Should I remove my senior dog's bladder tumor for her quality of life?

It really depends on the location of the tumor in the bladder. If the tumor is located near vital structures like the ureter or urethra than it will be extremely difficult to remove the tumor. You could take her to a veterinary specialist (oncologist and/or a surgeon) for a second opinion to determine the best way to treat. Radiation and/or chemotherapy may be help.

Poor Zoe! Depending on the size of the stone and whether or not she is currently having problems with the stones (urinary tract infections, bloody urine, difficulty urinating, etc) is whether or not I would address the stones first. If so, then I would have the stone removed and possibly remove the tumor at the same time if possible. If it isn’t possible to remove it then maybe the vet will be able to just take a biopsy of it. I have seen some mammary tumors that look bad but when sent off to the lab, they shockingly come back as benign. Mammary tumors in dogs are 50% benign and 50% malignant so you need a biopsy or to send in the mass to say for sure. If she isn’t having trouble with the stone and it isn’t too large, then it may be wise to take a biopsy of the mass first. If it is malignant, you may decide to not do the bladder surgery at all and just keep her comfortable. Mammary cancer is usually quite aggressive and spreads rather quickly. I hope this helps to guide you in her treatment. If you have additional questions, feel free to set up a consult with me. I am more than happy to give you my opinion where I am able.

At his age, you need to consider his overall quality of life. The tumor is likely to grow. I would look at how happy he is. If he is miserable by trying to urinate and not having a good stream then that is uncomfortable for him. IF he has no appetite or can't swallow from the tumor, then there is no quality of life and it is most humane to help him pass in minimal amount of pain. If he is still happy and enjoys life, then you can let him continue until these things become a problem then tell him good bye

The blood could be coming from the tumor itself, or sometimes dogs with tumors are more likely to develop urinary tract infections. If she is also straining to urinate it may be that her quality of life is beginning to be affected. Before you make any decisions you should recheck with your vet. They could check her urine for bacteria and can also discuss what signs to look for that might indicate it is time to consider euthanasia.

It would be more dangerous to let Roma live with the stones. Leaving them in her will cause irritation and damage to the bladder lining, leading to bleeding. The stones will also inflame and irritate the bladder walls causing swelling and pain. There is also the potential that the stones could cause an obstruction of the urethra which fatal without treatment. Old age isn't a reason to not do surgery, and as long as she is otherwise healthy, I would recommend having these stones removed from Roma's bladder.

I'm sorry that Foofie has a tumor! Given that she is very active and if she is otherwise healthy, I see no reason why the tumor can't be removed. The growth of this tumor is affecting her teeth, and it could affect them to the point she has difficulty eating. Not eating would lead her to be very weak and sick, and you want to avoid that. You can have the first vet doing a geriatric blood panel and urinalysis to see how her organs are functioning overall, which would give an idea of how she would fair under anesthesia for the tumor removal. Personally if it were my dog, I would have it removed, but that's me. I would have another conversation with the first vet. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Unfortunately, this is a difficult situation because most tumors that are cancerous and rupture are not going to heal on their own. A double mastectomy will be a very large and could be difficult recovery time for an 11 year old dog. Also, please know that even with surgery, you may not get another 3 years out of her simply because she is already at the top end of her life span. Also, there is always the risk that the cancer has already spread. Another option you may want to talk to your vet about is whether they can just do a palliative "debulking" of the mass that has ruptured. If there is a way to just resect the one tumor that has ruptured, this potentially could give her a good quality of life without doing a full double mastectomy. With the tumor being ruptured, I am afraid you are being forced to either do a debulking surgery, full mastectomy, or euthanasia. Leaving it alone isn't a good option because it won't likely heal on its own and if it isn't already, it will become infected.