Guest itdoesnotmatter Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Hi all. My dog, Mattie, is a 7-year-old black female who was diagnosed with fibrosarcoma last month. It all started with a swollen gum last November. Her regular vet told me it was periodontal disease (strange considering the rest of her mouth was perfectly healthy), extracted the tooth, and sent us on our way with antibiotics. When her mouth didn't improve, I took her back, and was told for over a month to keep an eye on things, and given more antibiotics because it was "most likely an infection." Finally in January I took her back and insisted that something was wrong - two of her other teeth were not looking good either. I was sent to a specialist and Mattie had three more teeth pulled, plus x-rays and a biopsy. The x-rays showed significant bone loss and the biopsy came back as fibrosarcoma. The vet told - not asked- us to do a mandibulectomy, which was scheduled for Jan. 29th. They planned on doing a hemi-mandibulectomy to remove 2 or 3 inches of her jaw on the right side. During surgery, my husband received a call from the vet. She was just "letting us know" that the tumor had spread significantly and that they had to remove more of her jaw than anticipated. When I saw my girl the following night, I was horrified. They had removed 3/4 of her mandible, leaving her with one tooth on one side and four on the other. The entire front of her jaw was removed. Mattie's tongue was hanging out (as it will for the rest of her life) and everything was swollen and bloody. She came home on Thursday and wouldn't eat until Saturday. I went in for a recheck yesterday and she has lost 7 pounds in about nine days. I won't get into how terribly the vets treated us and how unhappy I am with the whole situation. Mattie has a hole in her cheek from where a pin was inserted into her jaw (not sure why they didn't suture it closed - it is leaking blood and saliva) and a large portion of jaw bone is exposed on the left side (also something I need to "keep an eye on"). $6000 later I'm not even sure if we made the right decision, but we were never given any other option. Mattie is eating now - I have to blend wet food and feed it to her by hand - but is still very thin and weak. To make matters worse, my husband deployed on Sunday and I work full time. Just wondering if anyone else has had a mandibulectomy done on their dog or if they have any advice. Mattie needs to gain weight but she can't eat solid foods, so any advice there would be helpful too. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Sending many prayers. If she can eat it, the best would be liquified kibble, frozen BilJac or canned EVO, or a combination of both. Have you followed up with an oncologist? Consulted with Ohio State? Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PrestosJeff Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Sending positive thoughts to you and Mattie. It must be very hard to deal with. Hope and prayers for a good recovery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest itdoesnotmatter Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Sending many prayers. If she can eat it, the best would be liquified kibble, frozen BilJac or canned EVO, or a combination of both. Have you followed up with an oncologist? Consulted with Ohio State? Thanks for your response. There are oncologists at the VCA that she went to (I live in San Diego) and my father-in-law is a vet. He agreed that we should do the surgery and was sent all of the x-rays and other info. However, I have not been able to find anything out about oral fibrosarcoma in greyhounds, and I feel that their anatomy makes them particularly ill-suited to mandibulectomy. Poor Mattie's nose is so long that it gets in the way when she tries to eat! Are their specialists at Ohio State worth consulting? I don't know anything about that... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Ohio State is the leading center for cancer in greyhounds. You can email or call: Medical Consult: greyosu@osu.edu Couto Guillermo Professor Veterinary Clinical Sciences (614) 292-3551 couto.1@osu.edu Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest itdoesnotmatter Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Ohio State is the leading center for cancer in greyhounds. You can email or call: Medical Consult: greyosu@osu.edu Couto Guillermo Professor Veterinary Clinical Sciences (614) 292-3551 couto.1@osu.edu Thank you so much! I'm already so glad I joined this group I sent him an email and we'll see if he replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tenderhearts Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 When I worked for my vet, we had a client with an English Springer Spaniel who had the same surgery, but not as much of the jaw removed as you described. I know she followed up with chemo and also fed a cancer diet prescription canned food for her girl. Amazingly that girl survived 2 years past the 9-12 month prognosis, and actually ended up losing her battle with mammary cancer after surgery and more chemo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Machbragal Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 