So I've been fostering the sweetest golden retriever for 7 months now who happens to have a cancerous tumor on her face. She was found at a construction site in Fayetville with the growth. I am wondering if anyone has seen anything like this before? The tumor has grown a lot and maybe even doubled in size. I am worried because it has definetly grown more under her left eye. She goes to the vet for a recheck every month. It doesn't seem to bother her but she is on pain medication just in case. She is also on prednisone in hopes that it could shrink the growth. I love this little girl so much now and she is a huge part of our family. The vet thinks she only has a few months to live but I do not believe it. She is truley an angel. Please only post if appropriate.







[Edited on January 28, 2006 at 1:49 AM. Reason : can't figure out pictures]

1/28/2006 1:44:30 AM

1/28/2006 1:49:32 AM

By the way her name is Cali. Here is another picture of her & my dog Zoe. Really want to see if I can figure out how to upload pics on here myself!

1/28/2006 1:53:55 AM

Looks like you did it.

1/28/2006 1:55:20 AM

shes a beautiful dog.. i really admire you for taking care of her, most people wouldnt - i think a little love will do her fine :-)

1/28/2006 2:19:31 AM

jen, i have never seen a tumor like that before. Does the vet want to remove it? Did they do an aspirate of it to see if there are cancer cells? Can the rescue raise money to remove it? I would donate some. My foster just needed fho's on both hips and we raised the money for it. I can help you raise money if you need to. good luck!

1/28/2006 7:13:31 AM

^word

if you get to the donation phase let me know.

1/28/2006 7:51:58 AM

have they aspirated to even see what this is?

1/28/2006 10:35:18 AM

Yes they did a biopsy and it was negative for fungus, bacteria & cancer. The vet doesn't know what else it would be & at the rate it is growing believes it has to be malignant. I wasn't happy with this unexplainale diagnosis & had her seen by 3 other vets. They all said a deeper biopsy would be painful & unesecary. They are guessing it is bone cancer and not removable. Also the position it is in would make it very difficult to remove. It is more of tissue like matter than fluid and will not drain. My plan to get her to the Vet school for an opinion from an oncologist was shot down by the organization. There are 20 people on the board of directors for the organization, one of them being her primary vet. They all think it is a waste of time and money for her to go to the vet school. It broke my heart. She is my baby . Here is the email from the president of the organization.

Hi Jen,

We did have the board meeting last Monday and we did discuss Cali's
situation and your request to take her to the vet school. Everyone on
the board understands how hard Cali's situation is for you and wishes
things were different for Cali. A lot of our board members have been in your
situation with one of their own dogs or one of our fosters. We talked
about your request and discussed Cali with Dr. Brink, who has seen her and is
a member of our Board of Directors. Unfortunately, the Board feels that
Cali's prognosis is very grim. As you know, Dr. Brink feels that the
tumor is actively growing and will be terminal. You've noticed the tumor's
growth as well and have had Cali seen by 2 other vets and they have
essentially confirmed Falls Village's diagnosis. The Board feels that there is no
reason to put Cali through the stress of a visit to the Vet School when
our vet feels there is nothing we can do within reason for Cali. The Board
of Director's position is that Cali remain in permanent foster care with
the goal being to maintain her quality of life for as long as possible.
In order to make sure we are able to maintain Cali's quality of life as
long as possible, the Board did ask that we start making appointments for
Cali to be seen at Falls Village on a monthly basis. That will allow our vets
to keep track of how the tumor is progressing and make any medication
adjustments proactively. It will also give you a chance to speak with
the vets each month about Cali and how the tumor is progressing. You can
call Falls Village directly to make the appointments. Again, Jen, I'm so sorry
that you're in this difficult situation with Cali. I know it wasn't an easy decision
to foster Cali through her illness. Unfortunately, I wish there was more we could do,
but I think we need to do what is best for Cali. The reality is that Cali has a tumor that is
very difficult to treat. The best thing we can do for her now is to try and
control her pain level, not put her through any unnecessary testing and
give her the best quality of life we can for as long as possible. It's the
better decision for Cali, but a more difficult situation for those that
have come to love her.

For those who have asked to contribute donations I am not allowed to accept them. I know it is very absurd. I feel as though the organization is not giving it their all and most of what they say is BS. This is my first foster through this organization and this experience has made me not want to be part of the group. Why would I want to be part of something that does not give it its all? They did give me the option of sending Cali to another home once we found out it was terminal but I could not part with her. I would always be worried about how she was doing & if she was getting her medicine and all. Would you want anything to do w/ an organization like this?

[Edited on January 28, 2006 at 11:18 AM. Reason : ..]

