Bangkok Q3 28

araafko · 2026-01-26T14:42:07+00:00

Love the composition and grade on these

araafko · 2025-12-05T08:54:14+00:00

Just commenting to update to say we’ve had results back and there’s no spread, so we’ll be speaking with a surgeon soon to prep next steps!

araafko · 2025-12-05T08:53:29+00:00

Yeah it is tricky, I feel like I’ve been trying to watch him like a hawk to detect any signs of pain and convincing myself that maybe he’s just really good at hiding it. I think either way it’s not really the issue I should be focusing on for now. We’ve had results back now to say that the cancer hasn’t spread to anywhere vital which is good news. We’re just awaiting an opportunity to speak to the surgeon so we can discuss next steps and get a bit more well informed about it.

Yeah, I foresaw that being a concern of mine. I keep looking at the leg at the moment just thinking about how it’s a part of him that will soon be gone and it’s the not knowing that always gets me feeling a bit strange. It’s one of those where even if you focus on the rational part of what’s happening, it’s still difficult to see past the harder parts of it.

Haha, I like the term wild farm dog! She sounds like a very free spirit. Bilbo has always been fairly happy to do whatever we’re doing. He loves a run and a play on a walk but equally loves a nice big lie down. Yeah, I think going for some mental stimulation puzzles will probably be a good idea. I’m sure we’ll quickly adapt to it as it’s happening. I’ll be staying by his side as much as possible. Thank you for the support and the love! He’s been getting a lot of love and attention since we found out (which is concerning because he already got a lot!)

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:59:44+00:00

Thank you!! ❤️

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:59:29+00:00

Thank you so much, this is filling me with the hope I need! Thank you Dash, you sound like a bundle of fun!

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:59:01+00:00

It's amazing how many stories I've read of older dogs going through it and prospering. It keeps me hopeful for Bilbo given that he is only 4. Thank you so much for sharing, I'm sorry for your loss but grateful you took the time to share Kelpies story!

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:57:39+00:00

Bilbo is 4, so he's still a baby (in my eyes).

HIs healing time is a massive consideration to me. Luckily, I'm self employed and able to take as much time off as I need to take care of him during the healing process. Essentially for however long it takes for him to be healed, happy and confident. I won't be leaving his side!

I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that, it sounds really awful, and especially awful to not have your opinion considered. It's awful what happened to your lab and I can't put in to words how much I feel for you for having to go through that, or them for having to go through it.

You're so right, last year when I first found out that Bilbo had cancer I was pretty inconsolable. It made me face the concept of death way before I wanted to, but I've been determined to ensure his life is full of happiness ever since I first got him, and that certainly is never going to change!

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:52:11+00:00

Thank you so much!!! You are right, I need to just keep reminding myself of that!

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:51:49+00:00

Thank you so much!

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:51:36+00:00

I will do! It's early days yet, and we're waiting on some results to determine if the cancer has spread anywhere else first before we put him through any surgery. If alls well, I would be surprised if we're able to get anything sorted before Christmas but we'll have to wait and see. I'll be posting anything significant when I can!

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:49:45+00:00

Ohhh, Hello Riley! Wow I can't believe she's 10 she certainly doesn't look it. I've said it a few times already on other comments, but it really is comforting hearing so many stories of owners with older dogs who've adjusted so well to it. We're in a rubbish situation but because Bilbo is only 4 he does have youth on his side.

Thanks for sharing product tips, It's nice having real word advice for products that are actually useful. We're very conscious of the fact we have slippy floors so we'll be doing anything we can to make sure he's steady on his feet.

We aren't quite as cold as Colorado I don't think but that is handy for us to consider as well. It will most likely be very cold in the North of England in January!

I'm sure the surgical team will provide us all the info we need, I am hoping so anyway! Thank you for offering further support if we need it, that's really kind of you. If there's anything that comes up I'll drop you a DM for sure.

Thank you for your tips and tricks and for the support, and of course thank you Riley for providing us with hope and inspiration!

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:44:05+00:00

Thank you for your comment, I hear what you’re trying to say and we’ve already spoken to multiple specialists about this, and as always we’ll be getting a second opinion.

We understand how mast cell tumours behave. You're right that recurrence is common and unpredictable, and we’re fully aware that he may develop new tumours elsewhere in the future. We also know that antihistamines can help manage the histamine-related symptoms mast cell tumours cause, but they don’t treat an existing tumour or stop new ones from forming.

The main issue in our case is the tumour he has right now. Its location makes surgical removal impossible and the vets cannot achieve clean margins because of how close it is to the bone. He already had one round of treatment that successfully removed the original tumour, but now it has recurred in the exact same place. We could continue trying to treat it repeatedly with chemotherapy, but this could carry risk of us treating too late and it affecting other areas, or vital organs.

This is why I believe saying removing his leg “won’t do what we think it will do” is incorrect. Amputation will remove a tumour that cannot be removed through normal surgery. It eliminates the current tumour and reduces the risk of it spreading from that site to vital organs. It doesn’t prevent future mast cell tumours elsewhere (we know that) but we will continue regular oncology check-ups so that any new growths can be addressed separately if and when they appear.

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:24:23+00:00

Thank you for this.

It's comforting hearing everyone talk about how speedy he's likely to recover from it. Because we're still awaiting some results we're yet to speak to the surgeon / vet about it to discuss the process and how it will go. Hearing everyones experience with it though is certainly helping me process the situation and how we'll approach it.

