Help!! Information NEEDED

1845 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Ladybug and Ingrid, Mar 7, 2005

tinaherb

Discussion Starter · Feb 27, 2005

I need HELP!! One of my four Bassets has developed a type of cancer called: Pilomatrixoma. Another name for it is Epithelioma Calcificans Malherbe.He has had 4 operations in noe 7 months, removing 10 tumours. My vet here in Norway doesn`t know much about it. In the beginning he seid : it usually doesn`t spread to the intestines probably won`t spread and won`t reoccur(said after 2 surgeries). However when we had the fourth operation he considered the risk so big that if another tumour should appear, he advised me to let my Ben sleep forever. Considering what I`d been told and the risks to Ben, I had to agree with a VERY heavy heart!
But a friend of mine, Dolly`s mom, gave me adresses to vet-pages and urged me to search for info. (THANK YOU MARLENE!

And I discovered a new lump on him the other day

So :Is there anybody out there that has experience with this kind of Cancer?? And if you do, PLEASE help me to find out what kind of treatments there might be. Norway is a small country, but there is a whole world out there full of Basset lovers. Please help Ben if you can.

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Betsy Iole

· #2 · Feb 27, 2005

From Skin and Haircoat Problems in Dogs, Lowell Ackerman DVD DACVD, ISBN 0-931866-65-0

Pilomtrixomas are benign tumors originating from specialized hair-forming cells. They usually occur singly and may be found on the shoulders, back, flanks, or legs. Kerry Blue Terriers and Poodles appear to develop them more often than other breeds. Diagnosis is made by biopsy and surgery almost always takes care of the problem. Rarely, malignant varieties do occur.

Has your dog had multiple, separate nodules removed? If so, have they all been sent for path exam and histologically confirmed as pilomatrixomas? Bassets are also prone to the formation of "sebaceous" (epidermal inclusion/keratinous) cysts, which are benign and which can be numerous. Is it possible that perhaps your dog has had both types of nodules?

In any case, as long as there isn't evidence of metastasis (spread to other organs, like lymph nodes, liver, spleen, lungs, bone, etc.), I'm not sure why your vet would make a recommendation to euthanize your dog.

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tinaherb

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 27, 2005

I`ve sent 8 of them, all confirmed Pilomatrixoma. My vet proposed euthanasia because of a possibility(he thought) for spreading, and that to keep on operating on my dog would be cruelty. Can`t keep on cutting into him every two months he said. Considering what I knew then, I did`n want to put Ben through that . But as I said,what little I have foud out about P., it isn`t that life threatening!! But I have been unable to find info about what to expect , : will it stop by it self? What can be possible treatments? Is there a cure?
The info my vet had was old and uncomplete.This is a small area, small country. Guess I can`t blame him for that. But I managed to find some new info myself, but not enough.
Thank you for caring!1

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Betsy Iole

· #4 · Feb 27, 2005

To my knowledge, there is no "cure", other than surgical removal. Because your dog seems to have multiple pilomatrixomas, you might want to discuss with your vet the option of fine needle aspiration for diagnosing new nodules, instead of surgical excision each time.

Maybe surgery could be reserved only for nodules that are increasing rapidly in size or that are bothering the dog, or all the nodules could be removed every so often, instead of several times a year?

Good luck, and I hope you and your vet are able to arrive at a satisfactory approach to managing this problem.

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tinaherb

Discussion Starter · #5 · Feb 27, 2005

I think I will have to use another vet, or make my present one up to date on P.
So far most of the lumps I have discovered has been pea sized when discivered. but thy have grovn pretty rapidly all of them, to nut or walnut size within a FEW weeks. But the idea of letting them grow and then removing several fo them in fewer surgeries is a good idea, since they can not spread to his intestines!1 Thank you.
Do you know if this condition wil continue the rest of his life, or will it decrease over the years?
Big thank yous from me

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Barbara Winters

· #6 · Feb 27, 2005

I had a basset who had multiple non-malignant tumors including the ones that came from hair forming cells. On two occassions my vet removed a total of a least 20. He looked like the patchwork quilt but recovered quickly. Certainly wasn't suffering as I recall having to stop him from playing with Roady. He had to have a few single ones removed, with just local anesthesia. It's the anesthesia I worry about, not the surgery.

Some bassets just seem to get a lot of lumps and as long as you do the fine needle aspirations as Betsy mentions and catch any that might be cancerous at an early stage, your basset should live a long happy life.

Hope everything with Ben turns out ok-keep us posted.

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tinaherb

Discussion Starter · #7 · Feb 28, 2005

Taken just after his last surgery. He felt VERY sorry for himself.
Thank you for sharing information. I will have to educate my vet on this. You have been a lot of help and moral support!
Thank you from Ben and Tina

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Ladybug and Ingrid

· #8 · Mar 7, 2005

Ladybug recently had one of these removed. My vets just shrugged it off, and didn't mention any possibility of a malignancy. They did, however, suggest it would likely recur. It sounds like I need to do a lot more reading.

I hope Ben stops getting so many of them. All I can say, is that at $1,000 to remove a tiny limp, and as many recurrences as you have seen in Ben, we'd soon be broke. Of course, Ladybug is worth every penny.

Ingrid

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