Round Mass in the Abdomen
Mya has always had an acidic tummy which is also very prone to gas. Whenever her tummy becomes empty, she ends up vomiting yellow liquid with bubbles. We have always attributed it to acidity. But 3 weeks ago, she vomited and the color was reddish. I had the vet come over for a home visit and he confirmed there's blood in it, so he prescribed something to coat her stomach (usually given to patients with stomach ulcer) to aid in healing. But 2 and a half weeks after that (3 days ago) she vomited again, and was again, blood-tinged. Had an x-ray and ultrasound done and it showed that there's a round mass in her abdomen. The vet said that according to the shape and position, it seems to be an enlarged, fluid-filled kidney. Her Creatinin and BUN read normal in the blood test though. He is considering to recommend opening up her tummy to do an exploratory "something" (can't remember the term) but I'm afraid as it is so invasive and Mya doesn't do well with operations, like when she was spayed. We have scheduled a CT scan instead but it won't be for another 5 days.
The CT scan will give a better view, but according to the vet, in case it is a tumor, they won't be able to tell if it is malignant or benign unless a biopsy is performed. Just wondering if I am doing the right thing by doing a CT scan or if I should go straight to the more invasive procedure, knowing that this procedure will get more definite answers and a more concrete diagnosis, knowing that there is something in her tummy that isn't supposed to be there.
Behavior-wise, she seems normal- at least, same as her usual self. But I don't want to wait until it gets more serious before doing anything. But then again, what if after opening her up and making her suffer, we realize that we didn't have to do that in the first place?
Then maybe the CT scan will determine if it's necessary?
I think I answered my own question.... And I'm venting because even if I've decided not to worry, I still am!
(Just got home from Tokyo today. So happy to be with Mya now, but I wish circumstances were better)
The CT scan will give a better view, but according to the vet, in case it is a tumor, they won't be able to tell if it is malignant or benign unless a biopsy is performed. Just wondering if I am doing the right thing by doing a CT scan or if I should go straight to the more invasive procedure, knowing that this procedure will get more definite answers and a more concrete diagnosis, knowing that there is something in her tummy that isn't supposed to be there.
Behavior-wise, she seems normal- at least, same as her usual self. But I don't want to wait until it gets more serious before doing anything. But then again, what if after opening her up and making her suffer, we realize that we didn't have to do that in the first place?
Then maybe the CT scan will determine if it's necessary?
I think I answered my own question.... And I'm venting because even if I've decided not to worry, I still am!
(Just got home from Tokyo today. So happy to be with Mya now, but I wish circumstances were better)
Comments
But I would go the CT scan route. That will give the vet a better picture of what is going on inside. And that will determine if surgery is truly necessary. I know that I would not want to put my girls under the knife if it was not necessary.
Hopefully it is something simple. And hopefully Mya will not be required to have surgery. Let us know how things go and what the CT scan shows (if you go that route).
Hugs to her (and you!).
Our last boxers had lumps removed from their legs and chest luckily it wasn't bad and didn't spread..
Hope things go OK.
I had to make a choice about biopsys a few years back when we were trying to diagnose Lucy's IBD. The options were an exploratory surgery which would yield deeper tissue samples and increased diagnostic power or a endoscopic biopsy that would be minimally invasive but only yield superficial tissue samples. I struggled with the decision for a while, and then finally decided to take her to see a specialist. After speaking with the specialist the decision became perfectly clear. He was confident that given her symptoms the less invasive biopsy would yield more than enough diagnostic power.
The point of that anecdote is to suggest that you think about consulting a specialist. Because they see so many cases similar to yours, they will be able to guide you more confidently on the best decisions for your dog and for you.
Best of luck, I'm really sorry to hear you'll be going through this.
My GSD actually from when she was a pup till about 1½ years, often vomited yellow liquid, sometimes up to 4-5 times a day. My vet didn't know what to make of it, and in the end my poor dog had to go the animalhospital to have an endoscopy. It revealed that she had an infection in the mucosa in her stomach and small ulcers. She has no problems whatsoever now, but the special diets from the vet didn't work, no matter which ones I tried (vet recommended) and when she moved to my parents house she suddenly got better. We found out that she steals bread from the stable (supposed to be for the horses) and it has put a stop to the vomiting and bad stomach. I am not happy about it since bread is not exactly dog food, but it helps her, when nothing else did, so I'm a bit torn...
But, my vet did choose some halfhearted (I think, looking back at it) solutions, my dog had to suffer longer before she got the necessary help. But ofcourse, my dog did not undergo surgery, so it's not the same choice you have to make. Though she was fully anesthetized for the vets to be able to implement the procedure...
I think I would try to find a specialist like Dave says, maybe it can help you make a more informed choice. Anyways, I hope you find out what's wrong and that Mya will be all better, soon!
Just throwing ideas out there......As far as vomiting up blood. Has you dog been eating grass or debri. Sometimes that will do it since grass blades are serrated. Also, changing the food to a more geriatric mixture might help, either by softening the food with water and allowing it to swell in the dish before feeding or moving over to soft food low in fat. If she has any teeth issues that will often cause dogs to swallow kibble whole and it aggravates the situation of gastric upset.
