My dog has a uterine tumor, pancreatitis, and isn't eating. Can she wait?

I'm sorry Scruffy isn't doing well! I see that she isn't spayed, which makes me concerned that her symptoms could be caused by a pyometra. This is an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment. It would make her lethargic, not want to move much, reduce her appetite, and will be painful. It could also be that she injured herself causing these symptoms. Because I can't see her in person and rule out a pyometra, my recommendation would be to monitor her very closely. If you see any discharge coming from her vaginal area, her belly becomes larger, she starts vomiting, and/or won't move at all, these can be signs of a pyometra and she absolutely cannot wait until tomorrow to see a vet. In that case, rush her into an ER vet; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet will be found on a clinic's answering machine or website. I would hold off on food after midnight tonight and do not give her any breakfast in the morning in case the vet wants to take x-rays and needs to sedate her. She can have water, however. Rest her as much as possible. Get her into a vet as soon as possible if the symptoms you describe continue in the morning. If she does have a pyometra, spaying her is part of the recommended treatment. Good luck, I hope this helps!

I think it depends on how stable she is, what her overall quality of life is aside from this sudden new issue. (Here is some helpful information about quality of life: https://www.lapoflove.com/Quality-of-Life ). It also depends on her prognosis after surgery, which your vet can help you determine. I think surgery and euthanasia are both reasonable in this situation, but the can't tell you which would be better from your description. I hope that helps and I'm sorry your family is going through this.

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.

You still can save her, she needs an urgent surgery to have her uterus removed as she most probably is suffering from a severe uterine infection, the surgery will solve the problem completely and she will continue to live a normal life after it.

It really depends on how severe the pancreatitis is to say what the prognosis would be. With her being weak and older she would benefit most from intense treatment. You really have to look at her quality of life when deciding on how aggressive you want to treat. I would discuss this with your veterinarian what would be the best option for Aiko. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Pancreatitis can present in many ways, the majority of which are nauseous and painful but not particularly weak and debilitated and respond favourably to symptomatic treatment and an ultra low fat diet. Severe pancreatitis is very rare and typically prevents with severe dehydration and collapse and can become life threatening, requiring hospital treatment

While most mammary rumors are benign adenomas some can be more malignant carcinomas. Even the benign tumors should be removed since they tend to grow over time and can cause inflammation of the mammary gland. If your vet feels Shadow is not a good candidate for anesthesia you could always ask about referral to a speciality hospital that may be better equipped for higher risk pets. If surgery is completely out of the question and you’re interested in comfort care you and your vet could simply monitor Shadow for signs of pain or inflammation. Mammary carcinomas tend to spread to the lungs so you should also watch to see if her cough worsens or if she is having trouble breathing.