[Edited on January 28, 2006 at 11:19 AM. Reason : more]

1/28/2006 11:12:45 AM

I nearly cried when I looked at the pictures. I wish they would take her to the vet school. Have they done an xray or some sort of scan that would show the formation of it, to get a better idea of what it could be? You'd be able to pay for a scan, right?

How much does it cost to take her to the vet school? If they haven't seen this before don't you think that maybe they wouldn't charge, so they could learn about it, and how to treat it?

I haven't seen anything like this. Our dog had lymph node cancer, but that means the lump was around her neck.

Oh, and yeah I'd be a little concerned about the organization. I would think they'd be interested in learning what it is and how to treat it for future animals, regardless of how rare it may be. I've read about rescue organizations that have spent thousands on an animal's medical needs.





[Edited on January 28, 2006 at 11:39 AM. Reason : ]

1/28/2006 11:38:16 AM

In response to a PM Cali is actually no longer up for adoption. She is my long term foster. Yes they have done an x-ray and it shows where the bone is enlarged. Her nose bone is also bent around the growth. Yes I would like to pay for any charges at the vet school or raise money. Since the org. still owns her I cannot make any health decisions for her. If I want to adopt her adoption fee would be free. Right now the org. is paying for her pain med, steriod & eye ointment which I know add up. If I adopt her, take her to vet school and they want to do something costly then that is on my shoulders & all medications from then on. Would you just take her to vet school w/o authorization? See what they say & if nothing can be done don't mention it to the org. But if something serious can be done then adopt her? Its all very hard to think of the right thing to do when emtions are in the mix. But she is my

1/28/2006 11:59:11 AM

this seems like a difficult situation. i guess you have to decide if you want this organization to continue paying for her medical bills. I don't know, it may be hard to accept, but if you have taken the dog to three other vets for opinions and they have all basically agreed witht the primary vet, there doesn't seem like a lot you can do. and also, if all these vets don't know what this growth is for sure, they might not ever be able to even treat it properly. I do think the organization and her vet care about the dog; if they didn't, i doubt they would be willing to pay for all that medicine and prolonging her life. if i were you, i would just help the dog make the best of its days....she will love you for it.

1/28/2006 1:54:28 PM

aww, poor baby. I'm sorry. Never have seen anything like this. Keep us updated.

1/28/2006 1:58:46 PM

God bless you for helping that dog, I hope the best for you both

1/28/2006 2:21:55 PM

I can understand why the dog is no longer up for adoption,, and definately understand why the organization does not want to persue treatment.

Its just frustrating because if there is a chance the vet school could treat it, it would be nice to know. If not, I can definately understand making the dog comfortable. But being a student at the vvet school I am well aware how much cancer treatment can run.

1/28/2006 3:08:49 PM

Wow. My heart goes out to Cali and you and the rest of your family. You have two beautiful dogs.

1/28/2006 3:09:31 PM

I resisted clicking on this thread only because my precious Golden Retreiver back up home had a malignant growth on her neck that was removed 3 years ago successfully, but at the time I was very distraught.

I can't tell you how much it pains me to see your golden like that. It further saddens me that the vet school will not try to save her. I am so sorry.

1/28/2006 3:16:54 PM

^it isnt the vet school

The foster organization has elected to save their money to spend on more dogs, rather than all of their money on one dog that may not be able to be saved. Its an unfortuante but economical reason.

1/28/2006 3:27:30 PM

^ It may be economical but it's also necessary. Three different vets have said that it's terminal. Why spend money when it's not possible to be fixed. Why cause the dog more duress by testing it more and subjecting it to things that aren't going to work.

Sometimes the most humane response to something as horrible as this is euthanasia.

1/28/2006 4:23:33 PM

What do you mean you're not allowed to accept donations? Who is stopping you? I would think you'd be entitled to accept donations for whatever you want with respect to this.

1/28/2006 4:34:44 PM

and you know they wouldnt be concerned with the stress the animal went through if money weren't an issue, that's the fucked up part. but it sounds like a hard time for both sides really. just sad.

1/28/2006 4:48:21 PM

she looks like a really happy pup considering her condition...kudos to you for taking her in.

1/28/2006 5:00:19 PM

Well, your only option is to adopt her and take care of her as you see fit. Have you been to a vet that does chemo or something like that? I know Glenwood and Oberlin have had some luck with a few tough cancer cases...and have experience with several types of cancers including bone cancer...Good luck. It seems the organization is not going to help her anymore and if you want to be more aggressive, then it's up to you.


However, if this were my dog, I would not treat it. If several vets have said a condition is terminal I would not put a lot of money into a pet just to prolong his life by a few months. But anyway, do what's right for you guys. Good luck.


and your baby is just adorable.

