My 5 year old golden retriever, Paisley, just received ultrasound results that observed masses on her spleen, bladder and rectum, and enlarged lymph nodes. Her blood work came back normal, and stool sample was negative for parasites – she’s been a healthy dog! In the past 3 weeks, Paisley has been very lethargic, sleeps most of the day, can no longer get into the car or onto the bed, and strains trying to pass stool (it’s mostly blood or small stool with blood). Her appetite is unchanged – she’s always gobbled up her food and never misses an opportunity to mooch, so this is good. Her water intake is lower than normal, but she is still periodically drinking throughout the day. We’re currently awaiting the full report on the ultrasound to determine what the next options are (x-ray, biopsies, surgery, chemo – depending). My question goes out to the Pawbly community – pet owners and veterinarians, anyone who may have personal experience or insight related to this. Have you had this sort of unfortunate discovery with your pet? Was it benign or malignant? Is surgery recommended for both benign and malignant masses, and what is the likelihood of it resolving things? The questions go on…We just got this news last night, so admittedly my head is still spinning and not sure how best to proceed. It’s already been $2,000 in vet bills to get to this stage. Without pet insurance, just preparing for whatever costs may lie ahead for anything we choose to do next. Otherwise, Paisley is a very happy girl and still has a great zest for life when she has the energy! Shocked that this is happening to such a young pup.

Thanks in advance for any and all feedback! Very much appreciated.

Hi I just recently became a mommy to a blue nosed pit bull. The person we got her from lied to us about her age. I came to find out she is only 4 weeks old. She was already weaned off of her mom’s milk for the most part when he got her. The “breeder” was feeding her an entire can of wet pedigree dog did with kibble mixed in. I knew right away that was horribly wrong. I went to pet smart and bought the ready made formula to start her back on. I went home and immediately tried to get her to drink it. She refused to drink any formula. She was starting to act lethargic and I wasn’t sure if it was due to the car ride home or her lack of eating so I added a small spoonful of wet puppy food and mixed it in with the formula. She immediately began to devour it. When I brought her home that same day her poop was normal and formed. The next night she began to have dark diarrhea. It was squirting out of her poor little butt. She’s been doing that for 2 days now. I called JV yesterday(Saturday) and spoke to a receptionist. She recommend continuing the formula and adding puppy kibble in and letting it soften for her to eat. I went out yesterday and bought Purina pro plan puppy food. She began that around 4 pm yesterday. She wasn’t drinking water up until yesterday but she is now. So de starting the kibble and formula mix her diarrhea is not so runny anymore but in 2 bathroom breaks back to back I did notice some blood spotting in her poop. It’s not a lot, it’s literally a few spots mixed in. Is that something I need to be concerned with? Do I need to bring her in to the walk in clinic today or should I wait longer to see if her poop begins to become normal again? She is sleeping a lot but I was told that she will do that for her age? When she isn’t sleeping she will run around and play, wag her little tail, she has 2 stuffed animals that she will playfully bite and drag around.
My question after giving you this info is should I bring her in to the vet? I know she can’t have any shots yet but I’m worried she is sick and don’t want her to die on me. ????

Dr Magnifico, My mother in law has been feeding about 6-8 feral cats for about 10 years. Some of them we’ve brought to JVC clinic for vetting and snipping. She now has terminal cancer and dementia. She has for the last year been letting 2 of them into her house. They use the litter box and sleep in her house although she’s never touched them. She is about to be admitted to Gilcrest for end of life care and these cats will no longer be able to come inside. We will still go feed them but eventually the house will be sold. We are wondering if you have any suggestions on what to do with these cats. They are all very healthy, just not young anymore and need to find homes.