I am SO sorry to hear about this. What a horrifying situation, and your poor baby. I don't have any words of advice, I just will pray for your girl and hope that things improve. Hope to hear how she is doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xan Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 First off, hugs. This must be so scary for you, especially while it's all so new. I don't know anything about this particular situation, but I want to send some encouragement about how well she will adapt. I have two dogs with deformed snoots, and they make noise and mess, but they eat well and are healthy. I know of a dog who recently passed from an unrelated issue that had his entire upper jaw chomped off as a wee puppy, and went on to race, pretty well, too! He was the star of his adopted home where he enjoyed shredding the mail with the best of 'em. There's another girl her on GT (sister to one of my deformed pups) who also has a deformed mouth, and she does just fine, too. They look different, no doubt, but they don't worry about that, and eventually you won't either. She will just be your gal, and you'll just be so grateful to have her with you for however long you can. Best of luck and an uneventful recovery. Please keep us updated!! Quote My Inspirations: Grey Pogo, borzoi Katie, Meep the cat, AND MY BELOVED DH!!!Missing Rowdy, Coco, Brilly, Happy and Wabi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patsy Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Mattie, you're "in" on the candle in ND . . . . and work hard on healing up. Quote Patsy and DH with the Humane Society specials, Linus & Jazz, in North Dakota Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackandgrey Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Ohio State is the leading center for cancer in greyhounds. You can email or call: Medical Consult: greyosu@osu.edu Couto Guillermo Professor Veterinary Clinical Sciences (614) 292-3551 couto.1@osu.edu Thank you so much! I'm already so glad I joined this group I sent him an email and we'll see if he replies. Oh he will reply. to you and your baby. Quote Susan, Jessie and Jordy NORTHERN SKY GREYHOUND ADOPTION ASSOCIATION Jack, in my heart forever March 1999-Nov 21, 2008 My Dancing Queen Jilly with me always and forever Aug 12, 2003-Oct 15, 2010 Joshy I will love you always Aug 1, 2004-Feb 22,2013 Jonah my sweetheart May 2000 - Jan 2015 " You will never need to be alone again. I promise this. As your dog, I will sing this promise to you, and whisper it to you at night, every night, with my breath." Stanley Coren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 A friend's sheltie had most of his lower jaw removed due to a cancerous growth. He was able to eat semi-liquid food on his own. Perhaps your pup would benefit from syringe feeding and/or one of the hi-cal supplements (is one called Dyne?). I'm sorry you're going through this. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HeatherDemps Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 (edited) I am not familiar with this cancer or the procedure but did just want to say that I am so sorry that you and your hound are going through this. If you haven't already, it might be worth joining Circle of Grey. GT and COG have been very helpful to me as we have gone through osteo with Dempsey. Edited February 8, 2008 by HeatherDemps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest itdoesnotmatter Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Hello everyone. What an afternoon. I returned home at 1:30 from work to find that Mattie had urinated on the carpet (second time this week and VERY unusual for her). There was a lot of blood in her water dish and I noticed a split in her lip that I hadn't seen before, so I decided to take her to the vet. Apparently the split is a cleft that has been there since the surgery (maybe I didn't see it because of the swelling before?) and there was no advice on the other stuff. Unfortunately, the biopsy came back while I was in the office. The margins of the tumor were NOT clean - the tumor has moved into the nerve and is now neurofibrosarcoma. The vet had no advice other than talking with an internist next week. She felt we could pursue radiation or chemotherapy (although I've heard this is not helpful with these tumors), which would possibly extend Mattie's life but would not cure her. I'm not sure where to go from here, but for now I've got a system down for feeding her (softened kibble blended with a/d and another brand of high-fat canned food) and if I scoop it in with my hand she does pretty well. Thanks to all for your kind words and advice! It's so nice to talk to other greyhound owners -Mara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vahoundlover Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 I am so sorry you and Mattie are going thru this and now more bad news. Sending prayers you two have many many happy days together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grey14me Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 just sending hugs and prayers :hope Quote