pets with cancer

A question about : pets with cancer

One of my Guinea Pigs has cancer. I noticed tumours all over her belly. Then a lump on the side of her leg. That one in particular grew more quickly than the others. It's about 3cm across now. The piggy doesn't use that leg now. She hops about on three. Apart from that she's very happy. She purrs and squeeks and is still eating loads of fresh salad (and grass).

I decided not to take her to the vet. The vet would want to put her to sleep. But then the weeks passed, and the months passed and I started to wonder if she did have cancer. It was last spring that I first noticed the problem. So nine months now.

I asked my friend (retired health visitor) to have a look. Yes, cancer. (She said) And don't take it to the vet as they'll want to put it to sleep.

Another friend had a dog diagnosed with cancer. The vet wanted to put it down. Friend said no and took the dog home. It lived, with its cancer, for another seven years.

There seems to be a knee jerk reaction to cancer in animals. Having unsightly lumps perhaps reminds us of our own mortality. As long as a pet remains happy and pain-free I don't see that its life should be ended for the sake of tidiness.

Best answers:

• In 2006 our cat broke his jaw and when he was in the operating theatre I got a phone call to say they had found a lump in his thraot and recommended putting him to sleep right there and then. My husband said no and for the next 6 months we did whatever we could to help him. Sadly the lump grew and he lost his brave fight but we had 6 extra months that we would not have got if the vet had their way.
  I am sure in some instances it is in the best interest of the pet to end their suffering, if indeed they are suffering but I wish they would explore all treatment options before deciding on the final outcome.
• Just to add I really hope your Guinea Pig lives a long and happy life.
• I know many pet owners who've had pets diagnosed with cancers and been offered treatment options. Amputations, chemotherapy, steroids for management and so on. I wouldn't say that all vets want to put down all pets with cancer immediately - there may be some cases where it is the best thing though, if the prognosis is poor.
  I myself used to own rats all through my teens, very prone to tumours, and almost all of them had successful lumpectomies. I only lost two to complications post-op - one girly had a stroke after her second lump removal within a few months of the first, she wasn't a young girl anyway so I'd just tried to give her a chance with the second lump removal but I think it was a bit too much for her. The other was a youngish boy rat with a thyroid tumour - my vet admitted he'd never operated on one before and felt it risky because of the location of it, but as the only other option would be euthanasia due to the location of it (it would impact on his breathing and eating, likely within days because of the rate of growth) I opted for removal. The surgery was actually a success, but unfortunately he died of some complications in recovery.
  From my experiences, and that of those on various dog forums and groups I'm on, I certainly wouldn't avoid veterinary treatment for an animal with cancer. If your guinea pig is avoiding using her leg, my concern would be any pain causing that, and would advise veterinary treatment for her (even if it's just for some steroids and pain relief to keep her happier for a bit longer)
• Not all lumps are cancer. A health visitor would not be able to tell what it was just by looking. A vet trip and a biopsy is needed to see exactly what the problem is. There could well be a simple treatment .
  It is not easy to tell if an animal is in pain, it will only show this when it is finally struggling in the end stages of diesease. I think it is very wrong to not take an animal to the vet. This is cruel moneysaving
• I agree with going to the vet for a correct diagnosis. They can't withhold an animal, or euthanise it without your consent. They may be able to offer pain management treatments, and possibly things like steroids (not to be taken lightly, though) to extend or improve life.
  My oldest cat died of cancer last summer. He had two types, skin cancer on his nose (which was pink and, despite all attempts with sun cream, keeping him in, etc, it still struck - he was a real sun-worshipper) and an internal lymphoma that spread quite quickly.
  Essentially, the senior vet at my practice suggested no treatment unless the cat appeared to be in severe pain, as he was fifteen years old and surgery was ruled out due to his age and the sheer amount of cancer in his abdomen. My vet said that we should let him enjoy his time left, and keep a very close eye on him. When I suggested that he may be hiding the pain, the vet agreed but at that stage, the only thing he could offer was pain relief injections, or possibly something in pill form that would have been stressful to give the cat anyway. I agreed, and our lovely cat had one last summer before collapsing and dying quite quickly one night.
  So yes, under some circumstances, it is okay to leave them alone, but it alos must be decided after a visit with the vet, IMO.
• Last year I noticed our oldest female Burmese cat had a very swollen nipple. She is 16 years old and a neutered retired breeding queen. I whisked her straight to the vets and he did mention breast cancer but put her one course of antibiotics.
  We came back from a weeks holiday in Thailand and the nipple was swollen again. She was taken in for surgery and had the line of breasts removed and a small bit sent off to histology. It came back as cancerous but the vet thinks that he got it all.
  Since then she has gained so much weight! I thought she was just old but obviously the cancer was causing more issues than we could see and not enabling her to get the right nutrients from her food. She is the picture of health (well other than only having two teeth left).
  Vets don't always advise for animals to be PTS, I think your little pig should be seen especially if it has stopped using its leg.
• Surely if the Guinea pig is not using a leg then the leg must be painful!! My cat got a cancer behind her eye which was inoperable , the vet told us to take her home and should there be any changes or bleeding from her nose then to bring her back , she spent another 3mths with us before she was obviously deteriorating and we had the vet put her to sleep..
• This post should be reported to the RSPCA. Withholding medical treatment is listed by them as a form of animal cruelty.
  Any pet should be taken to the vet if something is wrong. A vet can't euthanise without your consent. If they want to put the pet to sleep, question them on what the alternatives are and go to a different vet for a second opinion if you're not satisfied.
  OP's "advice" is sickening.
• Thanks all for your advice. (Apart from the judgmental sickos who follow me around other parts of this site to post snide messages). I'll see what the vet says.
• Actually I was going to say that as far as I am concerned vets have wanted to try every treatment known to man rather than concede that my dog is either old, frail and had a good life, or that the cancer is so aggressive that it is galloping. I have therefore made the decision to let my dogs (sadly more than one) be put to sleep. (In this day and age I do sometimes wonder if some vets see the ЈЈЈs clocking up-sorry if that sounds cynical.)
  However I have always sought the advice of the vet, anything questionable off we go!
  Glad to hear that you are off to the vet. Maybe the verdict will not be as you surmise.