Bladder cancer and can't walk.

I accidentally closed the window the first time I got directed here so think that I probably got charged. Do I contact PayPal or you?

Here is the question about my pet. He had no issues until Thursday. Then he started walking funny on his back legs. We got him to a vet and subsequently a neurology specialist who after an ultrasound, diagnosed him with a large, blood-filled cancerous tumor and a suspicious area of the kidney. By Friday evening his back legs didn't work and the vet said that he did not think that the prognosis for surgery would be successful. He said the other two options were to put him to sleep or take him home to keep him comfortable.

The sling worked one night but on Saturday he was not wanting to walk on it so we had to carry him around on a blanket. He finally defecated but was not urinating. On Sunday, he was breathing rapidly and licking himself continuosly. We took him to the emergency vet who extracted a liter of urine from his bladder and recommended that we take him home for the night and make him comfortable.

We took Jake home and he laid on his side in the same position until the next morniing. We propped him up so that he could eat but then he fell into the same position afterwards. He did not sleep through the night but kept pawing at me and breathing heavily.

The next morning the neurologist said that the bladder blockage could be treated with a relaxer and that they could teach us how to drain the bladder if we weren't ready to put him to sleep.

This has caused me to doubt my decision. I felt that if he couldn't sit up, couldn't urinate without assistance, couldn't walk and had no interest in playing with his toys, along with the continuous heavy breathing and lack of sleep, it was time. The only thing that was still normal was his appetite and pawing me to continue petting me.

Can you weigh in on whether you think that I did everything that I could. A big factor in this was also that he was 90 pounds and totally unable to move at the end without us putting him on a tarp. We think that the sling wasn't working because of the full bladder and maybe the tumor. Sorry this is so long.

Dr. Marie,

Thanks---yes, we did go through with euthanizing Jake. It was heartbreaking to see him not be able to walk or sit up anymore. I felt like we were hurting him when we picked him up and carried him around. With his weight, even the vet techs almost dropped him onto the ground getting him on to the gurney when we went to have the bladder expelled.

I should mention that he was a labrador but probably mixed with Great Dane. He wasn't overweight, just a big guy.

Thanks for the comment about him eating. I think that was what was bothering me.

Thanks for replying so quickly. It helps to hear an outsider's opinion.

Linda