Seamus is a 12+ year old Golden, he had a basil cell carcenoma removed from his front right paw last year.
January 3rd Seamus had a very violent seizure lasting 2-3 minutes. I rushed him to the vet. He had bloodwork, urine, and radiographs. His thyroid was tested, determined low and he began thyroid medication.
Since his seizure he has had loss of ability in his back legs, lethargy, and some moments of confusion. We were hoping the thyroid was the cause of the seizure, and he would improve. Unfortunately on January 30th he had 2 more long, violent seizures. He went back to the vet. A mass in his lymph node by the right shoulder was discovered. There also appears to be an infected tooth that needs care. He is currently taking anitbiotics for the tooth, dizapam for the seizures, thyroid hormones, and rimadyl. He still has mild neurological activities, like petit mal, but has not had another violent seizure since Jan. 30.
He is currently exhausted. I am having trouble determining what to do about the next steps.
The vet reccommends cleaning his teeth and doing a surgical biopsy of the mass while he is under. The worst case scenerio is lymphoma. Based on his age, condition and our finances I am not sure how to proceed with a diagnosis of lymphoma. That said, under the circumstances should I put him through both the cleaning and biopsy? I told my vet I want to make him as comfortable as possible, but I cannot seem to come to a decision on the best course of action.
I had a terrible experience with chemo in the past. Our 6 year old Basset, Gus had lymphoma and we chose to treat him with chemo and radiation. We regretted it afterword. His remission was only 2 months, he became violently ill, bloated, lethargic, wouldn't eat and developed massive ear infections that wouldn't respond to antibiotics because his resistance was so low. With family help, we spent almost $7,000 on treatment, medications and dealing with side effects. Basically it was 6 months of hell, and we were better equipped at the time.
I know that is an example of a very bad experience, and there are stories of amazing recoveries, but my gut feeling is that Seamus isn't going to just "bounce back" and I don't want him to suffer needlessly.
Any input?
Susan G.
gldstein@hotmail.com



Optional Information:
Age: 12; Male; Breed: Golden Retreiver

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