1/28/2006 8:33:28 PM

Maybe you could take the xray and photos of her tumor to the vet school, and see what they say. Being educators they may be interested in finding out what it is, and put some research into it outside of checking her out. It'd be worth a shot to see what they say either way.

Otherwise I guess the best thing is to do the pain relievers the org. is paying for That's all we could do with our dog - we couldn't afford expensive chemo or anything since it had spread too much already.

1/28/2006 8:44:32 PM

looks like you are going to have to put her down

1/28/2006 11:49:25 PM

This really is sad. I have a dog, and even though it's not a retriever I thought about him when I read this thread. I would just put the dog down if I were you. I know that sounds horrible, but there is no reason, IMO, to allow an animal to suffer. I don't believe in that "allow it to die a natural death" bullshit. If its in pain, put it down. I love my dog to death, and it would tear me apart to have to put him down, but I think it would be inhumane to allow him to linger on in pain. Just my opinion though.

1/29/2006 1:58:26 AM

I want to make it VERY clear that Cali has never shown any pain but she is on tramadol (pain med) just incase the tumor is painful. She will bump against door frames, fence posts, me & my dog with the tumor. And it does not appear painful to touch. Most animals will not show pain, especially 'people pleaser' golden retrievers! There is NO thought of euthanizing her at this time. She walks over an hour a day & goes either to Fletcher Park/Milbrook Dog Park everyday. She is spoiled ROTTEN & gets whatever she wants. Hehe at least one Pig ear a day, plus tons of treats. It is also so hard for me to yell at her when she eats kitty litter/ acts up b/c of her condition. Ughh anyways just stating the above so all of you know she has it good for her time being. Thank you everyone who has comended me for taking care of her but she is just a piece of my heart & I couln't imagine it any other way. Main question, how many of you would still take her to the vet school against the organizations wishes? (money aside) Does the vet school do any "pro bono" rescue work? I also want to make it very clear that my Cali will Not be an experiment. I know that chemo is a very hard thing for a dog (or person for that matter to withstand). I do not know that much about radiation in dogs & would like to see the onco. for an opinion. With the tumor growing rapidly, I know that within an unkown # of months we will have to put her to sleep, but before then I want to feel confident that I have done everythingfor my girl that I can. By the way, the reason I finally posted about her is b/c I just now had a digital pic.

On a side note, overall, this is a very successful rescue org. At first I was thinking of leaving out the name, but why not state it? (I would rather that no one contact it specifiicaly about Cali though b/c her situation is really just btw. me & the president) The Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue (out of Raleigh) adopts out more than 100 goldens/golden mixes a year & they do spend $$$ on those who they see a future for. I know my baby has a "grim" outlook but she is still my baby . I love her so much. Here is the website for those of you who may want to adopt a golden. http://www.goldenrescuenc.org/ By the way Cali & I will be at the "Have a Heart" pary- bring your dogs (doesn't have to be a golden ret.)! (this is a valentines party listed on the website for those of you who would love to meet her- she is the nicest girl)

[Edited on January 29, 2006 at 4:01 AM. Reason : more]

1/29/2006 3:54:51 AM

Shows dogs adopted out during 2005. Some have pics, others just names. Cali is actually listed as she will be with me forever. http://www.goldenrescuenc.org/past2005.html
Everyone please always adopt & never buy a purebred dog. As you can see from the pics, you can adopt a beauti-mas purebred/almost purebred/adorable mix.

1/29/2006 4:15:24 AM

I think it would be a very bad idea to go against the organization's wishes. You do not want to be removed as a future foster parent. The only suggestion given that I would even remotely consider is seeing if someone who knows one of the oncologists could show the radiographs to them, but a full exam is expensive, and does require that a referring vet make the appointment. You do not just call and make it for her.

I also think its unfortunate that they are refusing adoptions of the dog, if the adoptor is willing to take on the medical and potential heartbreak of the dog. but thats my 2 cents.

In their defence, a tumor having had the time to grow that much, would be difficult to treat. Smaller tumors have a higher success.

I like the golden rescue group but they dont let you take on any dog unless you have a back yard If you can give me any tips on how to get around that (I take my dog for long walks as it is, but they said the back yard was a requirement), my sister and I have wanted a golden for 5 years! So I got my dog from Second Chance.

