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Stomach Cancer?


Guest lgmaddox

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Guest lgmaddox

Hi all - arghh, I just posted the other day about my 14 yr old's lumbar stenosis. She is on ultram and metacam. Long story short - she woke me up at 3am, and 9am, last thing with vomiting a large amount of blood. I took her to the vet (obviously) who thought it is either stomach cancer, or a reaction to the metacam. She's only been on it about a week, after a break of several months. She has been worse the past week with inability to get up, unstable, etc. She also had tarry diarrhea in the vet's office - not at home.

 

His recommendations were medications for her stomach (OTC and prescription) and/or euthanasia, given her condition and age.

 

She is resting now, I have her meds, including some Zanax if I need to calm her down. She's been panting and agitated.

 

Any experience out there with this? I have been crying all morning. I will do what I need to, but if she can improve I will hold off on the probably inevitable.

 

Thanks guys.

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It does look like Metacam is the likely suspect, but it's odd that (if I understand correctly) she tolerated it previously. On the previous occasion(S), was she on it long? At the same dosage? Has anything else changed?

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Guest lgmaddox

I really hope you guys are all right, and it's just the metacam. She had been off it for a few months, I thought she was having a reaction to it - and then literally just started her up last week. The stomach cancer seemed weird - it's not that common in female dogs or greyhounds. I was like, waaahhh??....

 

If I can get these down her, she will be on: Pepcid AC, 20mg, Carafate 1grm, misoprostol 100 mcg, ultram 25mg, zanax 1mg if needed.

 

How could one week of metacam cause all this though? She had been on it for about 1.5 yrs until a break in May. Same dosage, about 40-50ml.

 

Nothing remotely like this prior, except the typical occasional hound diarrhea. And that's been ages.

 

I hope we get through this.

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Guest lgmaddox

As it turned out, I very sadly had to put Grace down Sunday late. The second vet also said stomach cancer, which I just don't get. No obvious digestive problems. And that the metacam was unlikely as it had only been a week and she had tolerated it for over a year before.

 

I posted a notice in remembrances. I miss her terribly, the house is so empty.

 

Thank you all for your help.

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Guest my3greys

I am so sorry for your loss. I read your posts and hesitated to respond because you had hope it was the meds. We just loss our Gracie, 8 yrs old to stomach cancer on june 17th. She started with diarrea and we thouht she had eaten something. Suddenly she swelled all under her neck and then her whole body swelled, legs feet etc. The vet found her albutum levels were so slow and protein levels were very low. Suspect a cancer in intestines but also could have been IBS. We treated with prednisone and she just got worse over next two weeks. then one night she started vomiting, looked deyhdrated and as the vet had advised, we rushed her in to vets to have her put down. I was not going to let her suffer any longer. The vet said we could have put her thru biopsy surgeries to find exactly where and if it was truly cancer, but he said with her levels so low, she would not heal. So we did what was best for her, as you did for your Gracie. You made the right decision. Gracie panted horribly and the vet said that was from pain. God bless you for doing the humane thing for your girl. I understand how you feel. We still cry over grace and we have two more greys here that are still looking for her to come home.

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Guest lgmaddox
I am so sorry for your loss. I read your posts and hesitated to respond because you had hope it was the meds. We just loss our Gracie, 8 yrs old to stomach cancer on june 17th. She started with diarrea and we thouht she had eaten something. Suddenly she swelled all under her neck and then her whole body swelled, legs feet etc. The vet found her albutum levels were so slow and protein levels were very low. Suspect a cancer in intestines but also could have been IBS. We treated with prednisone and she just got worse over next two weeks. then one night she started vomiting, looked deyhdrated and as the vet had advised, we rushed her in to vets to have her put down. I was not going to let her suffer any longer. The vet said we could have put her thru biopsy surgeries to find exactly where and if it was truly cancer, but he said with her levels so low, she would not heal. So we did what was best for her, as you did for your Gracie. You made the right decision. Gracie panted horribly and the vet said that was from pain. God bless you for doing the humane thing for your girl. I understand how you feel. We still cry over grace and we have two more greys here that are still looking for her to come home.

 

I am so sorry. And stomach cancer is supposed to be rare. Gracie (14yrs) was doing a similar thing, the panting, the collapsing and being unable to get up (which I thought was the LS), no swelling, but the vet said her abdomen was tender. I slept with her out in the living room that nite, she got me up twice, the last time vomiting a large amount of blood - old and new. I rushed her to the vet, who said it could be the metacam, but she'd already tolerated it for 1.5 yrs, and had a 3 month break. Same thing, only biopsy would confirm SCa. She started to have tarry diarrhea in the vets' office. I got about 3 bottles of prescription pills I never got to use, took her home and let her try to sleep. Gave her ultram and zanax, she slept that evening but by the next afternoon it was obvious she was not going to make it. I had her put down late Sunday.

 

You made the right decision too. I just wailed, I felt so bad for her, and did not want to lose her. They're no longer in pain. I cry every day, lost my appetite and am just in despair. She was my best friend. I live by myself and it's so quiet.

 

We did the right thing. I couldn't let her suffer, and it looked like she was beyond help.

 

So sorry for your loss. I grieve with you.

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