I have a 15-year-old Wheaten Terrier with all the symptoms of a tumor in the cerebellum according to the neurologist at the vet school here -- intention tremor, right head tilt, lack of use of back legs, fecal incontinence, crying and panting at night. On the plus side, he has a very good appetite.
The vet did not recommend an MRI because he said the dog was too old for surgery or radiation treatment which would require a general anesthetic. We are palliatively treating him with acupuncture and Chinese herbs (from the vet school). My question is: Are we giving up too easily? Should we be more aggresive with the treatment? Are 15-year-old dogs too old to be treated? Or on the other hand are we putting our dog through suffering by not putting him down. We are so attached to him, we have little objectivity. Thanks.
treatment for 15-year-old dog with brain tumor
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GruffySymptoms: head tilt, lameness, paralysis, weight loss -
Torunn says:
Hi there
I agree with the neurologist, 15 years is quite old to go through a general anaesthetic and surgery. He might not survive the anaestetic, and if he does, there might be complications with the surgery so that he does not get back to his normal self afterwards anyway. Also, at 15 you might lose him to something else a year or two down the line, so you need to really consider wether it is worth it.
I do not think he if suffering as a brain tumour usually is not causing pain. It may however cause confusion which might be why he is crying at night. I think for now you should try and keep him comfortable as long as he is happy and eating. The day you decide that he does not have a good quality of life, is the day you need to make the decision to put him down.
I hope this helps your decision
Torunn Beurling DrMedVet
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