Thanks Luckypenny, I believe that too. I'm just hoping I get a little more time to love him
Thanks Maxalisa for your comments about his diet. I included rice because it is in several of the dog cancer diets I found especially in the ones posted by the Veterinary Information Network. Complex carbohydrates are recommended in dog cancer diets because they do not feed the cancer.
When I adopted him I experimented with a number of both dry and wet foods ranging from the best and most natural to the mediocre and he was very difficult to please. He had been eating grocery store food for 12 years and I had trouble getting him to accept anything better than that. I finally found he would eat Pro Plan Select Senior which was the best food I could get him to eat and because he was severely underweight at the time my main aim was to get him to eat a reasonably acceptable food. Pedigree choice cuts I used to flavour and moisten his food only and that was what he had been given for most of his life as a wet food. Now the cancer diet is something totally different and he eats it over several hours. I think it may be too rich for him and that's why he takes so long to eat it. He also likes company when he's eating.
Sardines and pure virgin olive oil have some of the highest levels of B12 and other B's, omega 3's, selenium and all the nutrients recommended in the cancer diets. They also are included in the cancer diets I found from the VIN.
Nutrtients in Sardines and
Nutrients In Extra Virgin Olive Oil
I also read that using a lot of veggies in his diet would probably cause diarrhea. I don't want to stress him in any way so I have not added any veggies. Instead he gets the multivite/mineral tabs yogurt, an egg etc. The amount of processed food he is getting is limited to the 2 tbsp of gravy from the Pedigree can and the 1/4 cup of pro plan.(normal for his weight is 2 1/2 cups a day). The first thing he eats when he goes to his dish is the Pro Plan and Pedigree chunks of meat so I am not sure if he'd eat any of the diet if I removed them completely.
I'm not saying the diet I've put together is perfect, probably far from it, but I have taken into account the fact he is 13 years old and is a finicky eater at the best of times. I probably should add some veggies to it, but he hasn't wanted any I've offered him before he got sick so I doubt if he'll eat them now. I was surprised he didn't like carrots because all of my previous dogs loved them.
I discussed the use of antibiotics with my vet before she left on holidays and she said if it were a severe infection then he would have a fever, other abnormal blood work and other signs to indicate infection. She said the lab results as they are don't indicate an infection because his WBC's are much too high without the other tests being abnormal. I will discuss doxycycline with her again when she returns.
The one thing I keep thinking is that if he hadn't hurt his leg/paw/elbow I wouldn't have taken him to the vet and heard the bad news. The other thing that crosses my mind is how long he's had the lump on his chest/abdomen and that it appears to be very slow growing unless it is growing inside as well. So maybe, just maybe he will live a month or more
but I'm not under any illusions that I am right and my vet is wrong.
I really appreciate all of your help and support, I re-evaluate everything I'm doing when I hear alternatives and some of the ideas are excellent and I may introduce them a little at a time.
Happy New Year to one and all!!
