One Of My Dogs May Have Lymphoma

My dog, Hugo, who's a Beagle/Dachshund mix, may have Lymphoma.

Hugo turns 12 this year and just had his well visit last Wednesday, on the 15th. He isn't overweight and actually lost a half a pound since his last visit.

Last Friday, two days after his exam. he started to pick on his food and barely finished what was in his bowl. This behavior lasted over the weekend and yesterday as well. Hugo has always been an enthusiastic eater and has a voracious appetite.

Today, after I set down his bowl of food, Hugo stared at his bowl, looked at our other dog, Holly, and then looked at me. He then proceeded to walk away and went into his crate. I got him out of his crate and started to stroke his belly and sides, to see if he had any pain. It should be noted that Hugo has many soft, fatty tumors on his body. All seemed good, so I asked him if he wanted a treat. His ears perked up and his tail wagged and he ate the two treats I gave him, but still refused to eat was in his bowl.

My wife took him to the vet this evening and the vet noticed his lymph nodes were enlarged. They were not enlarged at his well visit. The vet read the note I had written, stating that he was drinking water, but he didn't have diarrhea and hadn't been vomiting. I also mentioned that he has been napping a lot lately, but still goes outside with Holly, to play 3 to 4 times a day. We have a huge back lot protected by an invisible fence, so our two dogs have ample space to run, play and chase squirrels...their favorite pastime. I also wrote in my note, that by evening, Hugo gets somewhat sleepy and lethargic.

The vet told my wife that it might be an infection or Lymphoma. He said that his neck area is swollen, which might be the reason for him not wanting to eat his bowl of food. He prescribed a round of antibiotics, that Hugo has to take twice a day, until next Thursday. He wants to rule out an infection. My family and I are gutted, but are hoping that Hugo has an infection of some kind, but I'm fearing the worst.

Any suggestions from any of you on what to expect, if it turns out to be Lymphoma? Will Hugo become more lethargic over time? Will his appetite eventually cease? Will he suffer from an increased amount of pain? If he does have Lymphoma, is the chemo treatment expensive? Would chemo just prolong his suffering?

Thanks for any help that you can share with me. My two dogs mean the world to me and my family. I never had to put down a pet before, but I won't hesitate if I know my big boy is suffering...my heart is aching right now.

My buddy:

a reply to: shawmanfromny

Tough, I feel you... I lost mine two years ago to cancer, 14 years old. Only advice I can give is, you know your pup best, just look for general signs of discomfort, weight lose, and listen to the vet. Something I can't stand is watching animals suffer, especially ones so invested into your own personal life.

a reply to: shawmanfromny

One of our dogs has/had lymphoma.

Originally we had him go through a few month chemo cycle ($127 for the chemo, a couple hundred for the office visits) and he improved for almost a year.

Our vet said that chemo had an over 90% effective rate for lymphoma but the recurrence risk was high.

Sure enough, 10 months later it was back.

Now she has him on a special diet with antiviral herbs and he's been fine for over a year.

However, there are so many different variables for canine lymphoma that I would hesitate to offer any advice, besides that initially chemo has a really good chance at extending your pet's life.

So sorry to hear of your circumstances... we consider our dogs little fur people and they are very much a part of our lives.

a reply to: strongfp

Thanks for the kind words. No way would I want Hugo to suffer.

a reply to: Lumenari

Yeah, that's what I've read as well.

Money isn't an issue, but I don't want him to be uncomfortable, or suffer.

Thanks so much for your comments.

a reply to: shawmanfromny

You love Hugo and don't want him to suffer. I feel confident that you will make the best choice for him. If his life can be prolonged without pain, you will choose that. If pain will be involved and the dog loses his quality of life, you will let him go peacefully so he won't suffer.

I will be checking this thread for further updates.

a reply to: Night Star

I'm thinking that he just has an infection of some kind and fighting it is taking everything out of him. Being he is not eating, it may be in his abdomen. Maybe a plugged colon or something too. Has he been pooping ok for the last week or so?

Hopefully the antibiotics do the trick and he gets better. Lymph swelling also happens with infections. Time will tell, the vet will know in a week or two as the symptoms either go away or get worse. enjoy the time with your friend just in case.

a reply to: rickymouse

Thanks for your response. Yeah, he has no poop issues. This came on all of a sudden, out of the blue. I'm hoping that he caught something at his well visit on the 15th. Time will tell.

a reply to: shawmanfromny

I feel your pain. I lost my one to kidney failure last year and my beagle mix is fifteen and ailing. I just hold him close to me listening to his breath, feeling his heart beat. He gets confused can't hear and hardly see. But he loves his walks for now. And I cry when I think of what I must do soon.
I am so sorry. WIS hug.

My dog (11 yrs old) had a marble sized growth removed from his lower back last summer. He had to wear the cone, which he hated.
The wound was just not healing. One of the vets said the food we gave him was good, but we should add bone broth to it.

That stuff worked incredibly well.
The wound scabbed over and healed. His overall health improved as well. We also got a salmon oil in a spray bottle. After mixing the bone broth into his food, 3 sprays of the salmon oil on top. That combo turned his dinner into a nutrient powerhouse. You might want to try it with Hugo.

Hugo sounds like a very cool dog.
Sending positive wishes, and we'll pray for him!

a reply to: shawmanfromny

I'm very sorry to read this. I was taught to pick three things your animal loves. When they get no enjoyment from any of them, then it's time.

I really hope it's an infection and not lymphoma.

originally posted by: shawmanfromny
My dog, Hugo, who's a Beagle/Dachshund mix, may have Lymphoma.

