Pets

[Dan]

Here's one with Max & Jack....

The difference between Jack (English Staffy) and Max (American Staffy) mainly is that the American breed are bigger.

 

[curiousLplater]

Sorry to hear about your loss Gabbie, I know how you feel. Thoughts are with you.

 

[Dan]

Some more of Max....

 

[ShinbonerBaz]

Some more of Max....

Getting bigger, love the first photo Dan

 

[curiousLplater]

good looking little fellow Dan

 

[ShinbonerBaz]

Little did I know that when I posted on this thread a couple of weeks ago that we would now be facing a horrible siutation with one of our two cats. We acquired Bella and Milo from a nearby veterinary practice about 9 years ago. Last Monday night Bella was very unwell with sudden swelling in her mouth which we initially thought was an abscess but when taken to the same vets the next morning,was diagnosed as a very aggressive tumour in the mouth called squamous cell carninoma.

There is s surgical procedure that can be undertaken where half the jaw is removed, known as a hemi mandibulectomy. In dogs the surgery is very successful however in cats it is nowhere near as successful. It is not so much a matter of successfully removing the tumour; the success factor lies in the fact that a number of cats never learn to eat again. They can however be fed via a tube in through the abdomen and provided the tumour has all been removed the cat can have a reasonble chance of a normal life expectancy.

Nevertheless we decided to have the surgery done and this morning took her to a specialist veterinary hospital in Moorabbin where they do this surgery. Unfortunately when they performed further scans they discoverd that the tumour has spread across her jaw which will require approximately three quarters of her jaw to be removed. This means that it is almost certain that she will not regain the ability to eat.

My view remains unchanged. We should still go ahead with the surgery. Mrs. H differs significantly with that view. If the surgery is not undertaken Bella has at best about two months to live. Ms. H is extremely distraught however is tending to agree with Mrs. H.

I actually don't see that all that much has changed. Clearly Bella's quality of life will be diminished a little, but who are we to question whether she will be better off from a quality of life perspective?

As I think I also said in this thread, I grew up on a dairy farm. I have truly seen many cows (and one or two cats) come back literally from the dead and live well beyond what might have been expected at the height of their illness. We have always taken the view that you try whatever you can and if you fail well at least it isn't for trying. There have been some terribly sick animals that we have nursed back to full health over the years.

We have also had vets who have diagnosed very short lifespans for some of these animals. As an example one cow aged 13 was diagnosed with a twisted bowell, requiring surgery but was deemed to be too old to operate on. She was given a few days to live but miraculously the bowell righted itself and she eventually died at the age of 21.

I know I am going to get rolled on this by Mrs. H, who currently refuses to even listen to anything I try to say. (Not an unusual situation might I add.)

Does anyone have any view on this? Thanks.

Not wanting to pry Horace, and dredding the possible answer, but what was the outcome, if you don't mind my asking?

 

[Horace]

Not wanting to pry Horace, and dredding the possible answer, but what was the outcome, if you don't mind my asking?

Not prying ShinbonerBaz. Thanks for asking. We ultimately were unable to do the surgery as when we got to the stage of doing it, the turmour had spread to far. Things looked very grim however and in the face of much resistance from Mrs. H., after much toing and froing I managed to persuade everyone else here, with the encouragement of the Vets, to put Bella onto a drug called Palladia, which is a form of chemotherapy. She has been on it for 4 weeks now and we go back to the vets on Monday to assess whereto from here.

She has gained a small amount of weight, her appetite is up and we, well really I, feed her whenever she wants something. All of the signs that I, and my family through our farming background, look for are good. Her eyes are clear, her coat is healthy, she eats well, she purrs, she gets around with her tail up, goes outside and does the things she has always done and generally speaking seems to be enjoying her life despite the inconvenience that the damage the tumour has done to her mouth.

My view is that we have slowed the spread of the tumour and so have extended her life a bit without compromising her quality of life. We are gaining a few more weeks/months with her, which I believe we are all enjoying. Interestingly, she seems to have become more attached to me, although I suppose that is to be expected, given I feed her whatever she wants, whenever she wants it.

I am very glad we have had a go. If you don't have a go then you can never know if you might have made a difference. Again thanks for asking ShinbonerBaz.

 

[ShinbonerBaz]

Not prying ShinbonerBaz. Thanks for asking. We ultimately were unable to do the surgery as when we got to the stage of doing it, the turmour had spread to far. Things looked very grim however and in the face of much resistance from Mrs. H., after much toing and froing I managed to persuade everyone else here, with the encouragement of the Vets, to put Bella onto a drug called Palladia, which is a form of chemotherapy. She has been on it for 4 weeks now and we go back to the vets on Monday to assess whereto from here.

She has gained a small amount of weight, her appetite is up and we, well really I, feed her whenever she wants something. All of the signs that I, and my family through our farming background, look for are good. Her eyes are clear, her coat is healthy, she eats well, she purrs, she gets around with her tail up, goes outside and does the things she has always done and generally speaking seems to be enjoying her life despite the inconvenience that the damage the tumour has done to her mouth.

My view is that we have slowed the spread of the tumour and so have extended her life a bit without compromising her quality of life. We are gaining a few more weeks/months with her, which I believe we are all enjoying. Interestingly, she seems to have become more attached to me, although I suppose that is to be expected, given I feed her whatever she wants, whenever she wants it.

I am very glad we have had a go. If you don't have a go then you can never know if you might have made a difference. Again thanks for asking ShinbonerBaz.

No, thanks for sharing mate, glad to hear that things have turned out so positively for you, your family and especially Bella. Hope you really enjoy the extra time this has enabled you to have with her.

