Hi,
A friend of mine has a dog with some issues. The dog developed a lump on the side of her jaw. He took her to the vet and they gave him some pills to give her. He tells me they're saying if the pills don't get it they could operate but it'd cost him around 4,000. They didn't tell him it was cancerous but didn't say it wasn't either. The dog is about 12 and has had a good tour. He either can't justify the cost to have her operated on or can't come up with it... should the pills not work out. If she gets to looking too uncomfortable he's gonna have to put her down.

My question is this... Has anyone ever heard of cutting an animal on an unknown bump to effect the animals own system to treat or attack the area? I'm certain I have heard of something along these lines happening before and working for someone but can't remember who or what for certain. I'm pretty sure it was a cow with a big hard bump on it's face and the person was told to give it a good slash. The idea was the cut would tell the body to send help there. Again my vague recollection was that it was a sort of do or die situation so the fellow had nothing to lose. Lose the cow or kill it trying to help it out...

I told my buddy about this and suggested he might want to run it by his vet should the pills not work. My gut feeling is most veterinarians wouldn't advise anything of the sort. I mean it does sound ridiculous... good old fashioned blood letting... but I'm pretty darned sure it did work for someone once.

Anybody ever heard of anything like this?

I have and have had more than my share of "lumpy" dogs.

I don't understand the issue with the vet and would question his creds.

On the three dogs I have had problems with it was a simple process of taking some fluid from the lump and the vet looking at it under the microscope and walla I had the results. one was a malignent melanoma as determined by the biopsy sent in from the operation and I lost thet dog a month or two later. One was a non malignenet melanoma also as determined by a sample after the operation for removal. The other dog has some kind of fatty bumps deveoping in her old age that are health wise not an issue unless mobiity becomes an issue.

All of the initial tests were done in a few minutes while in the office. The kinds of melanomas were determined after the operation, however the basic answer of what the lump was was easily diagnosed on the spot.

Just my 2 cents on what I learned from the school of hard knocks. Some of my information may be technically a little off since it only comes frome memory and experience.

Dave I didn't get the full scoop from this friend right off. I asked him about the dog yesterday and turns out his wife was the one handeling this situation and she, (the dog) does have cancer. Apparently the pills were pain pills to buy them time to let go of her. She's lost a good bit of weight and she's looking sad. They're going to take care of her today.

I feel for them and thier kids... It's a tough row to hoe.

Mach Addict,

As a vet I can tell you that only a few things will show up on a jaw in the form of a lump or growth. . . Unfortunately if the dog has some age and if the lump is hard the result is some form of tumor/cancer or another. The jaw area is difficult to operate on due to the radical removal/reconstruction that is required (if it is even possible). Sometimes a soft tissue mucocele is operable and is the equivalent of a plugged up salivary gland.

As far as the blood letting goes I have a number of Amish that try it around here when their horses have foundered/had laminitis. I can understand the principle but I cannot tell you the results are successful any more than the more "modern" treatements available. For what its worth Ive had one of my clients recently tell me about bee sting therapy. . . apparently they get bees to sting an area that needs help on the body (in this case the ligaments in their wrist) and it has the same principle in that the body sends it defense/repair mechanisms to the area. I told her she could have just hit her wrist with a hammer and saved herself the expense of the doctor visit but she didnt quite see my humorous view of the situation.

In my position Id probably take the same approach. . . keep the dog comfortable until its quality of life is to the point it will not eat, does not care for affection, or just plain "doenst care." At that point I feel its justified as "time."
Sorry for your friends situation and wish there was more that could be done.
Dave

Sorry to hear the final verdict.

My first black lab had cancer in the jaw area. Two operations later we went with the route of trying to make him comfortable for his final time. Decades later I still miss ole Scruffy.

Sorry to hear about your friends pet. My dad had a dog similar to the same thing would get all kinds of lump all over its body. After some volenteers paid for all of the care we had to have him put down. His was not cancer though. It was infection. And was really nasty. It is trully a sad thing to see an aminal suffer. Even while hunting I always strive for a clean kill. I wish your friend all the best.

Ryan