When to say No to surgery for senior dogs? (labs, stomach, skin)
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Our 12-year-old Lab/Golden mix, who is VERY healthy and active, went in today for surgery to remove a large lipoma (non-cancerous fatty lump) on her abdomen today that had been rapidly growing in size over the last few months.. This was the second surgery in two years -- the other surgery was to remove a broken tooth. We love her dearly and want to do whatever we can to keep her healthy as long as we can. She has just a touch of arthritis, but she is still always ready and eager to take a two-mile walk, and she still romps as though she is a one-year-old. Btw, we have been told and I have read that labs are expected to live, on average, about 14 years.
Although cost is not a factor, we are wondering about the toll that surgery takes on an older dog -- both the general anesthesia and the recovery time and any minor pain during the recovery period -- so I would appreciate some input as to what we should consider if she is told she will need surgery again, for whatever reason.
Bless you for taking such good care of a senior dog.
I think the answer to your question lies partly in how well the dog responds to surgery.
I adopt only older dobermans. Their average life span is 10-12 years. My last dog was 8-9 years old when I adopted her and bloated when she was 13 years old. She had been fairly healthy (she had congestive heart failure but was responding well to all the expensive meds she was on) so I had emergency surgery done to correct the stomach twist and remove the spleen and part of the stomach. She lived another 1.5 wonderful years after that.
My current dog, who was also 8-9 years old when I adopted her, does not respond well to surgery at all. She's had a couple of surgeries in the past few years and each one involved a more complicated recovery just because of the way her body responds. She's now 10 years old and I'd have to think long and hard about ever putting her through any surgery again.
I adopt only older dobermans. Their average life span is 10-12 years. My last dog was 8-9 years old when I adopted her and bloated when she was 13 years old. She had been fairly healthy (she had congestive heart failure but was responding well to all the expensive meds she was on) so I had emergency surgery done to correct the stomach twist and remove the spleen and part of the stomach. She lived another 1.5 wonderful years after that.
Wow!! That is fantastic. I'm quite familiar with this surgery, so I find it amazing
It's all about quality of life for me. If a senior dog is otherwise healthy and the surgery would help them to continue to have a good quality of life, then I opt for surgery especially for things like tumor removal.
I'd think twice about a surgery that would result in a long and painful recovery period like FHO.
It depends on the surgery; is it going to increase the dogs quality of life, is the surgery going to be hard on the dog, etc...
The lipoma example is a good one...As I understand it they're basically fat balls and are only skin deep. Removing it probably made your dog a lot more comfortable.
The tooth was definitely a good idea...The dog probably felt better after the surgery since it didn't have an open exposed nerve...
Something that was much more invasive, with a limited prognosis would require a lot more consideration. If you're taking part of an organ on an old dog, or taking something off an organ, its tough.
It depends on the surgery; is it going to increase the dogs quality of life, is the surgery going to be hard on the dog, etc...
The lipoma example is a good one...As I understand it they're basically fat balls and are only skin deep. Removing it probably made your dog a lot more comfortable.
The tooth was definitely a good idea...The dog probably felt better after the surgery since it didn't have an open exposed nerve...
Something that was much more invasive, with a limited prognosis would require a lot more consideration. If you're taking part of an organ on an old dog, or taking something off an organ, its tough.
Agree with this. There is surgery and there is SURGERY.
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