just wanted to say im so sorry for what you are going through. You sound like wonderful caring owners who will do the best you can for your dog.
Wish there will more like you. will keep everything crossed for your boy xx

Labmommy,

I was in your shoes a little over 1 year ago. It is a very hard time trying to get answers and make decisions. Pez's tumor was also in his nose. We were told surgery to remove his nose or chemo. They said with the tumor being in the nostril, radiation would not work.

We tried chemo first, because we did not want to have his nose removed. Since his tumor was visible, we could keep and eye on it and see if it continued to grow while he was getting the chemo. The chemo did not work and we could recognize this after 2 treatments, so I felt I had no other choice, but to have his nose removed.

Him without a nose was a big adjustment, but he is happy and healthy now. He can still smell and that was my biggest concern before the surgery. Even though he looks different, he is still the same baby. If we would have had his surgery from the beginning we probably would have been able to save more of his nose and his teeth, but I am okay with the decision we made. We tried the chemo, and although it did not work, I am glad I gave him that chance because it worked for others.

I hope your vets give you the best options possible. Keep us posted and good luck!

Krissy

Blues Mommy and Lab Mommy,

I hope you guys are doing okay and hanging in there. I know the decision process is really tough.

Blues Mommy,

Did you get any info about Cisplatin?

Jackie

We've finally returned from our trip to the university. Our vet there was the head of oncology and was absolutley wonderful. They ran another CT. The cancer has not spread any where else. His tumor is approximately 3 cm long and in in his nose only. However, to remove the cancer completely, they'd still have to remove the soft tissue of his nose. His SCC showed a high mitotic rate which means it is more likely to spread than other SCCs. We did ask about the beads. They are keeping the tumors away but not treating the cancer, so it wasn't an option for us.

Cooper is going to have chemo instead to help control the cancer and prevent it from spreading further. He will have a carboplatin once every 3 weeks for at least 6 treatments. He must also remain on Deramaxx for the rest of his life. The treatment is not a cure but palliative therapy. The cancer is stll stage 1, and we did catch it early. Our first chemo treatment in Monday.

Cooper remains to be in great spirits and his normal self. The tumor is not bothering him in any way or interferring with his breathing. Altough this isn't a cure, we are happy to live with our sweet boy.

Thank you to everyone who posted on the forum topic. It has been so helpful to us. We'll keep writing about Cooper's progress.

I don't know if anyone is still reading this thread, but I wanted to give an update on our sweet boy Cooper. He's had two rounds of chemo and is doing GREAT! The tumor is still there of course, but he's handling the meds very well. We are going for our third round next week. We've learned the patterns of his side effects and are able to deal with those, the biggest being a loss of appetite on the second and third day after his chemo treatment. He still has nose bleeds on occasion as well. Just wanted to give a little happy news on a Friday!