Subcutaneous Mast Cell Tumour

Gracesmum

Gracesmum

Forums Enthusiast
I haven't posted here in a while, as we've been living a happy carefree life with our Grace. She is now just short of 8 years old and our world has just fallen apart.

We found a lump on Grace's abdomen around 3 weeks ago and took her straight to the vet. The vet checked her over and tried to reassure us, booking her in for a fine needle aspiration. Unfortunately they could only draw blood and therefore the vet said the best thing was to remove the lump just to be on the safe side.

Grace had her lump removed last Friday and the vet said she'd not seen anything like it. It looked like hernia tissue but she'd sent it away to be tested to be on the safe side.

The results have come back today and the pathologist report says it's a Subcutaneous Mast Cell Tumour which they are unable to grade. The vet has rung the pathologist and she understands that it's a busy tumour with metasis?

The options now are to leave it and see if it grows again

Have a further blood test on the tissue called a Ki67 to establish how prolific the cancer cells are

Go in and operate removing a greater area to give bigger margins

Refer to an oncologist

Chemo

We have to consider one or a combination of these options.

I am totally floored. Cannot stop crying. It's like my world has just been turned upside down.

I'm just hoping there are others here who help, give suggestions or just maybe some sisterly love because I'm not sure who else to turn to.
 
Please know you have love and prayers coming your way for your precious Grace and for you. It is such a devastating shock to suddenly have a healthy fairly young dog dx'd with cancer. I have dealt with multiple cancers over the years in my doggies but never mast cell so I can't be of much help...but am so sorry you are facing this and hope with all my heart that a treatment can be decided on that will give your Grace a good outcome.
Trini
 
I am so very sorry to hear about Grace. I can relate, and hopefully give you some help, and hope. My Checkers had surgery to remove her gallbladder at age 11. While they were doing the surgery, they found two subQ lumps near the incision point. The surgeon identified them as mast cell and didn't do anything other than testing them at the time.

A month later, once she was healed from her gallbladder removal, Checkers went back in to have the mast cell tumors removed. Like you, I was devastated. I found two wonderful resources that have helped, and I'm happy to say Checkers' mast cell tumors have not returned, although a year later she had a very large spindle cell tumor on her leg that we also had to remove which was worse than the mast cells. But Checkers has healed from both and is now 14 and doing great.

The first resource is a Facebook group called Holistic Help for Dogs with Mast Cell Tumors. Link here. You have to join the group, and Facebook, if you aren't a member, but there are numerous articles and papers in the files there, including Cleo's Diet and protocol, which I followed for Checkers and highly recommend.

The second was recommended to my by my holistic vet: a doctor who treats cancer in dogs with holistic meds remotely. His name is Dr. Charles Loops and I found him after Checkers' spindle cell cancer. He does a consult over the phone after you fill out an extensive history and then prescribes a personalized mixture of daily holistic drops for the dog. Checkers has been on his protocol for three years now and is a poster child on his website. Contact information and his website is here.

We did have surgery to remove Checker's tumors, and our surgeon was able to get clean margins, so I do recommend starting there. We did not do chemo or any of the other traditional cancer treatments. I certainly understand that it is overwhelming right now, but you and Grace can beat this. There is also a terrific support group of other pet parents on the Mast Cell page on Facebook. Feel free to PM me if I can help you in any way. Love and pats to Grace, and hugs to you.
 
Thank you so much, Ann. I have put in a request for the Facebook page, so hopefully that will come through soon. I am very interested in the diet.

I've also looked at the site for Charles Loops, but I'm not so sure that would work so well for me, being in the UK. I will see.

I am so glad your Checker is doing okay. Positive stories are so encouraging.

Love and hugs to you both. x
 
Very sorry to hear this, it really is a blow at that age especially when you feel they are just in their prime. I have no experience with this kind of cancer but I will tell you that dogs generally tolerate chemo very, very well, so don't discount that thinking you'd be making her miserable. Ann gave you great info, please check back and let us know how Grace does. :hugs
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top