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Hi All, we're back!

blue_star

Well-known member
Hi Everyone
Sorry me and Toby haven't been around for a while but it has been good start to the year. I lost my job in quite nasty circumstances just before Christmas last year but managed to get a new job for the start of January though had to take quite a pay cut!

Toby hasn't been too well either, last week he was diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism cancer which he is due to have an operation to remove on Thursday 21st August!

After noticing one day Toby had a very wobbly jaw I pop him down to the vets suspecting some kind of tooth or gum problem. The vet was very worried at this and wanted Toby in for more tests within two days time. Toby had a complete body scan a various blood tests and the poor soul came out looking like a pin cushion. When I went to pick him up the vet explained that they had found a small mass on Toby’s Hyperparathyroid gland but nothing else where. The vets had also done a calcium test which was extremely high. I had been told at this point that the likely diagnosis would be some kind of lymphoma and primary hyperthyroidism cancer was very rare if almost unheard of. The vets wanted to do more test on Toby to locate any lymphoma in his body as well the outside chance of the primary hyperthyroidism. I took Toby for the tests and after lots of messing around due to the lab destroying two of the samples we finally got the results last Friday. Toby has no lymphoma in his body and the other test show that he almost certainly has primary hyperthyroid cancer (although they won’t say for sure until a test has been carried out on the mass once it has been removed).

So fingers crossed for the 21st. At the moment other that the OP the biggest battle is reducing Toby’s calcium levels and primary hyperparathyroidism causes the body to think it needs calcium and takes this from anywhere it can get it from, hence Toby’s jaw lacking calcium and become very wobbly, if left untreated it call also effect his bones almost causing something similar to brittle bone dieses in humans. The vets have got him on tablets to wee loads to try and rid the body of any calcium that is floating where it shouldn’t be as the build up in the kidneys in causing slight calcification although at this stage the vets are not too worried. Toby is also other medication to bring the levels down in his body, the medication is so rare that I have to obtain it with a prescription from a human pharmacist which causes lots of funny looks and the first time resulted in a row over why I was using a human pharmacy even though I had explained for the umpteenth time that what he had was so rare they don’t do doggy medicine for it!!!!!![/FONT]

Hopefully by removing the mass Toby’s calcium levels will return to normal and therefore his jaw will slowly start to harden, but this may take a while. Just in case anyone was wondering I have already thought about ‘that time’ and I have decided that if this doesn’t work, Toby is in pain and there is no relief for him and most of all that lovely sparkle has gone from his eyes that he has been through too much.

At the moment he seems to be going backwards and is more like a puppy at the moment, he is barking at us more for attention and being quite naughty as we have given in to him so much since he has been ill and now he knows it. He has also start to run again which is fantastic as he had don’t this for quite a few years due to the suffering he endured from his previous owners. He seems a generally happy dog now and often people can’t believe he has cancer which does give me some comfort.

Anyway will let you all know how it goes!
Love and hugs
Amy and Tobes
 
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Welcome back; sorry that you have such difficult news though both on the job front and with Toby. :flwr:

I have never heard of this type of cancer or all these affects so thank you for posting about it. Because you have posted, that information will be in the search engines and on the site search for anyone who ever has a similar experience. It sounds like good news so far, if the cancer has been contained as far as you have been able to check. I hope the tests continue to come back showing further progress as you go along and all goes well. How very strange about the calcium. I can only imagine what a shock the diagnosis of cancer must have been though when you were thinking you were dealing with a dental problem. :eek:
 
Best wishes to you and Toby. Such a hard diagnosis must have come as a shock to you. :xfngr: that his operation will go well and that he balances out his calcium and continues to be a happy boy (y).
 
So glad you're back, Amy and Tobie! I'm so glad Tobie is acting like a puppy now, even though he's facing this illness and surgery. :flwr: We will keep our fingers and paws crossed for him this month and pray that all goes well :xfngr::xfngr::paw::paw::paw: , and we'll be watching every day for new Toby updates. :lotsaluv:
 
Hang in there Amy....we'll be thinking about you. I think it's great that you realized something was wrong and your vet was actually able to pinpoint it. You know why Jake is so spoiled? Exactly the same reason. He started out as a spoiled boy but once he was diagnosed with cancer and recovered.....I can't possibly spoil him enough. I'm just so grateful that he's still with me. I'm praying you have the same wonderful outcome we've had.
 
Hi Everyone

Yes we will keep you all informed! Thanks so much for all your good wishes and prayers!
I'm getting quite well versed in all the technical details etc!
The only thing that is a bit of a worry is the vets have not done an op like this before but I know they are researching it and he is in the best hands as I think the head vet will be helping out too.
 
Welcome back Amy and Toby :lotsaluv:
I'm sorry to hear your news about Toby :hug:
As Cathy T said "hang in there!" we're all with you and crossing our fingers and :paw::paw: that everything goes well on the 21st.

Give Tobes a big hug from all of us here and consider yourself hugged as well :hug:
 
Sorry to hear about Toby :flwr:
Fingers & paws crossed that all goes well on the 21st :xfngr:
Big :hug: for you & Toby.
 
We've got all our :paw:'s crossed here too:lotsaluv:

Hope all goes well on th 21st. Keep us updated on Tobes' progress
 
Wow, I didn't realize so many problems are related to the one condition. Poor little Toby. He'll be so much better after his surgery. :xfngr::xfngr::paw::paw::paw:
 
Positive thoughts across the miles for you and Toby. Hope all goes well with the surgery. Keep us undated.
 
Best wishes to you both and I hope there with be complete success with his surgery and he recovers 100%
 
Wow, I didn't realise so many problems are related to the one condition

Thats why its such a difficult one to call. I'm trying to anywhere on the internet that tells me how many dogs have been diagnosed with it in the last ten years or so.

Unfortunately the op falls right before we go away, luckily Toby is stopping with my Aunt who also has a Cavvie and is at home all day. This means he will get all the attention he will need, plus I have arranged with the vets that any treatment that he needs while I am away will be put on my account so I can pay on my return to save my aunt having to fork out for anything. My Aunt has already been through a lot with her Cavvie after he had major hip surgery a few years ago.
 
:(Hi Everyone
Just to let you know I dropped Toby off at the vets this morning at 8:30am. He did the typically Cavalier thing of looking round when he was being lead out to the cage area giving me those really sad eyes. It was as if he was saying 'Mum, what you doing to me now?'. It was awful. The vet called to say he would be start the op at about 11:30, so just keeping my fingers crossed!

Its awful this is the only time I have ever had to really coax him to go with the nurse! I think he senses its something big!!:(
 
Toby is out of the op and recovering well. :jump:


He is having to stop in for the next few days as his calcium level can get dangously low. The vets are currently trying to get as much calcium in as possible via a drip.

I so want to visit him but I know it will only upset him and he will want to come home. Im going to call the vets first thing tomorrow to check he is ok and then :xfngr: he can come home soon.

He will also have to be closely monitiored in relation to the low calcium level which will be quite weird seeing as the last few months we have been concerned with reducing it and now we are trying to raise it :eek:

Anway will give you an update tomorrow, not really looking forward to a Cavvie less home tonight! :( But sooooo glad Toby is ok! :lotsaluv:


Thanks to everyone for their lovely messages!!

Amy and Tobes
 
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