# Mast Cell Tumor Palliative Care



## eddieth2 (Apr 8, 2008)

We have a 12 year old Rott/Shepard mix that was diagnosed with a Mast Cell tumor on her rear leg about a year ago. The tumor wasn't very large at the time, but she was bothered by it and proceeded to turn it into an open sore. Outside of that, she was in excellent health and still had the same personallity and energy level. Due to her age though, we opted to have the tumor removed and forgoe any intensive cancer treatment. The tumor removal treatment would work for a few months before it would reappear. We repeated the removal a couple of times as this was a minimally invasive surgery and after a day of recovery, she was back to normal. 

About two months ago, the tumor reappeared after only a few weeks post op. At this point, the vet performed a biopsy which determined the cancer was a grade 3, so the outlook is not good. 

Since then, the tumor has spread to the majority of the top portion of her rear leg. The skin covering it is extremely thin. The result of this is that the skin is susceptible to opening causing bleeding as well as a secretion of a clear liquid.

We have the leg constantly bandaged and have stopped any bleeding. She is still in good health, completely in control of all her faculties, and mentally is unchanged. The only issues for her right now is that there is weakness in the problem leg and her energy levels are lower than normal.

We know her day is near and want to make her as comfortable as possible untill that time. The problem is that the secretion from her sores is getting worse. We are at the point that we have to rebandage the leg on a daily basis, which is uncomfortable to the dog. Also, for us, the sores create a overpowering smell. As much as I would like to say that shouldn't bother me, it is hard to be around her when the smell gets bad, which is more and more frequent these days. That part is hard for us as she is a member of the family and has always been right there under foot for her whole life. She wants to be there and it bothers her and us those times when she just can't be. 

I would put her down if I felt that she was suffering, or if she was no longer "herself", but that's not the case. How can I put her down just because she "stinks"? 

Does anyone know anything we can do to treat the sores. I'm not necessarily looking for a long term solution, but anything that we can do to reduce the freqency of having to change the bandage. We have thought of using that tough skin with the hopes of allowing her to go bandage free for periods of time, but I thought I would check here for any suggestions first. The main thing is that we want to slow down the secretions.

Thanks for any suggestions,
JL


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## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

First of all- welcome! I understand your post, and you are right- the sore does have a strong odor to it. I know it wont stop the cancer, but ask your vet if beta iodine ( it doesnt sting) or something similar you could apply to the sore. Also keeping it covered will increase the " yeast" smell as well. The only contact I have had with this was one time. It was a loose bandage in the house ( so it can " breathe) and protected when the dog goes outside. 
However- I will say this- at 12 years old obviously well cared for, your dog will tell when its time to go. Make a list of what your dog likes to do- it will be come obvious. If she is not showing obvious signs of suffering yet, its not time yet. You can literally see it in their eyes ( or at least I could in the past..)


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## luv4gsds (Jul 27, 2006)

What has the vet said about the smell and the frequency of having to change the bandages? If you have not spoken with the vet about this then you need to do so. The smell might be a sign of infection.


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## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

Its from decaying flesh from the cancer. Hard to say if changing enough or not.. They do show up with a odor.


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## John Bono (Apr 4, 2008)

If this is from dead/dying tissue, perhaps you might want to investigate maggot therapy. I found this link which you might want to forward to your vet. The idea behind maggot therapy is that maggots only eat dead tissue, and leave healthy tissue untouched. This will reduce the smell, and may reduce any chances of infection as well.

Here's another link to some vets who are using maggot therapy. They might be able to refer you or contact your vet. It may not save your dog, but it might make him more comfortable, and give him some more time.


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