Hi I am new to this site. My beautiful 18 month old fox red lab Toby has just been diagnosed with a high grade Mast cell tumour on the inside of his ear.He had a needle aspiration followed by referral to a specialist. They did a biopsy of the lump and needle aspirations of his liver and spleen. The results came back yesterday of a high grade malignant Mast cell tumour.No evidence of spread so far. We go back to the specialist on 20/5 to talk about a treatment plan which will almost certainly include removal of the ear plus chemo. We are obviously devastated as he is so young. Has anyone on this site had experience of this diagnosis? Toby(@foxredtoby) is non the wiser at the moment and is a lively and energetic as always.
The outlook depends very much on the stage of mast cell tumour you have and how aggressive it is - find out the ki-67 and the mitotic index - you won't get these results until after the surgery to remove it and they can take a couple of weeks to come back. Don't agree to further treatment until you have those results. My Weimaraner had a mast cell tumour at the age of 8yo, on her inner thigh. It was removed with good margins and her lymph nodes in her groin were clear. It was found to be a stage 2 tumour. If you get a stage 2, then you need more information to know whether to pursue further treatment: Her mitotic index was less than 1 (<1) and her ki-67 was very low, at 0.76% - which meant it was very slow-growing and not aggressive. So she had no further treatment. (Stage 1 doesn't need further treatment, stage 3 definitely does - and stage 2 can go either way.) She died, age 13.5yo, from bone cancer (not sure what type as we didn't have a biopsy to confirm). It was unlikely that this was in any way related to the mast cell tumour. So I feel confident we took the right course. There is a genetic component to mast cell tumours, especially when they occur in young dogs - so it would be a good idea to inform your breeder of this.
Hi Jo Thank you for your reply. I informed the breeder straight away and she has passed on the info. I have asked the vets for the results in writing as so far all I have been told is it is a high grade tumour. I would like to go to the meeting on 20th armed with as much info as possible as it can be quite overwhelming. I will bear in mind the figures you have some suggested I ask for. Thanks again. Julie
Oh J.D im very sorry to hear you're pooch is so sick! Fingers are crossed everything works out the way it should and he'll be back to full health soon! Please keep us updated!
He is remarkable. They did the surgery early and he came back home last night. He was obviously very doped up. Had his dinner of course! Just slept through without a peep and had his breakfast. He is on pain killers for a few days but seems fine. The cone for 2 weeks will bother him more I think. Chemo should start in a couple of weeks. Lymph node next to the ear was clear so that was the first bit of positive news. He looks very cute. Will post a picture when stitches are out. No dressings but not as scary as I feared. Still my beautiful boy! BTW Jo his Mitotic index was 9/10. Couldn’t have been much worse.
Oh bless him. He has a bumpy road ahead. Hope the chemo is not too brutal. It must be difficult for a dog, it’s hard enough when you know why you feel so rubbish. Crossing fingers and paws he has a really positive outcome, and chemo is over smoothly and speedily.
Apparently chemo for dogs is not as powerful as in humans.No hair loss and fewer side effects. We are going to try the more expensive intravenous version first but it means lying still for an hour. Not something I can imagine him doing even if they manage to get a drip in. The fall back is tablets which are still effective but survival rates are lower. He was given 9-12 months doing nothing. At 18months old we need to give him a chance. As drastic as this all seems. Does anyone have any chemo in dogs experience?
Just to pass on what my community vet told me when discussing worst case scenarios for my cat. He's had several dogs take chemo and for *those dogs* side effects were nil. The caveat is I don't know the diagnoses or the drug or the length of treatment. Ask if other drugs are given before or with the IV chemo so you can try to sort out what's what. For example humans often get diphenhydramine and prednisone. Sending good thoughts & enjoy your handsome boy
Hi Athena He will be having Vinblastine and Predmisolone. Once a week for 4 weeks then 4 x 2 weekly sessions. This is assuming he will lie still for the drip. Failing that there is a tablet option. Appointment is 11 am Friday so we shall see. He is very fed up with the cone and lack of exercise.
Hi,I'm so sorry that you and your boy going through this. I don't know the ins and outs but they're is a lady that i knew who's lab puppy was diagnosed and treated with chemo when she was about the same age as your boy. She is now 11years old and still going strong. Just thought that might help you. Good luck
Thank you for that. Good to hear about dogs coming through the other side. He is doing really well. Second of 8 chemo sessions tomorrow. Hoping they can do this one without sedation but he is very nervous. Ear has completely healed so no more cone.
So glad to see treatment is going well so far. Sending good thoughts and please keep us updated. I'm sure he's delighted to be rid of the cone
Second chemo just about managed without sedation. Apparently during sedation blood pressure drops and veins collapse making it more difficult to get the needle in the vein properly so they have to try not to sedate. Bloody stools today as a consequence of being so stressed even with a tranquilliser before we left home. Hoping next week will be better for him and he will get used to it. In case anyone is wondering chemo costs £500 per session even without sedation. Make sure you have adequate insurance. We have £6000 pa lifetime cover but will be £4-5000 down.
4th chemo session completed today and we now move to fortnightly. Off to Dorset on Saturday for a well earned break for all of us and a good splash/swim in the sea for Toby( after the 3 day exclusion) He is coping well and not as scary as it all seemed a couple of months ok. Hoping for a long remission at the end of it all.
Hi so pleased Toby is coping so well with the chemo. Have a great break in Dorset and recharge your batteries, will do you all the world of good
