My Silky Terrier was diagnosed w/lymphoma, anyone dealt with this?

[SuzieB123]

Well, we got the worst news ever this last week...our baby boy Brutus, 3 year old Silky Terrier was diagnosed with lymphoma! We are just DEVASTATED! He has been my baby boy for 2 years, we basically rescued him when he was just about a year old and from the day we brought him home, we have given him so much love and affection!
We cannot afford chemo for him, so the vet has put him on prednisone to hopefully give us more time with him! We know when he starts going downhill we will have to put him to sleep and the vet said because we are so in tune with our dogs and noticed it immediately, it is in the early stages now.
Has anyone here dealt with lymphoma in dogs? I would like to hear your stories as we have never had to deal with this! Brutus is our first family pet and my kids (12 & 16 years old) are devastated! I am just sick over this because I am on disability and home all the time and he has been a HUGE part of my life going through several failed back surgeries...he follows me EVERYWHERE during the day....I go do laundry, he follows me there, I go to the bathroom, he follows me there, I get a shower, he waits outside the bathroom door till I am done! He literally means everything to me!
Just a few months ago, we got another dog, so I think that will be helpful that we have her when we have to put him down...but he is so unique that she definitely cannot fill his shoes! He watches tv and barks at any animals on the screen, he has to have his regular treat in his kong at night or he will sit and whine until you get it for him...he is just so spoiled! If he goes outside potty and he comes in and you don't give him a treat, he will let you know you forgot...ESPECIALLY when the kids forget to give him a treat...he will come in to me like he is telling on them for forgetting him!
I could go on and on about how he is so unique! But I am hoping someone on here can tell me their story so it is a bit easier for me to deal with this. I have never had anyone close to me deal with lymphoma in their dogs.
Mind you, I am so emotional about this now that I am crying just writing this!
Thanks for allowing me to spill my guts here!
Susan

[SuzieB123]

by the way, his picture is my profile pic! He is in the family of Yorkies but he is a bit bigger, has ears that stand right up and he has a longer snout than yorkies!

[kval07]

I'm sorry to hear about your little guy. :sad: My boys are my world, so I can imagine how devastated you are.

I did some searches online and most people who dealt with canine lymphoma did not go the chemo route. It sounds like the general consensus is it is not worth it to put the dog through all that pain and suffering. A lot of posts I read (on different dog forums) say prednisone helped their dogs for a short time, until they deteriorated at the end.

My only suggestion is please don't let him suffer. Your dog will let you know when the time comes.

[couponsmakecents]

I am headed out the door to work but will get you some info on dogs with lymphoma later this weekend. Being a lymphoma survivor I have followed the research they are doing with dogs and will send the info when I get a chance.

I am so sorry for you and your family. I know it is very hard. When I was sick, my dal, Jake, was my lifeline and he got sick at the same time. I was so devistated that I might have to put him down while I was going through treatments.

I will pray for you and get back with you asap.

[SuzieB123]

Thanks for the kind words! I ABSOLUTELY refuse to let my little guy suffer! He is our world but I live with chronic pain 24/7 due to failed back surgeries and I would not put my worst enemy through the pain I go through, let alone my little furbaby!

I appreciate any info! I am open to reading everything! I did switch his food as I read it was not good for him to be eating food stocked with grains.....so we put him on grain free food. He LOVES it, it is more expensive, but I don't care! I will do anything in the world to try to help him. I want him around as long as we can possibly have him without him hurting.

I lost my Dad in 2000 to small cell and renall cell cancer and I was hoping we would never have to hear that word again in life! ESPECIALLY with my furbaby boy! He has actually been my lifeline...it doesn't matter how much pain I suffer in everyday, he loves me no matter what and he will snuggle with me and be by my side if I am down for 3 days straight! He won't leave my side but to eat and potty! It is amazing at how attached one can become to a dog!

[allpikes]

Just recently lost my baby/buddy/best friend Jake. My heart goes out to you, my prayers go to Brutus

[kval07]

Aside from any info couponsmakescents gives you, google "canine lymphoma."

[2hungryboys]

I am so sorry to hear about your pup. We lost our beloved black Lab to lymphoma about 2 years ago. She was 5 years old when diagnosed and lived a year + 2 months with it. We did not do chemo, either. We felt guilty at first, but I know in my heart it was the right decision. It was hard, but she was a tough girl and we had a great vet. We kept going for short walks and playing with her up until the last couple of days. We did not want her to suffer either, but we didn't want to put her down too soon. In the end, we did have to have her put to sleep, but we waited until the point where she was not eating. I think that, this sounds awful, but seeing her get weaker helped all of us (especially our boys, then ages 2 and 5) accept her death more easily than if we'd put her to sleep right when she was diagnosed, as our first (terrible) vet suggested. My heart is with you; it's not easy. But it made it easier for us to remember that our pup didn't know what was going on, she just gradually got weaker. Grieving for a pet is so hard. If you want to talk more about it, please let me know. I didn't know anyone I could talk to when I was going through it, and sometimes you just need to talk to someone.