Michelle...forever missing her girls, Holly 5/22/99-9/13/10 and Bailey 8/1/93-7/11/05 Religion is the smile on a dog...Edie Brickell Wag more, bark less :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GreytMuse Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Please continue to keep us updated. Your family and Mattie are in my thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamborine Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Mara, it's good to hear that Mattie is eating - with her new snoot configuration, she'll probably need some time to figure out what's the best way for her, but at least she's got an appetite. Right now you've got to make sure her pain is controlled, watch for infection, and decide what your next action will be regarding treatment. Contacting Dr. Couto is a great idea - he's a leader in the field, and a good person, too. He'll get back to you. As for food, canned EVO might be a good choice; it's similar in makeup to Hills prescription ND, their cancer diet (low carb/high protein/high fat). But if she's eating whatever combo you're feeding her now, that's great! You'll probably only need to do the hand-feeding during this acute convalescence period. My girl Stephanie is one of the deformed-snoot hounds Xan referred to above (her grey's half-sister). She has hypoplastic lips on one side, meaning her mouth is always open, even when it's closed, and virtually no teeth on top, among other things. But she eats EVERYTHING. It gets a little messy sometimes, especially when she drinks, but it's not really of any concern. I think once Mattie gets used to the modifications made to her jaw, and she's healed up from surgery, she'll cope just fine with it, and be able to eat on her own. Wondering why they're referring you to an internist for Mattie's follow-up care? I would think an oncologist would be more appropriate. See what OSU says about treatment options. Sending healing thoughts and to Mattie (and you)! Quote Maryann, Bama (TW Beltram), Stephanie (Tom's Stepinhi) & Henderson the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest itdoesnotmatter Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Good morning everyone. No real news to report, other than that Dr. Couto did get back to me and asked that the path report be faxed to him. I asked my vet to send it and they said they would, but I'll definitely follow up if I haven't heard anything by the end of the day. And yes, he agreed that an oncologist should look at this, not an internist. I'm not sure why my vet said that... Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers, and for recommending Dr. Couto! I only wish I had joined this group sooner, as I am now realizing that the surgeon I was referred to by my regular vet was probably not the best person for the job For now, I'm leaving work in half an hour and praying that Mattie is okay when I get home! I never know what the day will bring. Thanks again everyone. -Mara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xan Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Hi Mara. Checking in. Glad to hear you got through to Dr. Couto. He's a wonderful person, and we're so lucky to have him in our greyhound world! I hope he can give you some helpful guidance. Hugs to Matty. Remember, she'll adjust. These guys are so incredibly adaptable!! Quote My Inspirations: Grey Pogo, borzoi Katie, Meep the cat, AND MY BELOVED DH!!!Missing Rowdy, Coco, Brilly, Happy and Wabi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest itdoesnotmatter Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 hi everyone. yesterday i noticed that one of mattie's glands seemed swollen. i talked to my father-in-law (a vet) on the phone and he said it was just swollen salivary glands and to put a hot compress on there. the swelling seems to be getting worse. any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytlady94 Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Mara I am so sorry that Mattie and you are going through this. Sending prayers for Mattie and you and for your husband with his deploymant. Quote Greyhound angels at the bridge- Casey, Charlie, Maggie, Molly, Renie, Lucy & Teddy. Beagle angels Peanut and Charlie. And to all the 4 legged Bridge souls who have touched my heart, thank you. When a greyhound looks into you eyes it seems they touch your very soul. "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more then he loves himself". Josh Billings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tricolorhounds Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Sending out to Mattie... We are in San Diego county too... but my vet is actually in San Diego. Where is the Vet that you've gone to? Where was the surgery performed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vahoundlover Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Checking in on Mattie, hope the swelling has gone down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HeatherDemps Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Also just checking in..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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