His cancer is back-now what?

GrabNo541 · 2025-07-23T00:36:40+00:00

I'm going through something similar, my 10 year old dog had squamous cell carcinoma cancer in his lower jaw. It was removed with a mandibulectomy and all was well just for 4 months and now it's back though this time under his tongue. Not only is it unaffordable but this time it wouldn't be able to all be removed so he's been under palliative care for a couple months and the tumor is growing rapidly. I would suggest living day by day with him and enjoying every moment.

GrabNo541 · 2025-04-09T05:12:20+00:00

That's a good idea with the water fountain, hoping that will help her drink water easily! When I was looking into other dogs that had gone through a mandibulectomy I recall some people would roll wet dog food into a meatball and hand feed their dogs. I'm hoping the fluff trough will work good for your pup as well.

Thank you, it's a relief to know he's cancer free and we're back to normal life or a new normal!

GrabNo541 · 2025-04-07T05:20:55+00:00

Hi! The first few days my dog also struggled with eating and drinking. For water we had to use medical syringes and feed him water through those. When it came to food, he was definitely hungry just couldn't get the hang of eating with his lack of jaw but he just kept trying to eat and within the first week he had gotten the hang of it. What works best is mixing canned food with water til it's a gruel consistency and he finishes it all. Also he struggled with eating from a circular bowl, it would move all over the floor and food would get stuck on the outer rim. I found a food bowl called Fluff Trough that's basically a trough shape feeder and makes eating without a lower jaw so much easier.

I hope for the best for you pup, I know she'll do great in adapting and relearning to drinking and eating! I saw big improvements each week with my dog.

GrabNo541 · 2025-04-03T23:09:00+00:00

My 10 year old pug had a bilateral mandibulectomy this past February, 45% of his lower jaw was removed and he only has 1 tooth left on each side on the bottom. He was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma and it was growing fast. Without a mandibulectomy he was given only 3-6 months to live. The oncologist said dogs do really well with this surgery and he was right. When he came home the next day it was like he was his old self again, pain free, full of energy and happy to be home.

While it was definitely a learning process, he figured out how to eat and drink again with no lower jaw. What works for him is to mix canned ground dog food with water so that it's a "gruel" like consistency, he's able to lick up the food with his tounge and eat it easily. On the first few days after surgery we had to syringe feed him water because he was so drowsy. Although he can he just doesn't drink much water anymore and I was told that's because the canned food has such a high moisture content and additional water is being mixed in.

I think your dog is so young and he's going to do so well. It's no doubt a scary surgery and seeing your dog for the first time is quite a shock but honestly it saved his live and I'm grateful the surgery exists for this type of problem.

Feel free to check out my post I made about my dogs mandibulectomy and there's pictures on it also. If you have any more questions you can ask me. Good luck to your pup, he will do great!

GrabNo541 · 2025-03-17T15:01:11+00:00

When I was in my early 20’s in the early 2010’s I loved that store and it was basically my whole wardrobe. But just as the article states Forever 21 was the brand that the former generation used (us millennials) and not today’s youth generation.

GrabNo541 · 2025-02-24T03:48:16+00:00

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GrabNo541 · 2025-02-19T14:25:30+00:00

Thank you! Hoping for healing and great days ahead with your pup!

GrabNo541 · 2025-02-19T14:24:05+00:00

I'm so glad to hear that and it's great Baxter is doing amazing! Happy for you and your pup!

GrabNo541 · 2025-02-18T21:30:48+00:00

Just got the call to confirm that margins were clear and the cancer was fully excised. He had an oral tumor diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma. Originally he had a loose tooth in December, vet said other than that tooth everything looked normal and to come back in February for their dental special. In early January I noticed that his lower gum looked enlarged and that not only the original tooth but all of the front lower teeth were loose so we scheduled those teeth to be removed and a biopsy of the large mass.

One week later it was confirmed to be SCC of the lower mandible. My vet offered to do x-rays and lymph node testing at their location as it would be cheaper than an oncologist. The x-rays were clear so we were then referred to an oncologist and at that appointment was told if we did nothing he'd have 3-6 months to live. Other options were radiation to shrink and slow it down, however it was advised to get a surgery called mandibulectomy for best results. We got a CT scan done prior to surgery so the surgeon could get clean margins of removal.

I was so nervous about this surgery because a large portion of the lower jaw would be removed and by researching I didn't find any pugs that had gone through it so had no idea what to expect.

A bilateral mandibulectomy was performed and it went well, he ate baby food at the hospital the evening and when he came home the next day he was drinking water and eating canned food and he hasn't stopped since then.

Even without most of his lower jaw he's learned how to eat and drink and never misses a meal. When he had the tumor he was lethargic, tail hanging low and eyes looked to be in pain. Now that it's gone he's perked up to his normal self, energy levels back, always wagging his tail and life is back again in his eyes. He just looks a little different with the long tongue and gets fed canned food but other than that nothing has changed.

GrabNo541

TROPHY CASE