 

[Horace]

No, thanks for sharing mate, glad to hear that things have turned out so positively for you, your family and especially Bella. Hope you really enjoy the extra time this has enabled you to have with her.

Thanks mate. Much appreciated.

 

[rocker_oz33]

Nice looking puppy dan the man.

 

[Dan]

Nice looking puppy dan the man.

Thanks

 

[Twinkletoes]

Sorry to read that tumour story Horace. We had the hemi mandibulectomy done on our younger dog Archer, who'd been written off by the vet who referred us to South Paws in Moorabbin. He survived the op, and lives on today as healthy as ever, despite having another growth removed from his head in the past year. Unfortunately whilst going through all of this with one dog, our older dog Bella, who was my baby, collapsed in the yard and was diagnosed with a terminal tumour as it was a secondary.

I love our dog(s) and cat(s), having lost one of each, and would always go the "whatever it takes" route, regardless of expense.

All the best mate.

 

[Gabbie]

G'day Max Nice looking Pup Dan, how is Jack handling the new addition?

Aaawwww Dan what a dear lil dog..What Baz says how is Jack coping???

I haven't been on this page for some time it's been too hard still looking at other peoples pet photos..Bondi Vet is banned at my house for the moment. BUT am excited about recording 101 Dalmations this weekend on the Disney Channel..the animated version..just to save for the memory. Gawd I was a blubbering idiot the other nite watching some dog show..oi. It's getter better.

 

[Gabbie]

It's bloody hard and I don't envy the situation you or your family are in H. I am pretty stoic in most situations, but I already know that I am going to be a total mess when I am eventually faced with a similar inevitable problem when Archie gets older. The very fact that you (and others in similar situations who have previously posted in this thread) are having such a hard time dealing with what to do just reinforces to me that you are obviously responsible and caring pet owners, your pets are all the better for having you in their lives others, unfortunately, are not so lucky. As before, best wishes to you all.

I hear you Baz..don't want to sound like a miserable old lady but when Bonnie passed I was devasted as I was the one who had to make the decision, but having Clyde made it easier to cope but now he's gone..it's taken longer to get over it. Our pets are our best mates, they don't care how we look, sing or dance..Now if I spot a dog I give it extra pats and "oooo you're a good doggie"...I'm thinking of fostering pets..easier for me and them all round..don't think I could cope with a full time dog at the moment, losing two in a year..give Archie a hug from me.

 

[ShinbonerBaz]

Aaawwww Dan what a dear lil dog..What Baz says how is Jack coping???

I haven't been on this page for some time it's been too hard still looking at other peoples pet photos..Bondi Vet is banned at my house for the moment. BUT am excited about recording 101 Dalmations this weekend on the Disney Channel..the animated version..just to save for the memory. Gawd I was a blubbering idiot the other nite watching some dog show..oi. It's getter better.

I hear you Baz..don't want to sound like a miserable old lady but when Bonnie passed I was devasted as I was the one who had to make the decision, but having Clyde made it easier to cope but now he's gone..it's taken longer to get over it. Our pets are our best mates, they don't care how we look, sing or dance..Now if I spot a dog I give it extra pats and "oooo you're a good doggie"...I'm thinking of fostering pets..easier for me and them all round..don't think I could cope with a full time dog at the moment, losing two in a year..give Archie a hug from me.

Noticed you hadn't been on here for a while Gab and thought this might have been the reason. Hope you do decide to foster in time, of course you'll put pics up of any of the lucky mutts.
Hugged Archie for ya, he got his usual quick, sly, lick in and I gave him the usual mock disapproval.

 

[Dan]

Aaawwww Dan what a dear lil dog..What Baz says how is Jack coping???

I haven't been on this page for some time it's been too hard still looking at other peoples pet photos..Bondi Vet is banned at my house for the moment. BUT am excited about recording 101 Dalmations this weekend on the Disney Channel..the animated version..just to save for the memory. Gawd I was a blubbering idiot the other nite watching some dog show..oi. It's getter better.

They are getting along very well. They wanna play all the time and we try to limit that given one dog is nearly fully grown and the other is just a small pup. Although it won't be long till Max is Jack's size, he is growing very quickly.

How are you holding up Gabbie?

 

[Gabbie]

Doing good here Dan..thumping the Tiges helps.

 

[curiousLplater]

I really enjoy this thread, kudos to all.

By the way Banjo is still going strong, hesitates when he needs to walk up the stairs (2). But is happy otherwise.

Serious questions will need to be asked in the next few months I think.

 

[trevagreene]

One of the Chester. Currently experiencing men's health issues.

 

[trevagreene]

..and one of Olivia..

 

[trevagreene]

Olivia - Footballers knees - 3 Reco's !!
Chester - 1 Reco !!!

 

[Dan]

Photo from a few days ago...

 

[Dan]

One from in the car recently....

 

[Gabbie]

Just popping in guys and gals to see how your fur babies are doing..Oi Dan..that newbie of yours is one cutie patootie..

I was lucky to dog sit a friend's black Lab a couple of weeks ago for 9 days...he was sooooooo good and playful tho 7 yrs old..I spoilt him rotten, of course, and by day 3 he was sleeping on the end of my bed..yikes, my two were never allowed on my bed, no room for me..the only minor hitch was the two new staffies at the back took an exception to him..oi if they could have got through a 6 foot paling fence they would have..lucky he ignored them while we played ball..they must have been jealous..the best part of dog sitting is it's not heartbreaking when the owners come to get them..win win in a way, I get the company of a dog and some cash.

 

[Gabbie]

I really enjoy this thread, kudos to all.

By the way Banjo is still going strong, hesitates when he needs to walk up the stairs (2). But is happy otherwise.

Serious questions will need to be asked in the next few months I think.

Awwwwwwwww.