That's good! I know there are several members here with fingers crossed for you and your girl, waiting for news.

(still on the road - posting this from my phone so I`m going to be brief and post more when I get home...) Well, in a way, it`s almost the worst possible news: her prognosis is quite good with surgery, and then I got the estimate and it`s very nearly cost prohibitive. She`s currently scheduled for surgery next week on Thurs but I`m not sure right now if we`ll be keeping that appointment. I have a lot of thinking to do...

Sorry to hear this Matt.

Any decision you make will be the right one for you and your family. Its a tough call for sure.

I'm sorry too, Matt.

I know that there are human procedures beyond my ability to pay for, for ME. And there would be no one to ease me on down the road if the money proved to be impossible, either.

Guilt will enter the decision, but I'd try to limit its influence. We weigh everything, and we decide what's doable.

Sorry the news is so bittersweet. Your girl has spent the last few years loved and very well cared for. Whatever the decision is it's okay to make it. Either way what she'll know right up to the end is that life is good with you. And that's all a dog really wants.

Hi guys - first of all I want to thank all of you for your positive thoughts and advise. I think the Leerburg forum is one of the greatest resources and support networks around!

I was too tired to post more last night because it was a 4 hr drive each way to see the surgeon yesterday, and I did the same exact drive the day before with my sister and her dog for a different problem (possibly auto-immune - I will probably make a separate post about that issue soon when I get some time).

The good news is that medically, it seems we possibly/probably have the best case scenario. Of course, until we actually get the tumor out and take a look at it, we won't know for sure, but it seems to be benign and that it hasn't spread. It's also not a scenario where we're looking at chemo or radiation or any of those treatments. It's pretty much a simple snip, snip and it's gone and we're finished. Also, it's on the left side of the liver which the surgeon said would be easier for him to access than elsewhere. He said the prognosis for the surgery and recovery are very good. In fact, easier to recover from than a spaying. He said he thinks it's probably a hepatocellular carcinoma. He said it'll be a little tricky due to the fact that it's close to the vena cava so the biggest risk is uncontrollable hemorrhaging, but he thinks it's definitely surgically removable at this point. He'd like to do a CT scan before starting because it'll help him be sure that it hasn't spread and also where all the big blood vessels are, but he's also not pushing for it because not doing it will save me $750 and he's totally comfortable going in without that information. The surgeon was awesome, by the way. I think we talked for nearly an hour.

He also hit on what I'd been thinking - that when Zora jumped off the porch (and crashed to the ground) 2 weeks ago today, she probably ruptured something in there with this tumor, which was what led to her feeling so poorly. She's been slowly recovering since I first posted about her, and every day she seems to be a little stronger and is eating a little better. I'd say she's nearly back to normal now - maybe 85% or so of "normal".

So, the surgery is scheduled for next Thurs and I should be able to pick her up on Sat, assuming there are no problems. I still want to talk with my local vet one more time to be sure about the likely positive outcome, but if everything seems good, I'm inclined to go for it. Like probably most people on this board, I'd like to do almost anything for the welfare of my dogs, and since her prognosis seems so good, and since there's not additional chemo or anything to deal with, and since she's recovered so well since last week, I think this is one of those times when going forward makes sense. Getting the credit necessary to pay isn't going to be a problem, but it could potentially be a hardship if any other major emergencies come up. Still, I don't think I'd feel right about not going through with treatment since we're looking at the best case scenario with the maximum possible outcome. If things didn't look so positive, I think I'd be able to decide to not go through with it, but this doesn't seem to be that time. (and luckily I've still got a week to think about it and observe her and to be sure!)

Like most of us, I too would do whatever I could possibly do with this prognosis.

Crossing all my fingers for you both!

Thanks Connie. Yeah I think we're going to go forward with the surgery - no good reason not to. Just gotta figure out the finances. I'm just thankful that this situation is so much easier to deal with than the one my sister is going through right now with her dog. At least in this case, it's just money. I pay a bunch of money and the problem is gone. My sister's dog right now has a possible auto-immune problem they are still trying to diagnose. It's a tough one to deal with, and very stressful.

Hey - I don`t think it`s going to be practical to have them feed her all the raw stuff while she`s at the animal hospital for 2+ days while she`s recovering. Should I give them some honest kitchen for her meals? Probably better that than kibble, right?

Is she use to THK? Tolerates THK only meals well, and has good poops with it?

If so, then I say heck yeah. Best to keep as much normal as possible, IMO.