Hugo turns 12 this year and just had his well visit last Wednesday, on the 15th. He isn't overweight and actually lost a half a pound since his last visit.

Last Friday, two days after his exam. he started to pick on his food and barely finished what was in his bowl. This behavior lasted over the weekend and yesterday as well. Hugo has always been an enthusiastic eater and has a voracious appetite.

Today, after I set down his bowl of food, Hugo stared at his bowl, looked at our other dog, Holly, and then looked at me. He then proceeded to walk away and went into his crate. I got him out of his crate and started to stroke his belly and sides, to see if he had any pain. It should be noted that Hugo has many soft, fatty tumors on his body. All seemed good, so I asked him if he wanted a treat. His ears perked up and his tail wagged and he ate the two treats I gave him, but still refused to eat was in his bowl.

My wife took him to the vet this evening and the vet noticed his lymph nodes were enlarged. They were not enlarged at his well visit. The vet read the note I had written, stating that he was drinking water, but he didn't have diarrhea and hadn't been vomiting. I also mentioned that he has been napping a lot lately, but still goes outside with Holly, to play 3 to 4 times a day. We have a huge back lot protected by an invisible fence, so our two dogs have ample space to run, play and chase squirrels...their favorite pastime. I also wrote in my note, that by evening, Hugo gets somewhat sleepy and lethargic.

The vet told my wife that it might be an infection or Lymphoma. He said that his neck area is swollen, which might be the reason for him not wanting to eat his bowl of food. He prescribed a round of antibiotics, that Hugo has to take twice a day, until next Thursday. He wants to rule out an infection. My family and I are gutted, but are hoping that Hugo has an infection of some kind, but I'm fearing the worst.

Any suggestions from any of you on what to expect, if it turns out to be Lymphoma? Will Hugo become more lethargic over time? Will his appetite eventually cease? Will he suffer from an increased amount of pain? If he does have Lymphoma, is the chemo treatment expensive? Would chemo just prolong his suffering?

Thanks for any help that you can share with me. My two dogs mean the world to me and my family. I never had to put down a pet before, but I won't hesitate if I know my big boy is suffering...my heart is aching right now.

My buddy:

Hope it’s just an infection. The other alternative is horrible.

Our collie, Merlyn, was diagnosed with lymphoma about 15 months ago. He was 5 at the time. Amazing dog and truly my wife’s soulmate in animal form. He underwent chemo for 6 months at a teaching vet hospital 3hrs drive away. After the first course he was in remission for 5 months, but it returned. He is now 4 months into his second course and doing well. An incredible dog, just as Hugo is I imagine.

2 months to go. It will have cost us, in the end, £20k to buy the little fella roughly 2 years - if we are lucky. 95% chance it returns and he won’t be able to undergo a 3rd course.

I hope it’s an infection in Hugo. Wouldn’t want anyone to go through this.

a reply to: ARM1968

Sorry to hear about Merlyn. It sucks that he was diagnosed with lymphoma at such a young age and I'm happy that he's doing well with treatment.

It's amazing how much we love our dogs. I think it's because of the amount of unconditional love they give us.

Financially, I'm a little tapped out at the moment, after paying nearly $70K towards our son and daughter's college education, so chemo is not an option for us. Our vet really isn't a big fan of treating an older dog with chemo either.

I'm happy to report Hugo's appetite returned today and he played outside with our other dog for most of the day. He seems more like himself. We're hoping that it's just an infection too. We should have a better idea by Friday...fingers crossed!

Thanks so much for your comment and I hope Merlyn beats the odds. You may want to look at turmeric for an alternative treatment for him. I just read about it the other day. It's not that expensive and can be purchased on Amazon.

For dogs suffering from cancer, turmeric is a revolutionary alternative to costly drugs. The American Cancer Society recently revealed that the active ingredient curcumin prevents the development of cancerous growth and stops it from spreading. It can also reduce tumors and can kill cancer cells.

www.certapet.com...

a reply to: shawmanfromny

Your vet should be able to send out a fine needle aspirate to be analyzed to find out for sure if it's lymphoma. You could find out sooner that way.

I hope he's OK.

My dog's name is Hugo, too.

a reply to: BlancheDevereaux

Great name! Thanks for the advice!

a reply to: shawmanfromny
I'm sorry to hear about your dog, anything over 10 years is a gift and I would beg you not to prolong the animal's suffering.

I recently changed professions from the auto dealer sector to the veterinary medicine sector, every day I am shocked by how much more honest used car salesmen are than veterinarians.

a reply to: RenaJN

Thanks for your comment.

Our vet, right from the start said that he was against starting Hugo on chemo, if he had lymphoma. He has always been very honest and upfront with us. Hugo's comfort means everything to us and we would never prolong any type of suffering.

The good news, is that the antibiotics seem to be working. He has his appetite back and is acting more like himself. We need to administer the antibiotics until next Thursday, so we'll be keeping our fingers crossed.

a reply to: shawmanfromny

Ooooh, that sounds promising. Keeping my fingers crossed.

a reply to: shawmanfromny

I'm sorry to report that we have to put our beloved Hugo to sleep today. While on antibiotics, he developed convunctivitis and stopped eating the other day. His lymph nodes were also still enlarged, so it was pretty evident he had cancer.

Today, he woke up unable to see, so my wife had to carry him outside, in order for him to go potty. Since I'm retired, I was with him everyday and he gave me signs it was time. Absolutely heart broken, but knew this day was coming. I'd like to thank all of you who commented and expressed concern. Below is a picture of my big boy when he was 1 year old.