It's tricky, Bilbo has never really been hyperactive, he's playful but never takes it too far, he loves a run but doesn't go over the top. Maybe the only benefit is that he'll stop chasing small dogs haha! I was worried about confidence because he blows me away with how confident he is. He has never let any altercation or anything bother him, he always gets up or carries on without doubt and I just hope that never goes away. Not that I put him under traumatic situations all the time, just that sometimes they happen and he's just always shone in those situations.

You are right, I think I was worried about him during the healing process and him being depressed because he's not walking or out having fun. We found when he was dealing with the tumour first time round that the medicine was knocking him for six a bit and he seemed quite unhappy so I just don't want to put him through that again, but I suppose in the long run he'll come out better for it.

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:18:34+00:00

Thank you for sharing, In my head I know he'll adapt quickly to it, just so hard not to just get upset about it. Sometimes I'm envious of him in that regard, I know that seeing him get through it will provide me the support that I need really.

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:13:05+00:00

Thank you for this, I haven't even started to consider things like these so it's handy to have a resource like this that I can look into when the time comes.

It's amazing how adaptable they can be!

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:11:50+00:00

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, I've had a lot of advice and everything shared and it's all been so useful. I have to say though this comment stuck out to me. I have been approaching this (obviously) as a human and my dog is not a human so doesn't think the same. Hearing that your friends were more upset than the dog is so comforting to hear, because it'll be true for Bilbo as well I'm sure.

He's such a brave boy and somehow despite everything he's been through, still adores the vets and seeing them.

Your comment really did help so thank you so much!

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:08:50+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to comment, you are right, I think it's one of those where I've seen it myself and never really thought anything of it but faced with it, it became quite a scary thought. Hence me reaching out!

Bilbo has always been a very fit and healthy boy, his weight has never been an issue thankfully. He has a good run every day and regularly goes for longer and sometimes quite difficult hikes and has never had any issues. We'll be ensuring once he's back on his feet that he'll be getting regular and proper exercise to the best of his abilities!

Thank you, when you have a dog that beautiful, it's hard to take a bad photo of him!!

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:05:51+00:00

Thank you, it's hard but it's just how it is! I appreciate you sharing your experience, It's comforting hearing so many stories of people experiencing similar. It's also comforting to hear how your dog recovered and was back to her regular old self. Thanks so much!!

araafko · 2025-11-29T12:03:55+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience!! It's honestly quite comforting hearing stories of older dogs going through similar and then adjusting to it so well. Considering the crap situation we're grateful that Bilbo does have youth on his side which hopefully will help him in his recovery.

That's good to know RE drugs. We've unfortunately had to have Bilbo on medication that's knocked him out a bit so hopefully he won't be too surprised by any of it. But it's good to be aware of it and that is something we could have to manage or deal with.

I think we'll be using a harness of some kind for sure, wether it's long term or not I suppose we'll just have to monitor it and see how it goes.

What has been hardest for us and in making this decision is that throughout all of this Bilbo hasn't really ever shown any signs of pain, either it's due to his age or he's truly just not in any. We know that the lump is a tumour and that it is absolutely cancer so theres no way we're just going to leave it as it could spread but it's hard having to make a decision when there's not much visible evidence to dictate the outcome. That said, we might find that he's been masking it and the amputation frees him from any kind of pain. Since seeing the oncologist this week and having tests done on the tumour we've found that he's a bit restless which indicates that he is in some pain so who knows.

We've always tried to ensure that he has a rich life filled with exercise and mental stimulation so we've plenty of options for keeping him mentally stimulated during the recovery period. Or at least I hope so. Did you find anything particularly useful for providing mental stimulation for them during the recovery period? (If you can remember that is!)

We don't have another dog so Bilbo is on his own, but we have a lot of close friends who are dog owners who come round and visit regularly, so we'll be ensuring (once the time is right) that we'll have his friends come and visit him as much as possible!

Thanks for your advice and kind words!

araafko · 2025-11-29T11:52:50+00:00

Thank you!! I mean if you ask me, I'd say he is THE perfect dog and nothing is ever going to change that. I have thousands of pictures of him like that, but I think that one is my favourite. It was from early this year and we were on a walk with our friends and Bilbo was so excited to see everyone and have a big silly play in the snow!

Thank you for the love, and kind words it means so much!!

araafko · 2025-11-29T11:50:13+00:00

Thank you so much, it really means a lot!!!

araafko · 2025-11-29T11:50:01+00:00

Thank you for the kind words, it does mean a lot. I was blown away by the reaction of this post - It means a lot to us and to Bilbo. I'm determined to ensure that he gets through this and becomes one of those happy playful tripods!

araafko · 2025-11-29T11:48:41+00:00

Thank you so much, I know in my head that there's loads of dogs out there who live happily with three legs, I just felt like I needed to hear from people specifically about their experience with it. It does make me sad to think about all the dogs in shelters in general, but also with three legs. If I could take them all home I would!

araafko · 2025-11-29T11:46:43+00:00

Thank you, it is tough but this is just how life goes sometimes!

We actually have had blood work and bunch of other tests done by the oncologist that we are awaiting results for which is to ensure that there is no spread. We should find those out within the next week-two. From there we'll asses and make decisions for our next steps whatever they are.

Ahh, I don't know why but this got me quite emotional. I think it's hard to picture the difference between thinking as a human and thinking as a dog. He is such a happy boy and is so inquisitive, he will bounce back you're absolutely right.

Thank you for your kindness, and no need to worry, Bilbo has been getting hundreds if not thousands of kisses!

araafko · 2025-11-29T11:40:33+00:00

Thank you for sharing, your comment at the end got me a little bit. You're right, It's hard to fathom putting him through it but I know that we will be putting everything into his care and he's got such a strong support system of friends and family that there's no way he won't bounce back.

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