# Mast Cell Tumor



## Lucy Vizsla (May 19, 2008)

On Thursday my 4 year old male Chevy was diagnosed with a Mast Cell Tumor. At this point I don't have any more to say other than I am looking for people who have been through this to share their experience (good or bad). Or given us questions to ask the vet. They advised removal, which makes me nervous, with him going under. So any insight is appreciated.


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

Lucy Vizsla,

I am so sorry to hear that your baby has a mast cell tumour, I know exactly what you are going through as 2 years ago my Gt Dane underwent surgery for a mast cell tumour on his tail as is STILL with us and has had no further tumours. 

Where do you live??

From my experience it became apparent that most small animal veterinary practices have very limited knowledge of cancer. If you live in the UK ask for a referral to the AHT (Animal Health Trust) Newmarket - they are brilliant. There are a few new treatments for mast cell tumours, which might be applicable to you. Unfortunately, Fergus our Gt Dane had a subcutaneous mast cell tumour which was not treatable with any of the drugs. We opted to have his tail amputated, which healled really well and they got good margins - so all is good.

Where ever you live, get referred to a practise that specialises in cancer treatment. I am not a vet and we all know that "going under" is a risk to anybody or pet. However I would say that with modern anaesthetics the risk is minimal. Fergus is 78Kgs and Gt Danes do not do well with anaesthetics, but what options do you have. He has now had 3 general anaesthetics and has been fine. My feelings are that the benifits out weigh the risks, so please don't delay too long.

Where abouts is you dogs tumour??

There is another member on this forum whose Vizsla has had a mast cell tumour BlueandMac, I did try to PM them as I would be interest to hear about their V, but they are not on PM. I do hope they see your post.

I wish you and your Vizsla well and do keep me posted. If your prefer to PM with questions please don't hesitate to do so.

Kind regards,

Heather


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Lucy Vizsla, I'm so sorry to hear your news about the mast cell tumor, but don't despair. Hotmischief and others have had good outcomes with the same problem. Over the years I've had to have a few surgeries done on my dogs, too. The Vizsla breed and some others are sensitive to many forms of general anesthesia. Make sure that if surgery is done, *Isoflorane gas* is used. It's the anesthetic of choice for the Vizsla, and tolerated quite well. Best wishes to you and Chevy as you deal with this challenge. 

p.s. I just checked, and I spelled it wrong. The correct spelling is "ISOFLURANE".


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## BlueandMac (Apr 21, 2011)

Hi LucyVizsla,
I am sorry to hear you and Chevy are going through this. Just having gone through this last year, I can quickly recall the fear and stress of everything! I will say right up front that Blue is doing just fine - she was also 4 when her lump was found (about the size of a dime on the outside of her right back leg - where/what size is Chevy's?). I have written about it a few times on here - if you search on "mast cell" in the search box you will find several posts about my and other's experiences - and most posts are very positive with great outcomes. She did have surgery and does have a very large scar because they need to get "good margins" around the tumour area - which is a good thing as it reduces the chances of reoccurance. She did not have any follow up treatment (chemo/radiation) but that is an option if the vet feels it is necessary. As far as the surgery and going under, I think there isn't much choice - that darn thing needs to come out. Blue has been under four times in her life - spaying, impalement injury (2 surgeries) and the tumour removal - she has come out just fine everytime. Just be sure to discuss with your vet your concerns and, as mswhipple states, that the breed is sensitive to general anesthesia. I am not sure what anesthetic was used on Blue, but I would certainly take mswhipple's suggestion about Isoflurane as she is extremely knowledgeable!

Most of all, remember Chevy is young and strong. This breed seems to tolerate pain and heel extremely quickly. Blue is the same crazy fast, amazing athlete she was prior to the tumour removal last August. If you have any questions or just want to talk about things, please feel free to PM me (I know I can get them - not sure why hotmichief couldn't the other day...but if you can't, let me know and I will send you my personal email). I'm sure anyone else on this forum who had dealt with this would also be talk with you as well - good group of folks here! Please keep us updated on things. I will be thinking of Chevy and you - I know what a difficult time this is. Take care and best wishes.

ps. From my experience, the internet can be a good and bad thing - lots of info but not always correct or right for your situation. Ask lots of questions to your vet - and if you have any concerns with their experience/understanding, seek out a specialist. I didn't but please remember that is your right and you need to feel as comfortable as you can with your decisions. With Blue, it was relatively small and the vet felt we caught it very early - and I trust her very much, so I was comfortable with everything and did not get a second opinion.


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

No experience but wishing you and pup a good outcome. If it makes you feel any better my pup has had to go under twice a month ago and he did great, so your pup will get on just fine too.


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## iwant2fish (Aug 14, 2012)

Dear Lucy Vizsla,

We too know what it's like to get this diagnosis. When our boy Buck was diagnosed in 2009 just days after his 7th birthday we were devastated. He was given 6-12 months to live. Our vet said recommended an oncologist who suggested amputating his tail and starting chemo. It would be 5k, would possibly make him sick and there was only a 50/50 chance of it helping him. Even if it did, it could return in 6 months. Fortunately, the money was not a factor, but we decided this was not an option for us. We decided to give him the best life we could for the remaining time that we had.

I began researching mast cell and only stuck to articles that were written by vets and not trying to sell me something. I could not believe how they all related back to commercial pet food and over vaccination. I consulted a holistic vet and switched him (and all of our animals) to a raw diet with some added supplements.

After he lived a year, we went to a new vet and had the rest of his lumps removed including some that were previously biopsied. He came back as stage two and was given a 5-6 year life expectancy. Needless to say, we were ecstatic. The only change we had made was to his diet and stopped his vaccines.

Unfortunately, we lost Bucky suddenly on July 23, 2012. He got off the couch and trotted away and only a minute later our other V notified me that something was wrong. I rushed him to the vet, but sadly he was already gone. Our vet thinks he had either a blood clot or an aneurism, but we will never know. I asked if it could have been attributed to the cancer and he said possibly, but not definitively. We will never know. 

He was healthy every day until his passing and never suffered one day from his disease (that he let us know of anyway). In fact, he was chasing squirrels (his favorite!) ten minutes before this happened. I can't prove that changing his diet is was helped him live another 2 years after what they say he would, but would certainly suggest you check into it if you haven't already. Feel free to email me directly if you have any questions.

Good luck to you and sending my prayers.

Lisa


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

First of all, wishing Chevy all the best and hoping he goes on to live a long, healthy life.


Lisa, I just read your story about buck. Wow. I am so sorry for your loss. That must have been devastating. I was happy to read that Buck had an extra 2 years and that he was happy and healthy up until the very end.


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## Lucy Vizsla (May 19, 2008)

Thank you for all your thoughts. I meant to write sooner but got wrapped up. Chevy had his surgery just over a week ago. The surgery went very well. You wouldn't have guessed he was in any pain, so much that it was hard to keep him still through the healing process. The vet said she got great margins. We received the report back on Friday. It was a Mast Cell Tumor, Stage 1 making his prognosis good. The margins were also all clear. My husband and I thank you for all your knowledge, it gave me a few questions to ask. Now I just hope this stitches heal up without pulling out with his energy!


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Best wishes to Chevy.


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## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

Wishing quick recovery for Chevy!


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

I am so pleased that Chevy has come through his surgery well and that your vets got good margins. It sounds like he is on his way to making a full recovery.

Great News


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