Old dog with bloat, cancer, kidney issues: Is repeated tapping humane?

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Yogi! I am sorry you are going through this. It is hard to jump in to a case like this with only a CT image. It might be better for you to sign up for a consult with one of out Vets to have a one on one text conversation. My impression of the CT is that there is a mass in Yogi's chest, in the mediastinum. There is abnormal fluid accumulation likely from the mass and there are also suspicious nodules with in his lung tissue. Which I think is safe to assume is metastatic. If Yogi was my dog and he had a chest tumor with suspected metastatic disease I wouldn't pursue further diagnosistics or surgery as his prognosis is very poor. To put him through a painful surgery when it has spread seems unfair for him. If the "biopsy" was really an aspirate they tend to sometimes be non-diagnostic as most tumor cells do not exfoliate well in to a needle. A true tissue sample would be needed. I am not sure knowing which type of cancer he has will change how I would proceed. Another option is to see a Veterinary Specialist. I would recommend an Oncologist. Sitting down with all the tests and having a discussion may help you. You can also call your Vet and ask to sit and talk about the results with out Yogi present. Just so you know all that you can before making any decisions. I am again very sorry for you and Yogi. Let me know if I can help in any other way.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry to hear about Tilly. If her abdomen is filled with fluid, unfortunately aside from draining the fluid out (which has a lot of side effects as well, and is a very very temporary fix), there isn't much you can do. At this stage you have to assess if she is hurting, and if it would be more kind to her to euthanize, so that she doesn't have to go through the pain. Signs that it is time include not wanting to eat, not drinking, not getting up and moving around, not wanting to go on walks, not wanting her favourite toy, not responding to things that normally made her exicted. Signs of pain include tremors/shaking, tensing when you touch her belly, panting, increased breathing rate, increased heart rate, not eating, not moving, not acting herself. If you are seeing signs of pain, or discomfort, or signs that she isn't acting herself, then her quality of life is poor, and helping her out of discomfort with euthanasia needs to be considered. It is a very difficult decision to make, but just keep in mind that although it is difficult for us, removing the pain is one of the greatest gifts we can give to our furry friends, that have given us so much love throughout their lives. I am so sorry that Tilly is so sick.

Abdominocentesis is considered a therapeutic procedure. There is no upper limit of how many times the procedure can be done, just as you said especially if the animal in question is tolerant it. Unlike the thoracic tap or pericardial tap, it does not require intensive after monitoring. Vets may be telling you to let your dog go if they believe that the dog is having other symptoms of failure along side the ascites that are lowering your dog's quality of life. To some vets, they believe that having to remove fluid from the belly regularly isn't a high quality. I do not agree with them, I think it has to be based on an individual basis. Not just for the animal, but for the client as well.

Fluid accumulation in the abdomen is often secondary to heart disease (valvular disease, heart worms, cardiomyopathy) ..or...some type of malignancy. Tumors in the abdominal cavity can sometimes be associated with fluid build up. It is important to do some additional diagnostic tests. Survey radiographs to start, then it may be advised to move on to an ultrasound....either of the heart or if the abdomen depending on radiograph findings. The ultrasound can be particularly helpful in cases like this where fluid accumulation reduces the ability to see vital structures on radiographs. This most likely had nothing to do with a case of overeating. There is likely some disease process that has been going on for some time. I hope you can get some answers soon. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Kane. Fluid in a body cavity could be blood, body fluid, pus from an infection, lymphatic fluid (chyle). Probably not blood since you said the bloodwork was normal. If bleeding occurred Kane would most likely have a lower than normal red blood cell count. Possible causes include liver disease, heart failure, heart base tumor, low protein levels in the blood secondary to liver disease or protein loss into the intestinal tract or through the kidneys (kidney disease), tumor, pancreatitis, leaking of urine from the urinary system, bile leakage, intestinal perforation (hole in the intestinal tract), foreign body, among a few other causes. Your vet can perform an abdominocentesis (stick a needle into the abdomen) and collect some of the fluid and have it analyzed and cultured if needed. Once a diagnosis is made a treatment plan can be put into place. An echocardiogram of the heart may be needed to evaluate the heart for a problem or tumor. I wish you the best of luck with Kane.

I'm sorry that Krispy is having this issue. Unfortunately, we cannot tell you what is wrong with him just by looking at the photos. It does look like he could have ascites. Did they do an abdominal tap to get fluid for analysis? If not, that would be the next step. Ascites can be from liver disease or heart disease. Did they check his heart? Do you have x-rays you could post? Blood testing can also help figure out what is going on. Do you have any blood test results? I'm sorry but we cannot really be of much help without more information. You could always take Krispy to another vet for a second opinion.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concerns. I am sorry to hear that Tara is not doing well. With her history of mast cell tumors, I am concerned that some, if not all, of the tumors you are seeing are mast cell tumors. If the veterinarian is advising euthanasia, it may be the most humane decision to make if she is suffering. If she is no longer eating, is getting sick and if the mass in the throat is causing complications I would take the veterinarian's recommendation into consideration. If she is still eating / drinking and seems to have a good quality of life, then I would maybe consider having the lumps removed and having her blood tested to see if there are any other abnormalities. I would also have chest x-rays taken to see if there is any spread of cancer into the lungs. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.