Rolf! (Hello) (Flossy has a problem)

[FlossyRaptor]

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This is Flossy...

She’s around 4-5 years old, a Bedlington-Whippet Lurcher. She’s been with us for a couple of years and is much loved by us and everyone who meets her.

Recently, I found a little lump, about the size of my thumbnail, next to one of her nipples. Took her to vet who confirmed a mammary cist, and found other, smaller nodules around the same place. Same vet then gave me the option of surgery (mammectomy) to remove and test for malignance, at a cost of £1200 - £1600 depending on how much x-rays or further testing they did.

So, dear Forum... What if she just didn’t have the surgery and we let nature take it’s course?

 

[JoanneF]

That's something you really need to ask your vet. Lovely as it might be to say they are benign, we obviously can't know that - what if they were malignant?

If she was 8 years older you might judge that the physical demands of the surgery would be too great for her age. But this is a young dog.

Is she spayed? That reduces the risk of them being malignant but doesn't eliminate it.

 

[Hemlock]

Really only you can decide, and I appreciate you are canvassing opinions and information. I am not a vet so am not offering advice but as a what-would-I-do, I would not have my dog operated on. She might have more years of comfortable life even with the lumps, or she may not, but that's the option I'd go with (and have gone with) for any of mine. Reasons - benign lumps can turn cancerous if interfered with, some cancers are slow, and as a lurcher owner of many years, I know lurchers and sighthounds tend to die under anaesthetic. My vet is in agreement with all this, but many others do not realise the risks and say modern anaesthetics are not a problem. They are. My own vet has a very strict protocol for sighthound anaesthetic. He also favours leaving lumps alone, not even aspirating.

Please understand I am NOT offering advice, and I would be wrong to do so. We can't see round corners, and you will make one decision and then think "what if I'd made the other decision?" All the very best with whatever you do, and I hope you have many more happy years with your lovely dog.

 

[JudyN]

as a lurcher owner of many years, I know lurchers and sighthounds tend to die under anaesthetic.

Do you have any figures for that, please? Relating to cases where the vet is aware of and uses the best protocol for anaesthetising, rather than those who don't (which I know that you've had experience of ).

My gut feeling is that for a dog of her age I'd go with surgery, though I'd want to do some research first based on what Hemlock has said.

 

[Hemlock]

I doubt figures are even kept. However it is a well-known issue among experienced lurcher and sighthound owners. When I brought one of mine in for surgery and stressed the need for a particular anaesthesia procedure, I was poo-pooed until I gave a specific date for them to check when they'd killed his mother by using the wrong procedure. My own vet is well aware of the risks, thank goodness.

If OP goes ahead with the surgery, I'd suggest finding a greyhound specialist vet, who will be more aware.

If you do a Search on greyhound anaesthesia, there is more info on several veterinary sites.

 

[FlossyRaptor]

Really only you can decide, and I appreciate you are canvassing opinions and information. I am not a vet so am not offering advice but as a what-would-I-do, I would not have my dog operated on. She might have more years of comfortable life even with the lumps, or she may not, but that's the option I'd go with (and have gone with) for any of mine. Reasons - benign lumps can turn cancerous if interfered with, some cancers are slow, and as a lurcher owner of many years, I know lurchers and sighthounds tend to die under anaesthetic. My vet is in agreement with all this, but many others do not realise the risks and say modern anaesthetics are not a problem. They are. My own vet has a very strict protocol for sighthound anaesthetic. He also favours leaving lumps alone, not even aspirating.

Please understand I am NOT offering advice, and I would be wrong to do so. We can't see round corners, and you will make one decision and then think "what if I'd made the other decision?" All the very best with whatever you do, and I hope you have many more happy years with your lovely dog.

Thanks for that. What you say has helped me. My heart is telling me that the surgery option isn’t necessarily the kindest thing for her, and you’ve reinforced that with a couple of important considerations (the anaesthesia risk, the risk after interference).

Just asking a vet doesn’t mean you get the right answers, it seems; it depends which vet you ask. So I’ll shop around, visit some other vets.

 

[Rinkydinkydo]

I'd go with @Hemlock advice and try find a greyhound vet for some information.

By the way cracking looking dog, she fair made my heart skip a beat because I LOVE LURCHERS

 

[Hemlock]

I love her name, too!

 

[Flobo]

I love her name, too!

I have to agree, but then my daughter has the same name!!( But with an 'ie' not 'y')
Lovely looking dog @FlossyRaptor and good luck!

 

[FlossyRaptor]

Thanks again, Forum, for the advice.

F goes for surgery tomorrow; Vet #3 satisfied me all round with explanations and reassurance about the anaesthesia (she’ll have a local only) and (not the overriding factor but important) is 1/3 of Vet #1’s price.