CockersOnline Forum
Cocker Specific Discussion => Health => Topic started by: SusieY on October 31, 2012, 01:38:08 PM
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because although I haven't had the formal diagnosis yet I'm convinced he has lymphoma.
Towards the end of last week he cried a couple of times when I touched the left side of his face and neck. I checked his eyes, ears and mouth and couldn't see anything. On Sunday i felt an enlarged lymph node on that side so thought I'd get him checked over. The next day his eyes went weird so I took him straight to the vet and we saw an eye specialist in Leominster yesterday. The eyes are really inflammed and are a symptom of something else, the biggie being lymphoma.
I'm suddenly realising that this could explain a lot. Back in January he needed emergency surgery for a blockage and had to go to Langford in Bristol because he didn't recover very well from the surgery. I'm thinking his immune system could have already been compromised then. He also had a very bad stomach infection last month - vet thought he might have eaten a dead rat.
I'd love to be over-reacting and proved wrong but deep down I think I know.
Barney is just 3 years and 8 months old
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Sending some big hugs :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug: and lots of positive thoughts for you and Barney, and really hoping that your thoughts on this are wrong.
When will you get a diagnosis? Did they do tests when you saw the specialist yesterday and was the specialist able to give you an idea of what he thought it might be?
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So sorry to hear that you are worried in this way about Barney. Fingers crossed that you are wrong. Sending big :bigarmhug:
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I really hope you are wrong about Barney, sending lots of positive thoughts in the meantime :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug:
Stephanie, George and Hamish xxx
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Susie
We lost our boy to Lymphoma in May.
We first noticed a problem when his lymph nodes were up in his neck, visibly up, having said that they did not cause him pain, so hopefully your baby will be ok and it could just be an infection.
Even if he does have lymphoma and hopefully he hasn't then with Chemo, which I would recommend, in a young dog like yours there is a good chance of survival.
Have they taken a FNA of the lymph fluid and does he have any other lymphs raised? If its just the neck lymphs then from what our vet told us it is more likely to be an infection which can be cured by anti bionics.
I hope he gets better soon.
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me too, I would say "try not to worry"
but I think I would be worried too.
sending you and Barney a load of
love at this stressful time :bigarmhug:
steffxxx
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All my thoughts & prayers are with you right now :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug:
& i really hope its not as bad as you think :luv:
Lots of squidges to Barney :luv:
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Thinking of you and Barney - positive COL thoughts from me and licks from Roxy and Bobby
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Fingers, paws and hooves crossed that it isn't lymphoma! You must be so terribly worried. Hugs to you and Barney.
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Lots of positive thought and :bigarmhug: for you and Barney, I do hope it is not as back as you think.
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Awww Susie what a shock for you :luv: I do hope that Barney has nothing more than an infection that can be cleared up with AB's. The thing is if he had eaten a rat he would have been really poorly as rats carry weals disease. Sending you and Barney great big :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug:'s and loads of healing thoughts :luv: :luv: take care love from Dianne Phoebe and Mia x x x
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Sending lots of positive thoughts and :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug: really hoping it is nothing serious. Please try not to worry.
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Fingers and paws crossed for Barney here too x :bigarmhug:
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Thank you so much for all your kind messages and support
When will you get a diagnosis? Did they do tests when you saw the specialist yesterday and was the specialist able to give you an idea of what he thought it might be?
The specialist took bloods and lymph fluid yesterday. A spike in white blood cells in the bloods would indicate an infection somewhere. I was hoping to hear about the bloods today but haven't. There's no outward signs of any wound or abscess. The results from the lymph fluid are expected later this week and these will either confirm lymphoma or be inconclusive. If they're inconclusive they'll have a look at the lymph node to see if there's a foreign body in there.
Susie
We lost our boy to Lymphoma in May.
We first noticed a problem when his lymph nodes were up in his neck, visibly up, having said that they did not cause him pain, so hopefully your baby will be ok and it could just be an infection.
Even if he does have lymphoma and hopefully he hasn't then with Chemo, which I would recommend, in a young dog like yours there is a good chance of survival.
Have they taken a FNA of the lymph fluid and does he have any other lymphs raised? If its just the neck lymphs then from what our vet told us it is more likely to be an infection which can be cured by anti bionics.
I hope he gets better soon.
Thanks John, really sorry to hear about your boy
Two groin nodes were slightly raised but not noticeably and the specialist said that the dogs they usually see do have much bigger nodes. Chemo was mentioned as a good way to manage lymphoma but we were told it couldn't be cured. That would be a very difficult decision for me because I've had chemo myself and I'm not sure I'd want to put my dog through it although he is very young so I would want to weigh up the pros & cons.
On a more positive note he's been a happy little cocker today albeit a little subdued
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Susie
When Danny was diagnosed I said no way to Chemo, but our daughters friend is a vet nurse and told us we had to give it a try.
