December 3, 2009
While conducting a regular head-to-tail assessment in early September 2009, I first noticed Monty's abdomen felt different. There seemed to be a "thickness" to his abdomen. There were no other changes to Monty's appetite, thirst, energy or behaviour in any way. Vitals, good. health tests, good.
While seeing our vet for routine vaccinations in early September, she assessed Monty's abdomen and suggested that we "keep an eye on it" as it could be many things.
I continued my assessments for the next few months. The "thickness" remained yet it did not seem related to his food intake as there was no gas, no change in his feces, etc. Monty continued to be normal in every way; there were no changes in his energy, his behaviour, nothing. Monty's vitals and other health tests remained within normal range.
At the beginning of November, Monty's abdomen was not getting worse but it was not getting better either. I booked another vet appointment as I now wanted to rule out anything serious and to simply give myself peace of mind.
This past Friday, I took Monty back to the veterinary clinic where he stayed for a couple of hours until he could be x-rayed. A few hours later, I got the phone call that started a whirlwind weekend.
The xrays showed that Monty had a large growth in his abdomen. My head started to swirl with the vet's words of "it might be benign or it could be cancer", "there is the possibility that the mass could rupture and he could bleed to death", "we want to make sure it hasn't spread into his chest", "I would recommend an ultrasound asap" and "I would recommend surgery asap".
And yes, tears began to escape as I suddenly imagined life without Monty.... without, my dog. I then took a bunch of deep breaths (get that oxygen to my head so I could think!) and got right into formulating a plan of action.
We were immediately referred and accepted to Canada West Veterinary Specialists & Critical Care Hospital in Vancouver. Upon arrival later that day, the Canada West veterinarians assessed Monty and reviewed the xrays and it was determined that an ultrasound would be unreadable as the growth was just too large. Monty needed immediate surgery. I saw the xrays and this growth was HUGE; pushing up against his stomach, his liver, it filled his whole abdomen. I am just amazed that Monty did not show any overt signs.
They did chest xrays and it appeared the mass had not spread. Phew. There was still the real possibility of discovering growths in other organs once surgery had begun. It was extremely difficult to process the words when Dr Bland stated "if we discover smaller growths on other vital organs, we could remove the large mass, close him up and he might have 1 - 3 months to live. If we discover larger nodules, he would only have 1 or 2 weeks to live and I would think about euthanasia". More tears, more deep breaths. Poor Monty.
It was absolutely heartbreaking to say goodbye to Monty while the technicians took off his collar and walked him away to surgery. Would I ever be hugging him again?
After many hours of nail biting, I finally got the phone call from Dr Francis that there appeared to be no spreading to other organs and the growth appeared to be only on his spleen, which was removed. The spleen, in a dog of Monty's size, is normally about 6" or 7" in length and about 1" thick, had grown to the size of a honeydew melon! The surgery was a success. Wow, what a major relief, I can't tell you all!
I visited Monty in the Intensive Care Unit over the next few days. It was nice to hear from the veterinary technicians that Monty was "a model patient" as he was easy to handle, didnt need a muzzle, didnt bite at his IV bandages and didnt even need a Elizabethen collar (cone). Again, regular practice with handling, muzzling and bandaging paid off and Monty did not experience added stress when it was all happening for real.
I strongly believe that the regular head-to-tail assessments saved Monty's life and I am even more dedicated to teaching canine first aid and safety.
Monty is now recovering at home. A biopsy was done on the spleen and liver and I will find out in a few days if the mass was benign or cancer. I will add an update as soon as I know, but for now, I'm so so grateful to have my beloved "goofball" still with me.
PS. We are indeed fortunate to have a specialized critical care hospital in the lower mainland. I am forever grateful to the whole team for their dedication and compassion.
UPDATE DEC 8, 2009 -
Unfortunately, Monty's lab results came back positive for hemangiosarcoma. While I am hoping that all the cancer cells were removed during surgery, if the cancer does spread, we will both face that as it comes up. I will keep you all posted and in the meantime, please go spend some precious time with your pooches.
UPDATE JUNE 7, 2010 -
Monty is still doing well and I am grateful for him every single day. I simply look at him and say "not ready to lose you yet, buddy, thank you for being here every day". We are both looking forward to enjoying the summer together!
Michelle Sevigny
Founder, DOGSAFE Canine First Aid
