Question by Spodman: Any experience with canine perianal tumors?
I was just told that my dog, a 12 year old male Akita, has perianal tumors. This was by my regular vet, who I have years of good experience with, and is typical known as the best in my area. The exam was not done by him, but by a technician. I was told the tumors would need to be removed, and the earliest it could be scheduled was two weeks away. Unfamiliar with these, I asked if they were benign or a cancer risk, and the only information I was given was that a biopsy would be necessary to tell.
Unsatisfied with this response, I did a quick online search to find that they can be cancerous, between 15 and 50% of the time, and can spread to the lymph nodes or lungs. I called back to my vet’s office, told the receptionist my concern with how serious this could be, and that I did not want to wait two weeks for any further action or information. When I asked her to speak with the doctor, or any doctor for information (there are four at this clinic), she told me that could not even happen for another four days, but assured me that she spoke with the doctor, he saw my dog, and that if it was urgent, he would have surely instructed them to schedule something sooner.
I then called a nearby animal hospital, the 24 hour emergency center for this area. I was allowed to speak to a doctor immediately, who told me it needed attention as soon as possible, because of the cancer risk, bleeding and infection risks. She told me they could not schedule surgery for another week, so she gave me names of three other hospitals. The first I called told me they could be available Monday morning, would x-ray his lungs and ultrasound his lymph nodes for signs that it had spread, and immediately remove any tumors found, so I scheduled the appointment.
When they contacted my regular vet for his records, I received a call from the doctor personally, wanting to know why I scheduled treatment elsewhere. He informed me that he did not examine my dog, they were in fact very busy, and that his staff acted appropriately in scheduling two weeks out, but he could reprioritize their schedule to have me come in Monday morning as well. The other items his staff would not reschedule included teeth cleanings.
I was originally leaning toward having him peform the surgery instead of someone completely new, rationalizing that it was poor handling by his staff, not him, that led to this point. Upon further thought, I’m concerned that the overall attitude and sense of urgency at this clinic was inappropriate, and am concerned this could spill over into careless work. Even if his staff is not authorized to reschedule a cancer risk ahead of teeth cleanings, they refused to even consult with the doctor.
First question, does anyone have any experience with this type of tumor, how fast can it spread to other, more serious areas?
Second, would you consider the response from my regular vet to be normal, or completely inappropriate?
Best answer:
Answer by Annie
In my experience these tumors are generally not an emergency problem.
In fact, it can be better to put off surgery as fecal incontinence can be a side effect of the surgery. This will have a dog put to sleep quicker than a cancer can spread.
WIth these type of tumors in a dog the age of yours I wouldn’t have them removed unless they were causing problems with his bowel movements.
Emergency vets like to run up the bill with a lot of tests. If the cancer has spread, it’s spread, you aren’t going to put an older dog through intensive treatment that would make him feel ill and empty your wallet — and probably won’t add more than a month or two to his life.
If the tumors are benign and not bothering him, why risk fecal incontinence?
Think first, perhaps a fine needle aspiration of a tumor to help you know what you’re dealing with and take a deep breath and THINK.
Give your answer to this question below!
Entries (RSS)