Drum roll please

Gone with the Wind is definitely a classic. Love it. I persuaded my DH to see the Sound of Music with me before we were married. He snorted and pretend snored and was so embarrassing the wedding was very nearly called off. He’s better trained now, but I’m more careful about what I suggest we see.

I'm not sure Wilma, it was very many years ago when we were first married and he told the tale for years afterwards about how I dragged him off to see this film!

Years ago I persuaded my parents to go to the cinema with me to see South Pacific, which I had seen in 'Todd-AO' at Wolverhampton.
Mum enjoyed it very much but Dad grumbled about it being a load of old rubbish then fell asleep.

I love the film and the book.

Just phoned the vet to ask if Lottie's results are back, all they would say was - the vet who saw her last week will phone you when she is free, this can only mean the test wasn't clear , I am so fearful

Not necessarily
Fingers and toes crossed

True, I need to control my negative thoughts , sorry

Just had phone call from doctor, she is unsure if I have a reaction to antibiotics or blood poisoning , that cheered me up - not

Oh, Annie, hopefully it's just a reaction which should settle. You've been under so much stress that it's bound to reflect in your health. Concentrate on that puppy of yours, she's your best medicine.

Have you heard back from the vet yet? If not, ring again. She must be free now..... it's lunch time!

Lottie has cancer. I have two choices

1. They x ray to see if it's spread, if not they operate and remove all mamory glands on the one side but doesn't mean it will not spread then.

2. I wait and decide when she loses a good quality of life then let her go.

Oh annie what a difficult decision. So much worry at the moment with your own health and your dear Lottie. Sending love and hugs.

Oh dear, so sorry

Are you taking penicillin? DH suddenly developed an allergy to it having been OK beforehand.

Oh Annie I'm so sorry to hear of Lottie's results - such a hard decision for you to make on top of everything else. I wish I could offer some help and advice, but even if I had personal experience of this condition with one of my dogs, it would still be you who had to decide. But I know you'll choose the path that is right for Lottie.
I hope your arm is improving and the setback is just a reaction to the meds. Hopefully your GP will find the right treatment for you and all will be well.
God bless you and keep you and Lottie safe x

Oh dear, what bad news about Lottie. I suppose it would be as well to get the xrays done then make a decision on how to move forward. Do you have insurance? Otherwise the cost will be an important factor too.
I am so sorry you have so much to contend with, hope the arm improves soon. (((hugs)))

Oh no Annie, that’s awful news. So, so sorry. Shysal is right, if you can afford to it would probably be best to have the x-rays to see how bad things are. What does the vet suggest?

So sorry, Annie - two lots of bad news in one day. I know you’ll do what’s right for Lottie. Take care of yourself.
Love and God bless. X

Are there different kinds of mammary tumour and, if so can they tell you what it is and what grade it is? Hattie had x rays to see if a cancer had spread and the x rays knocked her for six; it then turned out the lump they were concerned about was just a cyst. With the removal of the cyst as well as the x rays the bill came to @ £1300. Pet plan did, fortunately, pay up. She already had a spindle cell cancer which is why they were concerned but she's now had that for several years and is still ok. It was low grade. We often say to a vet 'if it was your dog, what would you do' which is easier for them to answer than 'what shall I do'.

Annie I'm so sorry it's bad news about Lottie. I know you will be guided by your vet, but I thought I would mention that a dog's mammary glands are different than humans. In dogs they are outside of the muscle, so the surgery is not as invasive. The good thing is Lottie is still young. When do you have to make a decision?

Tegan why did the x-rays have such an effect? Did the vet anesthetise your dog first?

She just reacted badly to the shaving etc and was very raw and sore. They did the x rays prior to operating so they knew that nothing had spread to her lungs etc and they then operated at the same time. They then took a very wide margin out around what they thought was a tumour, and she still has a scar running down her neck. The next time she had a lump they did a sample from it [heck; forgot the name of the process; they just put a needle in and took some cells out] and from that they were able to ascertain what sort of tumour it was and what grade. That's when we decided not to have another operation done. She'd had one operation that had cost @ £700 so a bill for 1300 was a huge shock. I'm still angry about it, to be honest.

Thanks for that. Pretty bad of your vet not to keep you informed about the cost. We couldn't really afford anything that wasn't covered by the insurance and had to keep checking. Fortunately we did have good insurance for that very reason. I have heard about vets who simply ask if you're insured and if you are, they just go ahead with what they think needs to be done without further reference to the customer (talking cost here, not treatment choices). Sorry to hear about the shaving. It sounds nasty and I've not heard anything like that before and tbh it would probably put me off going to that vet again.

There's a vet here who's known to up the charges if he knows the quite a bit if he knows insurance will cover it. But he charges a lot less for those he thinks can't afford insurance. Robbing Peter to pay Paul. I do wonder how many vets do this and how much effect it has on premiums.

Thank you all x

I am not sure what to do, I asked the vet what she would do and she said - I have never been in this position !

My son in law chose surgery for their dog who had cancer, he said he would never make the same choice again, the dog was on steroids, pain killers, antibiotics and his life was extended by approx a month.

Lottie gets fearful having her nails clipped, she was distressed when they took the biopsy last Friday, that was just a needle.

I have to decide on her having a short life but happy with me or putting her through the X-ray, operation etc and the vet said there was no assurance the cancer wouldn't spread .

I don't want to lose her but can I subject her to the trauma

We only have one vet surgery here so can't get second opinion. I will give it more thought , they can't do anything until after next Tuesday .

I am leaning towards no surgery but then I look at her and think no, I can't let her go.

I was just reading how fearful Lottie is, and my thought was "ahh, just leave her be". She doesn't know what her prognosis is, bless her.
I hope you can find a way to come to a decision, neither of which will be easy. It's awful being in that position.

Ah Annie - I've just caught up with this thread and am so upset you've had this dreaded news about Lottie. You've been through so much and now you've another mountain to climb. There are so many mixed emotions about our pets diagnoses - I think you probably have to weigh up the quality of life she will have if you do nothing against her prognosis if you put her through the operation. Did the vet give any information about treatment post op if you decided to go that way and they did manage to remove all the cancer? Would she need tablets and more x-rays and visits to the surgery? And also was there any indication of how long she would have if nothing was done? I think you know in your own mind when the time has come to save them from suffering but it may be that it's slow growing and she could have quite some time with you. I know how hard it is - sometimes the worst part is the waiting and watching them knowing what you have to do in the end. So sad that this has happened at the same time as what should be so much fun with your new fur baby. Hope your arm is on the mend

MissA, Lottie's emotions must be considered, she is queen bee at home. Took her quite some time to come to terms with loss of .Honey, she plays with Phoebe, is the boss - first time in her life. surgery, Phoebe would have to go to daughter2 in Lincolnshire until Lottie recovers, Phoebe would be fine but Lottie would surely miss her. Thank you so much for letting me talk about it. X