My Dog Is In The Advanced Stage Of Lymphoma Cancer What Do I Do?

My dog star was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer over 6 months ago..just in the past couple weeks she has been getting worse her elbows were very swollen one of them filled up with puss and last night it burst everywhere it was very gross but I love her to death so I help drain it...and she was like relieved...She still eats and drinks and pees but she only made a bowel movement twice in like a week and it was black..she is seeing the vet today and  I am so nervous their going to say to put her to sleep : ( she is only 6 years old she's a boxer I feel so bad for her...Prednisone does help that's what has been keeping her comfortable it shrinks the tumors......she also does breath heavy but since she has been diagnosed she has made it over  6 months so don't put your dog to sleep right away the prednisone helps a lot...you'll know when it gets bad like my dog I came home from work and she wouldn't go out or eat she was in a daze so I gave her  5 of her prednisone and she was able to go out to pee, eat , and drink...I think its a waist of money for chemo the cancer will kill them either way.....I would go with prednisone to make them comfortable til the day comes to put them to sleep.....

My dog lucky is a golden retriever he just turned 7 on new years he was diagnosed with lymphoma the last stages she told us he only had about 2 weeks to live we chose to give him predisone and he's been doing fine even before that but just today I noticed a big red spot on his right eye and did some research and found out predisone cause glaucoma I don't know whether I should take him off predisone and see how he does or keep giving it to him and let him go blind. Gosh this is just so hard for me and my family, and reading each of your comments is so helpful at this time in my life I think it's about 3 weeks since she gave us the bad news and I truely believe our love for him and keeping hope is what's keeping him alive. My heart goes out to everyone who has gone through this and is going through it at the moment :,(

I chose chemo for my 12 year old terrier mix.  Yes, it was very expensive but lymphoma is one of the cancers that respond very well to treatment.  Over 50% of the dogs get another 18 months of life.  The first round (3-4 months of weekly shots) gave us just over a year of remission, the second round 4-5 months.  My dog had no problems with the treatments.  She was bouncy and happy the entire time. So treating her was absolutely the best decision.  But in the last 2 weeks she is slowing down, getting picky with food so the vet increased her daily prednisone.  I expect to put her down any day now, and have a vet appointment  tomorrow when I will decide.  I won't allow her end to be one of suffering.  I could not live with myself. 

We have to brave for the dog's sake, and do the right thing.  Don't think about how sad it makes you feel. "YOU" are not what is important, the dog's pain/suffering is the only important measure.  Most vets will tell you when the time is near.  Important tip:  You really need to go to a specialty clinic for treating most serious illnesses like cancer.  They have oncologist's, internal medicine specialists, etc. On their staffs.  Your average vet is great for routine care, basic surgery but go see the experts if your dog has a problem.  I say this from much experience.  We have a small dog rescue group (rescue & foster about 50 dogs a year) and work with 6-8 local vets for the routine stuff, but we take our dogs to the specialty clinic for more serious illnesses. 

I'm more than a little surprised to hear that a vet gave someone sedatives so they could end the dogs life at home.  That is just such an incredibly bad idea.  If given an overdose, they won't die fast, they will die slowly and painfully while every
organ shuts down and they STRUGGLE TO BREATH. 
If people want their dog to die at home, work it out with the vet to come to over.  It may take a bunch of phone  calls to find one who will but they are out there.  Also, it's
not that expensive to do this at the vet office.  I heard someone say they paid $10 at the Petsmart/Banfield clinic and it was very peaceful/humane. 

Good luck to you all.

I had a lab with cancer. She was okay at first and then she started to get uncomfortable.It was harder for her to get up and down and she would whimper in her sleep.I know you love your dog and it is probably one of the hardest things to do{I've been there} but putting her to sleep so she doesn't suffer any more is the best thing to do. Good Luck!

I had a dog that was 12 years old with that. I didn't think she was in a lot of pain or was suffering. She was losing weight, not eating or drinking much. She also started leaking bloody fluid. Before I could get her to the vets, she had a horrible long seizure and died. I didn't think it was that bad at first, but I really feel bad seeing what she went through before she died. It would have been rough for me to put her to sleep, but in the end I wish I would have just so I know she would have suffered. It's a tough decision either way.

My beagle has lymphoma, swollen glands poor eating..you name it. He is on prednisone and tramadol for pain and was given weeks to live. I would appreciate comments and encouragements and your story as well, thanks Sylvie

I know this is an old post, but I came across it looking for an answer as I believe I am dealing with my Corgi's final day. As there seems to be other's with questions about how to handle earlier stages as well, I would like to share my experience.

Two and a half years ago my 5 year old corgi was diagnosed with Lymphoma and given a few weeks to live if we did nothing, or a couple months of we tried chemo. Without hesitation we committed to chemo. What they say about dogs with lymphoma is true: If you treat them, they bounce back pretty fast. The first month was hard, lots of vet appointments, our dog was nervous each time. Eventually he got to know the oncologist and began to sit on th floor, in her lap during his treatment. After a few weeks, his energy, appetite, and smile were back. We didn't even need the anti diarrhea and vomit meds they gave us. The only thing we missed were his whiskers, as they fell off during chemo.

After about 5 months they through him a small party at his visit (with a banner!), he was finally in remission. We only had to go in for check ups once a month. After a while, it was once every 5-7 weeks. We almost forgot he was sick.

He was in remission until his 2 year cancerversarry, so much longer than anyone thought he would make it. We decided to try treatment again. Our vet had left her office, so this time the visits were in-home (which our boy loved). We tried a few different multi-drug cocktails, at first it seemed to help. We did this for 3 treatments over 2 months. Finally the vet told us he was no longer responding and she had no other treatments to try.

That brings us to about a month ago. We have kept him on increased prednisone, but we have watched him age overnight. In the matter of a week the tumor on the right side of his face has swollen to the size of a baseball, he's lost at least 6 pounds, and he's having a hard time breathing.

Despite how hard the last couple weeks have been, the past two and a half years with my dog were worth it. He was happy and healthy. He got to sleep on my bed, chase the cats, bark at noises that weren't there, and eat quite a few cheese burgers  (and a couple steaks too) in the time granted to us by our decision.

If you have the means (monetarily, timely, and emotionally), I urge you to give your pet the best chance possible. I'm so happy we did.

The reason I found this thread is because this morning that tumor has a hole in it and is leaking either pus or lymphatic fluid, and my husband nor I cannot stop it. I had hoped someone here would have an answer to the OP's question to help me. It's Saturday, my resources are not available, and I am heartbroken. Maybe someone who has gone through this will see this and tell me what is happening, as I have searched the Internet and cannot find anything about lymphatic tumors leaking.