Brutus the Boxer. Glitterwolf's Pet

[TGP]

He has Socks!   Are they gonna name him Socks? That would totally work. 

[Glitterwolf]

10 and a half years now.

 

His belly is getting more and more bald due to the hormone problem.

He's still happy, playful and likes his food.

Sleeps more during the day but still likes to walk and be with us.

No signs of pain or discomfort yet.

 

I so do not want to miss him, hope he makes it to his next birthday and a little more...

He got wet from the rain in this pic, why did we walk in that????

 

Edited July 17 by Glitterwolf

[Glitterwolf]

Brutus decided he didn't want to get up yesterday morning.

 

 

Nope, not coming out!

 

 

***Sigh***

If I have to...

 

 

 

[R2ED]

This is Kona and the faces his gives me when I'm painting and he's ready to play. 

 

[Glitterwolf]

What a good boy!

[Glitterwolf]

My old friend still likes to play.

 

 

[Glitterwolf]

Brutus playing Hide and Seek in the Garden.

 

[Glitterwolf]

Waiting till I come home.

 

 

[Morihalda]

Brutus!! Hi buddy!!! I've missed you! What a good boy!

[Glitterwolf]

On 9/11/2023 at 6:04 PM, Morihalda said:

Brutus!! Hi buddy!!! I've missed you! What a good boy!

 

Brutus is now 10 years and 8 months old.

Still happy and playful, more focused on food than ever.

Given his condition and age I'm counting months now instead of years.

He's the sweetest Boxer I ever had.

 

Currently he's being treated with antiobiotics due to a hot spot on his shoulder.

 

Edited September 14 by Glitterwolf

[Corsair]

Give the big guy an ear scritch for me!

[Glitterwolf]

17 hours ago, Corsair said:

Give the big guy an ear scritch for me!

 

Done!

Of course he immediately rolled over and demanded a belly rub as well...

[Glitterwolf]

Went to the VET yesterday, got more/different antibiotics to treat Brutus's hotspot/wound.

It starts to look better.

 

Now we have a dilemma. I would like your ideas input about this.

Please think as if this was your own dog and please tell me how you would think about this.

 

Had a talk with the VET about the tumor.

There are several doctors in the clinic.

The one who usually treats ( and knows Brutus the best) was in another room and I now had a talk with a different VET.

 

For years they told me that they wouldn't perform surgery on Brutus because of the high risk, due to his intestines that are partly in his chest ( even near his heart) instead of in his abdomen where they belong.

 

The Tumor is causing Brutus to lose his fur.So far this is all and he has no other complaints, although the tumor is visible and growing.

 

Now this VET tells me that castration would be the cure.

So I told him that his colleague told me that was a high risk.

He went to see that VET to talk to him about it.

When he got back he told me that it was a risk and that it would be my risk as owner of the dog.

However he implied that with intubating he thought it would be possible.

 

Here are the options and risks.

Keep in mind Brutus is a Boxer , average lifespan about 10-12 years old where 12 is an exception.

Current age: 10 years 8 months.

 

Do Nothing. Tumor will grow releasing hormones which will cause loss of fur ( no biggie) but at a certain point it will mean that Brutus will become lethargic, gets problems with breathing and I will be able to see it because his mucous membranes ( like his lips) will turn very pale. When that happens it will mean I will have to put him to sleep. The VET can't predict how long he has from now.

 

Perform the Surgery. If this goes wrong Brutus will die during the procedure and I will lose him that very day

 

Perform the Surgery. If Brutus survives the tumor will be gone. The VET can't tell me how much time that will buy him. His fur might return but given his age it might not be in his lifetime. Another concern, it will cause a wound, Brutus has a tendency to bother the wound, a collar won't help, he's an escape artist and alwyas gets that off. so chances are he will hurt himself and the healing process will be disturbed, taking longer.

 

I had him chemically castrated 6 months ago, hoping this would be some sort of countereffect to the wrong hormones, it didn't help as far as we could see. I could do that again, but there's no evidence it helped the first time.

 

 

So yeah, that's it.

Let Nature take it's cause and accept his age?

Take a daring risk to buy him some more time, uncertain if and how much time, with the risk of losing him immediately?

Also given his age, suppose we did this and he survives, he could get something else soon that will cause the end.

 

Thoughts? Input?

I would appreciate your opinions!

And rest assured in the end it will be our decision alone and nobody will ever get any kind of blame from us.

 

 

I'm not ready to miss him.

 

I was working on the stairs to the cellar ( small leakage due to groundwater, fixing that) and he checked upon me.

Hey? What are you doing down there?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 20 by Glitterwolf

[Glitterwolf]

And here he's choosing a toy from his toybox:

 

 

[Chaoswolf]

Well, I don't know anything other than what you've described, so here are my thoughts:

First make an appointment specifically to speak with his regular vet. As I said, I don't know theses people, but I'd feel more comfortable speaking with the person who knows his history. I hate to mention it, but I'd always wonder if there was really a chance, or vet 'B' wasn't just looking for a way to charge some extra money.

Use any new or different information to inform your decision.

 

Personally, if my dog was still happy and (mostly) healthy, I'd want to spend the time he has left with him and let nature do it's thing.

 

I hope this helps somewhat, and I don't envy you the decision you have to make. 

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you both.