Thats why I asked really, how far should we go to try and catch things that could be serious? On the other hand, maybe this could take away the enjoyment we get from the dogs, as we are constantly worrying about test results :roll: Difficult one really.
It is a difficult one. With Benjy, once he got ill (he had cancer of the spleen with secondaries in the liver), a blood/hemo test showed his liver results to be off the scale. A scan then showed the state of his spleen (it was massive) and shadows in the liver :cry: He'd obviously had the cancer for months, but other than going off his dried food a couple of weeks before (but happy to eat 'real' food), there was no sign until he became ill a week before he died. It's truly amazing how many dogs can live with such illnesses without showing any sign - Benjy was very happily doing 2 hour walks and jumping around.
According to the vet I saw, cancer in the spleen can be treated with removal of the spleen, if it's caught early enough and it hasn't spread. But, he didn't say how you caught it early - Benjy was fine until it got to its fatal stage - the spleen was starting to rupture. And, it is such a big operation with major risks (the op itself and life expectancy afterwards) that I'd have to think very carefully before putting a dog through it.
So, back to your question (sort of, anyway) - is it worth knowing about cancers that are very difficult to treat? With Benjy, I'm glad I didn't as it was too late to do anything when I rehomed him. If it was a dog I'd had before it was too late, I'm in two minds. Most of me says no, but a bit of me says ' suppose he could have been saved'. As you say, it's a difficult one
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