My dog has terminal histiocytic sarcoma. Prognosis & comfort?

Unfortunately once cancer has spread to the lungs, there is no treatment that can prolong his survival rate. Your vet is right in the sense that spending thousands of dollars doing radiation therapy and surgery (risky now because Ceasar has lung lesions) is not the best course of treatment. Palliative care (making him comfortable) is the best treatment for him at this stage of his cancer. I am so sorry your pet has cancer and I wish you all the best in the days to come. Take care.

I am so very sorry to hear about Tess. Osteosarcoma is a particularly nasty and aggressive form of cancer. If there is evidence of metastasis to the lungs, I usually estimate 4 weeks or less for a prognosis. Some dogs make it a little longer, some a bit shorter. I’ve had some pass within days of diagnosis. Please note, this time frame is not usually very much extended even with aggressive treatment. The usual signs of deterioration are weight loss, loss of appetite, lethargy, and sometimes cough. The original bony lesion (usually on a leg) can be EXTREMELY painful so pain managment is the bulk of what I do for these patients. I am so sorry for your family and for Tess’s diagnosis. Please reach out to me via the consult link below if you have any further questions or concerns. Best wishes and peace to you and Tess. Dr. Kurth

I'm very sorry to hear about your dog's diagnosis, and definitely understand opting not to pursue advanced treatment due to cost. Unfortunately, the expected prognosis and quality of life depends a lot of the specifics of the situation, so it's not really possible to say based on such limited information. I would recommend talking to the veterinarian who is treating her about your concerns. He/she should be able to give you a better idea of what to expect as the disease runs its course, and can also prescribe pain medication or other meds if needed to help keep her comfortable.

It can be very difficult to determine exactly what area of the bowel is affected by a mass without invasive and expensive testing which may not be in Jake's best interests given the very poor prognosis. However some benign prostate conditions can be more treatable in entire males (if no blood changes such as elevated calcium are detected). A specialist ultrasound exam, prostatic wash or needle biopsy from the prostate can be worthwhile as if benign may respond to medical treatment in some cases

I'm so sorry that Gunner had a hemagiosarcoma! It's unfortunately a very aggressive cancer, and the overall prognosis is typically poor as it's rarely curable. It's been found that dogs who do not have identifiable metastasis at the time of surgery and receive chemo have a life expectancy of 6-10 months. It is good that his tumor hasn't ruptured the spleen have a better prognosis, and the combination of a spleenectomy and chemo can increase survival time. Fewer than 10% of dogs survive more than 1 year. I hope this helps!

Hello, my name is Dr. Shines and I'm sorry to hear you and Nico are going through all of this. Your plate is definitely full. The decision to pursue treatment for cancerous masses is a very personal one and as long as Nico is not allowed to suffer, there is not a right or wrong answer. I agree surgery in that area will be hard if you are looking to keep the foot. It's already a big mass in an area that has very little extra skin (versus if it was some place like the shoulder where there's lots of extra skin). Soft tissue sarcomas tend to be locally invasive and spread 'cancer fingers' into the surrounding tissue that are microscopic. When these masses are removed, you have to take aggressive margins and that's going to be really hard for Nico in this location. Due to this reason, amputation of the limb can be an option when otherwise removing the mass is unlikely. That's certainly a big decision to make. The other concern with this mass is location. It can be easier to traumatize since it's on the foot. Also, it can out grow the blood supply and start to become a chronic wound (which is not good). I always recommend to have a consultation with an oncologist. Even if you opt not to pursue treatment, you will know all of your options and make an informed decision. Typical life expectancy for a medium sized dog is 14-16 years of age. It is valid to take his age into account when deciding what to do. In the end, as long as you do not allow him to suffer or be in pain, you will not make a wrong decision. Opting to allow Nico to live out his days with this mass (as long as he is comfortable and happy) is a valid option. Opting for treatment is a valid option. You must do what feels right in your heart. I hope this helps to provide some guidance and please feel free to reach out any time.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This depends on many factors. It depends on where the main tumor is located, if it has spread to other organs, among many other factors. Even high grade tumors can have a good longterm outcome of years of survival when treated aggressively with surgery and chemotherapy if there is no evidence of metastasis to internal organs. However, if there is already spread to internal organs like the liver and the spleen, the survival times tend to be closer to 3-4 months even with chemotherapy. Staging to check for metastasis usually includes thoracic radiographs, abdominal ultrasound and assessment of the local lymph nodes. At the very least, I recommend medications like Pepcid, Benadryl and prednisone that can help with these cases when there is still evidence of a mass present. Good luck and have a good night!