I'm glad we did because the lower doses they get mean they are healthy all the way through. We got another twelve months, but I've heard of others getting 4 or 5 years.
With his other nodes not being affected I'm sure he will be ok, I hope so anyway
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Susie, I've just been through a scare with one of my cats that started out as really poor prognosis, as the last three weeks have progressed and more test results came in has turned into much less of a health issue.....I truly hope, as you get results through, it turns into something far less serious or scary....thinking of you x
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I really really hope you're wrong this time and it is something that can be cleared up with antibiotics. Keeping everything crossed for wee Brodie :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug:
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I hope you get some answers soon. Big hugs from us. Ive PM'ed you. xx
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Hi Sue - hope you get the results soon - did they do the tests in Leominester or was it Steve.
It could also be a 101 other things as well - lets hope its something very simple and easy to fix.
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They did the tests in Leominster Penny, Steve referred us virtually straight away
We were told that most of the dogs they see with eyes like Barney had have lymphoma which is probably why I'm so stressed about it
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Hoping the results are negative for Barney. Keeping everything crossed for you. sending lots of :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug: your way.
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What a worry - I really hope it turns out not to be what you fear :-\
I know what you mean about chemo as I have been there too :o - but don't dismiss it for Barney just yet. It may be different for dogs - there are so many types of chemo and some of the people I met with different drugs/cancer to me seemed to be much less "ill" with it. ;)
Sending positive thoughts from here and hoping it won't come to that :bigarmhug:
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What a difficult time for you and Barney - I really hope that there is some good news around the corner :luv:
I can echo what JohnK says about not dismissing chemo though, should the diagnosis not be favourable for Barney - our first cocker had lymphoma diagnosed and whilst we never went for intravenous chemo aiming to 'cure', Harvey was given oral chemo 3-4 times a week along with steroids (at home) and he was really fit and well for another 12 months - no nausea, vomitting or hair-loss - symptoms which I know are so debilitating. Like Joules I am also aware that there are different types of lymphoma that require different types of treatment so there is no guarantee that Harvey's regime would be applicable to anyone else, but I just wanted to reassure you that there are options that are manageable and acceptable.
In the meantime, lots of hugs to you both and praying that the diagnosis does not lead you down that route :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug:
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Just wanted to send you a whole load of :bigarmhug:'s I've no experience to help at all, but just want you to know I'm thinking of you and Barney and have everything crossed that its not what you fear.
xxxx
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Thinking of Barney, and you too Susie. I am very sorry to read there is a concern about your little boy.
Sending lots of healing, positive thoughts......and hoping for a different diagnosis for Barney. Xxxx :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug:
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Thinking of you both :bigarmhug:
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Awwww im sorry to hear about Barney :'( hope you get some good news!
Keep Positive!!
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I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you :)
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Thinking of you and hoping for a positive outcome
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Just spoken to the specialist at Leominster - no evidence of lymphoma in the sample that was taken and blood tests perfectly normal so no answers to what's affecting the immune system - she and her colleagues are a bit baffled and lymphoma hasn't been ruled out yet.
Barney's going back up early on Tuesday to have the lymph node removed and for ultra-sound and a good look around the area while he's under and I should be able to pick him up in the afternoon. If he seems unwell in the meantime I'm to contact them immediately - it's going to be a long weekend. She'd already had a good chat to our vet before ringing me.
Thank you so much for all your support and kind comments, it really does help
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Well, the first hurdle you've jumped has brought you good news - long may it continue :blink:
(((hugs)))
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:bigarmhug: :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug:
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So glad you've had some good news. Will be keeping fingers crossed that you will get good news with the next lot of tests. Hugs to you and Barney at this worrying time.
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Well that's good news, will keep everything crossed that he has a good weekend and things continue to be positive
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What a relief :banana: :cool4: :banana:
Hope that whatever it turns out to be can be sorted easily and that Barney is back to being himself as soon as possible :D
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What a relief :banana: :cool4: :banana:
Hope that whatever it turns out to be can be sorted easily and that Barney is back to being himself as soon as possible :D
The same from all of us too :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug:'s and :-* :-* :-* for you and Barney x x x
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Hope they get to the bottom of what's causing the problem but glad it looks like its not cancer. :luv:
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I hope you get a clear diagnosis soon. Pleased his recent results were all negative
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Suzie
Great news, I'm keeping everything crossed he will be ok.
They give us such joy and sometimes such sorrow, but we wouldn't be without them.
:bigarmhug: :bigarmhug: from Minnie and Dennis
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Just caught up with this, oh my goodness what a time you are going through and poor Barney, I do hope the results will give you peace of mind the waiting is awful, all my thoughts and prayers are with you big soft squishes to Barney :luv:
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I hope next week brings even more positive news. We have our fingers and paws crossed for you :bigarmhug:
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good news from the first round - fingers crossed its a similar story after the next set of tests x
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i hope you carry on getting more positive news after the weekend :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug: gentle squidges for Barney :luv: :luv:
Stephanie, George and Hamish xxx
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Just spoken to the specialist at Leominster - no evidence of lymphoma in the sample that was taken and blood tests perfectly normal so no answers to what's affecting the immune system - she and her colleagues are a bit baffled and lymphoma hasn't been ruled out yet.
