung cancer can be either primary (one tumor that starts in the lungs), or can be metastatic (cancer somewhere else that has spread to the lungs, leaving lots of small little tumors). Metastatic disease that has spread to the lungs carries a poor prognosis, meaning they don't live very long. Primary lung cancer is also not very good, but has the potential of maybe being responsive to surgery or chemotherapy. In general, lung cancer means they don't have too much time. The amount of time is unknown, and depends on your dog's body, the type of cancer, and how strong your dog is at this point and how much of the lung is affected. I would however expect the disease to progress, and would be thinking in terms of weeks, not months or years. They tend to start to have trouble breathing and then go downhill quickly after that. I am sorry about your little one, I hope your dog feels ok.

Poor girl. : ( Tumor can develop at any rate in pets so yes 6 months is plenty of time for a tumor to develop and show up. However, if there is a lot of fluid there, a tumor may not be readily visible on an x-ray. A CT or MRI scan is more sensitive to picking up small tumors or tumors that are obscured by fluid. A lung tumor or advancement of her heart condition are two likely possibilities to these symptoms. We have to keep in mind that heart disease can't be cured but only managed to a certain point with medication. It is possible that these symptoms are simply an indication that the heart condition may have surpassed medical management capabilities. If you are however still looking for options and cannot commit to advanced imaging (CT, MRI scan), then you can inquire with your vet about possibly increaseing China's medications. Lasix has a wide range of therapeutic index so it may be able to be increased. Another heart medication called Pimobendan also can be added to her treatment regimen. I am not sure if you meant to include this with your list of medications, b/c one of the medications seems to have been autocorrected to say "veterinary". Best of luck with your pet China and I hope that you can get her stabilized soon! Take care.

The problem is that you can possibly try to remove the tumors with surgery. However, your dog is an old dog and the anesthetic risk in a dog with a large lung tumor at this age is great and it is likely that your dog will die during anesthesia. The obstruction can probably be removed, but again the anesthetic risk is great. Recuperation will also be extensive and there is a big chance that your dog's tumors will reoccur before he has even returned to wellbeing from the surgery, should he have survived it. I agree with the veterinarian who diagnosed him (considering what you have reported). You can get a second opinion from an oncologist overseas. They are no worse than the ones here in the US. I am sorry your dog is so ill.

I would be concerned that Baby might be ill - it’s possible that her liver tumor is the problem or that something different is going on. Unfortunately I don’t think there is anything specific you can do at home without seeing a vet. You should make sure she gets plenty of water and let her rest. If she seems to be distressed you should do your best to see a vet.

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!