1/29/2006 9:24:15 AM

now that i have read all the posts, I can understand why the rescue doesn't want to do this. Bone cancer is a horrible cancer and is usually only stopped by amputation. Unfortunately, you can't amputate her face. On the other hand, you probably could do chemo and radiation and shrink its size and maybe add a couple of months on her life. Dogs and cats do very well with chemo and radiation and tend not to have the same ill side effects like people do. Jen, if i was you, I would not go against the rescue (this could kill your name for all rescues, not just this one) and i would make her as comfortable as possible. This rescue deals with cancer all of the time, so they have experience with it. Unfortunately, Cancer is very common in goldens. Just give her all the love you can and keep her comfortable. sorry you are going through this. It is one of the downfalls of being a foster parent. I have only had to euthanize one of my foster babies and i hope it never happens again.
good luck

1/29/2006 9:55:47 AM

^ i agree with Jeremi and what others have said

initially my reaction would be te same as yours
i've spent thousands of dollars on my pets and would do anything within my means to make them happy

honestly, i really do think your best bet is just to make Cali as happy as possible for the rest of her life. if she really does only have a few months to live... woul du rather she spend it in chemo and going through exams and treatments.. or continue to go to the dogpark and enjoy every day.
i know Cali appreciates what you've done for her, dogs can sense compassion.

i help out with a foster org and have rescued many dogs myself. (4 of which are at my feet).

i wish you and Cali the best of luck

1/29/2006 10:20:27 AM

I said in my last post basically what Unipride said

Quote :

"seeing if someone who knows one of the oncologists could show the radiographs to them"

If this was happening to me I'd be curious about what the vet school people thought, and would see if they'd be willing to look at the xrays (radiograph?) and photos you took, for free, since it's apparently a rare thing around here. Since people at the vet school do research as well as treat animals, they may know better what it is.

Okay I looked up types of cancers found in dogs, and it does sound like bone cancer:

Quote :

"Progressive lameness often leads to the finding of a painful swelling at the site of the bone tumor. Occasionally, a sudden fracture of the effected bone may be the presenting condition, but this occurs less frequently. Dogs are usually free of other symptoms."

It's fortunate that it's not painful. I hope you guys have a great time during the rest of her life. How old is she?

[Edited on January 29, 2006 at 10:32 AM. Reason : ]

1/29/2006 10:24:13 AM

unfortunately, the vet school doesn't do much for free. they give no discounts to rescue organizations either. If it is something they haven't seen before they might do stuff for free but you would have to pay the original consultation fee.

1/29/2006 10:35:25 AM

Yeah I wasn't talking about actually taking the pup in for an exam or anything, but I guess they would still want a consultation fee. I'm unfamiliar with the school's processes/fees, just figured they'd be interested in something they hadn't seen before.

1/29/2006 10:47:11 AM

Everyone thanks for your responses- it was what I was hoping to hear. I know that I shouldn't take any action but sometimes my heart tells me otherwise when I look at her poor face. She is still my adorable baby even with the tumor. Most people say she is beautiful but I am sure you aren't suprised that I have heard otherwise from rude people. The vet estimates that Cali is about 6yrs. old. http://www.goldenrescuenc.org/halloween2005.html My angel is on the top row in the middle.






[Edited on January 29, 2006 at 3:38 PM. Reason : ...]

1/29/2006 3:33:18 PM

I cant believe no one has trolled the fuck outta this thread yet. After reading the first few posts and seeing the pictures my initial thought was "this is gonna get bad".

gg tdub, a little maturity at last

1/29/2006 4:50:04 PM

I didn't read the whole thing, but I saw that you decided to let her be your LT foster

GOOD FOR YOU! Granted the pics are kinda nasty, and I'm sure it's hard to look at. My dog I had when I was growing up got something like that in the roof of his mouth, and it eventually got to his brain and we put him down because it was starting to cause pain. Up until then, he seemed happy to have our company; it's amazing to me how happy most companion animals are just to have company, no matter how much they are suffering. I miss Jack


Hey, I read a little more ... honestly, I'd take the dog to a vet, yes, but perhaps one that's kinda "under the radar." Technically they can take the dog away from you if you do something like this, although I think if they went so far as to sue you they'd lose. There are a number of vets in Southern Wake county that will usually give a "good samaritan" discount if you tell them it's a rescue animal. Tell them something like you saw her wandering the street and couldn't find her owner and you noticed this thing on her face growing really fast. The only other option is to raise some funds behind their backs, then tell the org look I want to do this for the dog, I'm not going to give it to you BUT I will pay for the surgery etc. etc. If you have friends at a fast food place or who wait tables maybe they can put up change jars like the ones they have for all the sick kids (not kidding - my brother-in-law did that, and rescued/vetted/spayed over 50 cats from behind a Subway and found them all homes).

[Edited on January 29, 2006 at 5:59 PM. Reason : .]

1/29/2006 5:51:46 PM