My 7 y/o frenchie has cancer

shnn18

New member
Three months ago, my french bulldog had a seizure that the vets could not break for over 24 hours. She was completely healthy prior, but the vet told us she might not make it. She had extensive testing, including an MRI, that found severe swelling in the brain. They could not pinpoint the cause and decided to treat it as meningitis. She was in the ICU for five days but pulled through. It was the worst five days of my life, but with a steroid and anti-convulsive medication, she appeared to recover. I have thanked the universe daily since she came home.

Fast forward to 2.5 weeks ago, she began having seizures again; we got her to the vet, and after more tests, they upped her medication. It's been five days since her last seizure, so I was hopeful it was as simple as an altered anti-convulsant dose. However, two days ago, I found mammary lumps and took her to the vet again. It confirmed my worst fear that she had cancer. We are waiting for the test results, but I trust this vet, and she was confident in the case. The lumps developed quickly, and her lymph nodes are already swollen. We are waiting for the biopsy results, but the vet has told me it is not promising. She was holding my hand before she even said anything.

When she got sick last time, I fought hard and stayed positive. The vet bills and medications have hit almost $15,000. I don't make a lot of money, and I am in debt, but it was worth every penny. However, something feels different with this, and I have an overwhelming sense that she is at the end.

I am unsure what I need, but maybe some advice from anyone whose dog has gotten sick. I will weigh my treatment options carefully, but I won't put her through anything that won't improve her life. If the surgery makes her more comfortable, I will do it. If it only prolongs her life briefly for my benefit, I won't. I know cancer can be painful, and I don't want that for her.

She loves the outdoors, so I took her to the dog beach after finding out yesterday and bought her a massive bone she is knawing on as I type.

How did you help your dog live their best life at the end? And how did you recover?
 
@shnn18 I'm so so sorry you're going through this.

Years ago, I took my soul dog in for an ear infection that wouldn't go away and ended up with a surprise terminal cancer diagnosis. The vet estimated he had 3-4 months left. In addition to the lung cancer, he had a tumor in his throat that was threatening to block his airway. Since it was a simple surgery and he was still acting normally/enjoying life, I opted to have that tumor removed rather than putting him down then. The next couple months were all about him. I made as many good memories with him as I could doing all his favorite things. Took him for long walks in the woods, car rides to see deer, visited his beloved 'grandma and grandpa', gave him lots of yummy treats, and played with him whenever I could.

Eventually the time came, and I was devastated. One of the best things I did after he passed was to create a journal of all the good memories I had of him throughout his life, which I still have almost 18 years later. Creating it was cathartic, and it's nice to remember him with a smile. I highly recommend it.

Sounds like you're already doing this, but I recommend you give her as much time as you can on a daily basis, and do all the things she loves while she's able. You'll only regret it if you don't do it. Try not to let yourself anticipate the loss and get sad while she's still with you (that was hard!) and just enjoy her in the moment.

I wish you the best and am sending you virtual hugs. It's a difficult thing to go through, but I wouldn't trade my time with my guy for anything. The time I had with him was definitely worth the pain at the end.
 
@munwell This made me cry, but in a good way. I've never heard the term "soul dog" before, but I love it. My partner (lovingly) teases me about her and I's codependency - she's my soul dog for sure. Thanks for sharing; it sounds like you were an incredible dog owner.
 

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