Wishing your pup the best and hopefully it isn't anything serious. Keep us posted on the progress.
Snf
PS: I agree with Dave, make sure you see the best specialist you can to form a second opinion on what procedure to move forward with.
For example (and I know this is no where as serious as what your pup is going through), When Tikaani was a pup he had base narrow canine, which is where the adult canine tooth grows crooked and risks puncturing the roof of the mouth. Our vet had told us that the options were braces or cutting the tooth, and they had referred us to a specialist for a second opinion. The vets were very concerned and felt that Tikaani's tooth would turn out very badly, but the dental specialist took a quick glance and said, "He just needs to chew on a lacrosse ball". Apparently, chewing on the lacrosse ball would help push the tooth out and give him a normal bite.
I would definitely start with the least invasive method, just cause it could be a tumor doesn't mean it is for sure. Best to do the CT and find out what it is, than to cut her open and find out that it wasn't something that required it.
What sort of specialist did you mean? I have to check if we have any specialist here. The veterinarian Mya goes to is already considered the best there is here, but his specialty is surgery (maybe that's why...) and exotic animals. I want to avoid surgery as much as possible as I understand that the kidney cells do not regenerate. When you lose function, that's it. And human errors can also happen even during simple procedures. Arghhhhh!!!!
We also have very limited options with regard to her food as she has atopic dermatitis and is just recovering from almost losing all of her fur. She is on a raw diet designed to rule out any food allergy, though at this point it seems to me like it's environmental.
I will keep you updated after the CT scan.
Thanks everyone!
April
Findings:
The right kidney is severely hydronephrotic with thinning of the cortex. This is secondary to calcific density in the proximal ureter. The left kidney is normal in size a slightly hyperdense focus in the calyx.
Impression:
Proximal right obstructive lithiasis resulting to severe hydronephrosis
Non-obstructive lithiasis,left kidney
It's really scary as her right kidney is so big that she's not allowed to rough play because there is some danger that it could burst. But the vet agrees that the least invasive, the better, since Mya doesn't seem to be in pain or suffering. We will try some medications first, to try to dissolve the calcification. He prescribed a Chinese herbal medicine called "shi lin tong", which he said cured one of his pug patients though he was skeptical about this in the beginning. He also put Mya on kidney support called "Chicosan", which is derived from Japanese technology. She has been on maintenance support, called Nefrotec for more than a year now.
He did mention consulting with a Nephrologist, though there is no canine specialist here. We may have to go and consult with a Nephrologist for humans. Another option is to look for a canine nephrologist abroad, correspond online, and mail blood samples and test results in if necessary. Anyone have a good canine nephrologist in mind? I would really appreciate any help. I will post a separate discussion to ask for referrals- hope you don't mind!
As for referrals, I believe you'll be needing an internal medicine specialist. I worked with one at a practice in Atlanta, GA. He was an excellent diagnostician and really got us going down the right path, but was slow to respond to phone calls (not a good thing when you have a dog with explosive diarrhea!) and so I ended up taking his advice as a rough guide and working out the details with the regular vet. His name is Dr. Derek Duval (you need to use his first name too, his wife also works at the practice) and his information is on the Georgia Veterinary Specialists website: www.gvsvet.com.
I recommend him because he was the catalyst that gall the ball moving in the right direction for Lucy. But we don't see him anymore despite the fact that Lucy isn't "cured", so take it for what it's worth.
Good luck, and hopefully we will hear good things from you in the near future!
You mean her Kidney, right? or does she have liver problems too??
Given you are in another country with limited specialists I would have your vet look up and contact/consult with experts at one of the following schools and centers for a phone chat as you proceed. They are some of the leading experts in the field of Kidneys (Nephrology/Urology) in veterinary field here in the U.S..
Ohio State University Dept. of Veterinary Clinical Sciences Columbus,OH
Dr. Stephen P. DiBartola
Dr. Dennis J. Chew
University of California, Davis Veterinary Center
Larry D. Cowgill DVM, ACVIM Diplomate
Good luck and keep us posted
Snf
Oops! I meant kidney. Just edited my post!
Much thanks!
April and Mya
I'm glad there are some possible treatments for her and I hope they help!
Just an update... Mya has been on Chinese and Japanese herbal medication for a week now and after a week more, we will be doing another ultrasound to see if the crystals have gotten any smaller. Since we are doing this the "homeopathic" way, so to speak, we've gone sort of all-out and she's doing accupuncture therapy for support. Today was her first day, and since Mya was so tense, with her whole body so stiff, the accupuncturist couldn't put the needles in. We resorted to laser accupuncture. Actually, she was able to stick 2 needles on her when she wasn't looking. But when she saw the needles sticking out of her leg, she freaked out and tried to remove them. Good luck to us tomorrow!
As for plan B if the oral medicines don't work, I'm looking for a place even out of the country which can do veterinary endoscopic laser lithotripsy. If anyone knows of a place, please let me know... Somewhere near the Philippines, if possible. I was surfing for vet clinics in HongKong or Singapore but I can't seem to find any. And the expense of travelling to the West (US/ Europe) is too steep. (Plane ride, cargo, hotel, treatment, etc.)
Gosh, this is emotionally draining!
Wishing good health to everyone and your furkids!