My senior Westie has a tumor and rapid breathing. Is it urgent?

I know it can be scary when thinking about possible cancerous masses in your pet. But really the only way to know for sure is to have these masses tested through your vet. They can be cancerous masses, inflammatory reactions or benign tumors (non-cancerous). The heavy breathing that Allie is doing does concern me a bit. This can either be a sign of pain or an underlying lung or heart disease. So a vet visit although no desired, is probably the bext best thing to do for Allie in figuring out what's going on with both concerns. Best of luck getting some answers and take care.

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.

This could be a mammary tumor and it may be causing other changes that could be severe. If you do not have any money to fix her and she appears to be suffering, I would consider letting her go if she is in pain and not doing well. Otherwise, you could look into Care Credit to help pay for any veterinary care that is needed for her. If you are able to get approved for Care Credit, I would have a veterinarian take a look at her so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made.

65 breaths per minutes is an emergency, you cannot wait until Monday as she may very well not make it that far, you need to take her to the vet today. it could be related both to heartworm and the mammary gland tumors.

I am so sorry that Dylan is having a hard time. You are right to be worried. At his age, I would be worried about heart failure or cancer potentially making his breathing abnormal and causing him to be restless. Pneumonia is another concern. Unfortunately there isn’t anything you can do at home to help him breathe better. You need to get him in to see a vet right away. Seek a veterinary ER now. If you don’t have an ER in your area, call your regular vet—they likely have a recording for how to reach a vet after hours.

How does a vet have no equipment to examine the dog? If that vet did not know what is going after looking at the dog I'm not sure how much I can tell you over the internet without looking at the dog. The most I can tell you is that at 14 years old this is likely cancer and you are not going to be able to fix it. I suggest you take him to another vet that does have equipment so you can try to get a diagnosis. A biopsy of the tumors are needed. If it is cancer it may have spread to his lungs and that is why is not able to breathe well. If you cannot afford to do all the testing to figure out what is happening then you may need to make the decision to euthanize him as it sounds like he is suffering and in pain. Please take him to another vet to get this sorted out.

I am sorry to hear about Pinta. These symptoms are unfortunately concerning, especially in an older dog. Difficulty breathing is a very serious condition and considered an emergency if she is struggling to get breath normally. Possible causes can vary from primary lung issues such as infections like pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, and tumors in the lung. Heart disease can also result in breathing problems, as can sudden anemia due to bleeding inside the body cavity. I would recommend getting Pinta into the vet as soon as possible, and if she is struggling to breath then she needs to visit the emergency vet if your vet is closed. They will examine her and likely recommend x-rays of the lungs. This will help them determine if treatment is possible or if she can be made more comfortable. Best of luck to you and Pinta.