Testicular tumour & risks of general anaesthetic for older setters

[Tony Williams]

Hi all,

My name is Tony and I own a 11yr 2mth old English Setter boy who's name is Mitch. I stumbled upon this forum whilst researching the risks of general anaesthetic and testicular tumours in older setters, which much to my dismay Mitch has just been diagnosed with. This website seems like a kindly and knowledgeable place to get some much needed advice/thoughts on the above, which I hope you don't mind is the main reason why I have just joined.

The current situation is that I have Mitch booked in with my vet on tuesday morning for pre-op blood tests to check liver & kidneys, which if ok will be followed by testicle removal on the same day. She (my vet) has informed me of the risks involved with the anaesthetic and that surgery generally has a good success rate. She also said that if I choose to not have surgery  then this type of tumour is usually not particularly aggresive, but couldn't give me an estimate of how long Mitch could go on for.

Even though I have Mitch booked for surgery I am still at sixes and sevens (to put it mildly) whether to go through with it or leave well alone and let things take their course. Most of my family and friends think that surgery would be the best option and am leaning slightly that way myself. I realise that the decision is down to me in the end and that no two cases are the same but would welcome and appreciate any thoughts, especially from members who have had experience with testicular tumours  in their setters or had older dogs put under general anaesthetic for something else. Goes without saying really that I love my boy to bits and only want to do what's best for him.

I should also mention that with the exception of some arthritis and being on medication for an underactive thyroid, Mitch is in good condition and when we're out walking people often say how good he looks for his age.

Tony

 

 

 

 

[Tony Williams]

Thanks Tracy and Teresa.

[Howard Glansfield]

I hope you stay on this group Tony and ,anyway,we need progress reports on MItch,so you have to stay really!

Sometimes liver enzymes are raised in older dogs(as with us) and it is probably nothing to worry about .

[Tony Williams]

No plans to leave the group Howard, I would be a fool not to stay on in a place with such helpful friendly folk. Just wish I had found about this site years ago.

Mitch seems to be recovering ok. I slept downstairs with him last night, he had me up a couple of times to to relieve himself in the garden, which included a very loose stool with some blood. This could well be due to his colitis (forgot to mention that in my original post) which he's occasionally suffered from for many years. He was just getting over a bout of colitis when I discovered the tumour (it never rains!), so maybe the stress of the op has caused it to flare-up again. Anyway, my wife is currently on her way to the vets to pay their fees and is going to have a word with them about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sheree Parrish]

I'm so pleased he made it through the op ok.  My oldie, (that I lost last summer aged nearly 10), also suffered from colitis.  I would keep a bottle of kaolin handy for when he was really bad, and kept him on a diet of either fish and mashed potatoes or rabbit, that seemed to suit him better than a lot of things.

I hope Mitch continues to improve and you can start to relax again :-)

[Tony Williams]

Thanks Sheree, I have Mitch on a fish based dry food and add some boiled chicken to spice it up a bit.- it seems to suit him ok. What tends to spark his colitis off is if he eats something he shouldn't when we are out for a walk (we live in sheep country, can't avoid them or what they leave behind), or if he gets a sniff of a bitch in season, which stresses him right out. Don't think that will be happening from now on though!

My wife arrived home from the vets who gave her a stomach soothing paste called Canikur Pro, this is the same stuff I was prescribed to treat Mitch's recent bout of colitis that I mentioned. She added that if it does not clear up within 3 days then something else might be causing the problem(?)

Mitch has not opened his bowels since he passed the loose stool at midnight which is a good sign, but I just can't help being concerned that these recent bowel problems might be due to the cancer. Other factors that are causing me anxiety -  his appetite has not been good this past couple of weeks and he's lost a fair amount of weight. Just hope that I'm worrying unduly again.

 

 

 

 

 

[Teresa]

Every single one of my dogs had gastric problems after being under anesthesia - generally diarrhea. If he has colitis and had an episode recently I wouldn't be surprised that it came back - surgery is always a stress to your body, no matter how well you cope with it.

As for the liver, I'd keep a close eye on it, but wouldn't worry too much - older dogs tend to have some enzime alterations somewhere sooner or later.

Maybe his appetite being down is related to finding out the tumor? Even if he was feeling OK, he may have felt your stress and reacted to it? 

 

Please keep us updated on how he is doing!

[Lynn Spencer]

Tony, I am so happy to hear this wonderful news.  Go & enjoy your beautiful boy.  Fantastic.

[Howard Glansfield]

Fred has tummy problems and we use Peptac,it is like Gaviscon but a lot cheaper.I get mine from my Chemist's.

Feed Fred chicken and his stomach is terrible.Lamb is best for him and milk is a definite no no.

[Tony Williams]

Helpful and reassuring advice once again folks! My wife has often said to give him something like kaolin for his colitis but I have always been a stickler for buying the 'proper gear' from the vet, I certainly would have saved some money over the years if I had listened to her. As mentioned earlier - I wish I had found this forum years ago!

Teresa may well be right about the stress related thing. My wife has always said that I'm a natural born worrier and I have certainly been an anxious chap since finding the tumor....might not be a bad idea  for me to pop down the doctor's for a few chill-out pills. Seriously though, I do need to lighten up and not get ahead of myself  thinking the worst before it happens.

Now back to the main man - latest news on Mitch is that he's certainly on the mend and has perked up a lot this afternoon - plenty of tail wagging going on and he's just wolfed down a decent sized bowl of chicken and rice, which is what we feed him when his stomach is playing up. He even turned over on his back for his customary belly rub but thought better of it when I tried to oblige :)  Won't be walking him for a few days, but I can't wait for us to get back up in the hills again once he's fit, with luck this awful weather will improve by then.

Thanks for your kind words Lynn, much appreciated.

[lyn hathaway]

so pleased mitch has made it thru the operation tony .these are very upsetting times for us owners when our dogs are ill hope he makes a quick recovery and that the test are ok.

p.s welcome to this wonderful site

[Cheryl Gorey]

Hi Tony,

I have been reading your discussion with interest.  I didn't have any experience or advice to give on this topic, but I am so glad that Mitch has come through the op so well and I wish him the best recovery and look forward to reading updates.  These oldies are so special! 

cheers, Cheryl

[Howard Glansfield]

Reading the advice on giving Kaolin,I understand that you can also give dogs ,with

diarrhoea, immodium or Loperamide.The dosage is about 0.8mg per kilo of body weight.It certaily works for Fred when he is 'loose' .Some of the noises his stomach makes when it is upset are unbelievable.And,I have to admit,sometimes funny.

I am pleased Mitch is doing so well.I hope you will be back on your favourite walk soon.