Barney's going back up early on Tuesday to have the lymph node removed and for ultra-sound and a good look around the area while he's under and I should be able to pick him up in the afternoon. If he seems unwell in the meantime I'm to contact them immediately - it's going to be a long weekend. She'd already had a good chat to our vet before ringing me.
Thank you so much for all your support and kind comments, it really does help
At least this way they can do more path work on his lymph node - they did quite a bit on Wilfs (but theirs was also a teaching hospital)
I had to keep Wilf crated for 2 weeks after his lymph node op to stop fluid buildup (Helen at our vets also suggested a warm/hot flannel as well over area if fluid does start to build up)
Hope all goes well on tuesday
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I took Barney Boos back to Leominster yesterday for his op. Over the weekend I'd noticed that he seemed to having problems with his mouth so thought that maybe a tooth abscess could be the problem. He was quite bright and perky yesterday, practically back to normal and it wasn't possible to do much investigation without knocking him out. No problems with his mouth or teeth. The ultra sound highlighted a small area just under the lymph node but when it was opened up there was no pocket of pus or foreign body. The lymph node was removed and sent off for analysis but the vet's not expecting it to be anything other than normal now. It could be that the area highlighted by the ultra sound was the remains of something that had virtually cleared up with the antibiotics - possibly a very small foreign body (bit of thorn?) that had dissolved but no definitive answer.
On the plus side he's much brighter and the challenge is stopping him scratching the wound without resorting to the dreaded bucket. We've got more antibiotics and eye drops and are going back to Leominster next Thursday. I know this is much better than I expected but while I'm really grateful, I just wish I knew exactly what the problem was
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Sounds much more promising - big hugs to you both :bigarmhug:
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Oh that sounds like good news :D Hope they can find out exactly what the cause is though :-\
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Just caught up with this.......Oh dear what a worrying time you have had, however the news is looking good :blink: Thinking of you and Barney
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It does sound more positive for Barney now :luv:
Hope you get some definitive answers soon though :shades: it is the 'not knowing' that causes the worry :'(
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Such a worry, but things seem a liitle brighter, gentle hugs for Barney, and big hugs for you :luv:
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Positive news, so keep that thought in your mind, but I fully understand that you won't be able to stop worrying altogether until you know for sure :bigarmhug: :bigarmhug:
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That sounds positive news. Hope things are beginning to look up for Barney.
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Glad Barney is feeling a bit better now!
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It does sound more positive for Barney now :luv:
Hope you get some definitive answers soon though :shades: it is the 'not knowing' that causes the worry :'(
ditto.....big :bigarmhug: to you all x
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Barney's lymph node analysis has come back as reactive i.e. doing its job and responding to an infection and with no signs of malignacy. I know this is really good news but am nowhere near convinced we've got to the bottom of this. His latest antibiotics cover bone infection - just wonder if anyone has experience of this.
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Susie
Thats great news
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That sounds like great news :D Sounds like things are going in the right direction ;)
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That does sound good news :D Do hope you find out what is wrong very soon
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That's really encouraging. Fingers crossed Barney continues to improve
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Thats good news Susie :shades: :luv:
Fingers crossed for Barney :luv: :luv:
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Wishing Barney a speedy recovery. :D
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Barney's lymph node analysis has come back as reactive i.e. doing its job and responding to an infection and with no signs of malignacy. I know this is really good news but am nowhere near convinced we've got to the bottom of this. His latest antibiotics cover bone infection - just wonder if anyone has experience of this.
It sounds as though your Vet is covering all bases, which can only be a good thing. Hope Barney is improving and whatever is causing the infection is soon under control x
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So glad it isn't what you originally feared, hope Barney is feeling better :bigarmhug:
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Barney's lymph node analysis has come back as reactive i.e. doing its job and responding to an infection and with no signs of malignacy. I know this is really good news but am nowhere near convinced we've got to the bottom of this. His latest antibiotics cover bone infection - just wonder if anyone has experience of this.
It sounds as though your Vet is covering all bases, which can only be a good thing. Hope Barney is improving and whatever is causing the infection is soon under control x
Agree with Jayne. Everything crossed Barney starts to improve and is back fighting fit very soon. xx
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Barney's lymph node analysis has come back as reactive i.e. doing its job and responding to an infection and with no signs of malignacy. I know this is really good news but am nowhere near convinced we've got to the bottom of this. His latest antibiotics cover bone infection - just wonder if anyone has experience of this.
It sounds as though your Vet is covering all bases, which can only be a good thing. Hope Barney is improving and whatever is causing the infection is soon under control x
That sounds just like like Steve ;)
Hope you eventually find out what's wrong Sue - give Barney a squidge for me