Senior dog refusing food after tonsil biopsy: pain or cancer?

You should follow all prescribed advice from your vet and report any concerns you have about Ciukas to them straight away. Without the lab results it is difficult to fully assess the situtation but I would recommend feeding wet food until the wounds are healed and the pain reduces; hills have formulated a "n/d" diet specifically for cancer patients which has some very promising results and may be worth considering until you get the results to delay any further growth.

Poor guy. Your vet should be able to prescribe several medications to help with Ozzy's pain including: Gabapentin, Tramadol (mild pain control in many cases), Fentanyl patch, Rimadyl (NSAID, for pain) or even Hydromorphone (if severe). He may not be eating due to the pain, so its important to get him something prescribed as soon as possible. A simple phone call should be able to get him the pain medication he needs. We call this palliative care (keeping the pet comfortable) when dealing with inoperable cancerous masses. Until then, you can try offering him some plain boiled chicken or lean ground turkey and white rice OR canned baby food (meat/vegetables) to hopefully entice him to eat something. I DO NOT recommend any over the counter human pain medication as these can be very toxic to pets causing acute liver or kidney failure. I do hope that Ozzy's pain can be managed well soon! Best wishes and take care.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Boppa. The mass appears quite large from your pictures and ulcerated. I assume this is painful to him. If he is no longer eating well, this is also a sign of pain. I recommend discussing euthanasia with his veterinarian. He appears to be a stoic dog based on his breed and other than not eating well, will likely not tell you he is in pain. I am sorry for your situation and hope this information helps.

If she’s in pain she may not want to eat. I’ve found doing some gentle massage and heat to the neck and back can often get them to relax and feel better so they may eat something. Most dogs love wet cat food so I’ll often try that, placing a small amount into her mouth or on her nose so she licks it off. If needed I would take her back for a recheck and they can give her fluids so she doesn’t get dehydrated. Hopefully as she gets better from the bruising her appetite will return. Please keep up with the broth too. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for T.T.

If Taxx is refusing to eat, that could definitely be a sign of pain and discomfort. Unless you are planning on force-feeding him and syringing him water, he will absolutely continue to waste away. In terms of keeping him comfortable, I would just be sure that if he is wobbly and trying to walk, be there to support his weight in case he is falls. There are medications available to stimulate the appetite, and other meds potentially to make him less nauseous if he is experiencing any. I would take him in for an exam first to see what your veterinarian has to say, Unfortunately, this sounds to me like a situation or illness, that is advanced. If your vet concurs that he isn't eating due to discomfort, you may be faced with the choice that no pet owner ever wants to consider. There are pain medications but I don't usually recommend them in a situation like this. I try to ask people to consider if their dog still is able to do some / any of the activities he once enjoyed. If the answer is no, then this an indication there is a total absence of quality of life. Anyway, ultimately my advise is to have him looked at to see if your vet considers some of the types of meds I mentioned as viable options. Hope this all makes sense.

He may still be a little nauseous from the anesthesia or medications that he received. Call your vet and give him/her an update. Your vet may want to prescribe an anti-nausea medication to see if that helps. Continue to offer him fresh water and you could also try some boiled chicken and white rice to see if he will eat that.

Oh no. Poor Zia. Masses like this can be difficult to identify without testing them. I would recommend having it tested if it has been there for more than a few weeks, especially because of the color discoloration. If this is a mass that is potentially cancerous then the vet will recommend removing it surgically. Surgical removal can be curative in a lot of masses if done early. The vet will also want to do bloodwork analysis to check for any other organ malfunctions (liver, kidney, adrenal gland disease) or signs of infection that would explain why she is so ill. In the meantime try offering her slightly warm to cans of baby food and/or plain boiled chicken and rice or cottage cheese to see if you can get her to eat. I hope that you get to the bottom of Zia's illness soon and I hope she makes a full and speedy recovery. Best wishes at the vet tomorrow.