My mums dog had a non cancerous lump on his chest that was removed when he was 8. At 12 it grew back and a small one developed on the side of his stomach. He had been run over by a car at 4 years old (the day we got him, unlucky hey) so his arthritis was getting worse ( he was then put on some injection every 3 months and pain killers as necessary so he wasn't suffering and could still run)!" and mum and the vet decided he wouldn't bounce back very well for the surgery. For the last 5 years the lumps slowly grew but never effected his quality of life till 2 months ago when they grew rapidly. His old body was giving up at 17 and went down hill really quick when mum decided it was time to let him go. We got 5 good years out of him that we may not have if he had had the surgery and it probably wouldn't have helped him live past 17. I hope your dog has many happy years ahead of him no matter what decision u need to make!

Thanks y'all!! Still waiting on the vet to call with a quote. I'm just thinking the worst from a cost perspective, if it ends up being less than $1K I will be very pleased!

actually not spaying is a risk of cancer. :( I use to work at a vets office and we had lots of older dogs that would come in with tumors. if the vet didn't think they were cancerous she didn't recommend removing them. but its your call maybe take her to another vet to get a second option bc $1000 seems like a lot. if you do the surgery make sure they do a pre screening of blood work to see how she will react to the drugs. unfortunately older dogs do not handle it well. at any rate I'm sorry she's having these problems.

No reason to euthanize her if she isn't suffering :) keep her alive and comfortable as long as you can without the surgery. I think it would be too hard on her at her age. Good luck! Thinking about your pup!

wow.. I can't believe how many of you suggested euthanizing her! that's quite a big judgement call to make about her dog when you've never seen her before to know her quality of life. op, I'm a registered vet tech so I'm going to give my professional opinion. . considering her blood work is perfect and otherwise healthy (other than the seizures and deafness, which isn't too big of a problem) I'd go ahead with surgery. being that she's a small breed she could have 5-6 yrs left. its sounds like quality of life is still there. we actually did a full mastectomy on a chihuahua a yr or so ago that was about 10 yrs old and she's doing great. but ultimately its a conversation that needs to be had between you and your vet because y'all know her the best. good luck!

Thanks ladies! I am waiting on the quote from the vet and then I will have to figure out what to do. Leaning towards not having the surgery though.

yeah this is why vets highly suggest that pets get neutered and spayed due to breast and testicles cancer. I guess it was true in ur case. poor thing I hope she isn't suffering. hang in there!

She is not spayed. I got her for my 12th birthday and my dad always wanted her to have a litter of her own pups but he never ended up breeding her. I left her with my parents when I first got married but then took her back from them when I bought my first house with a yard where she could run, when I was 20. She stopped having periods shortly after that so I didn't think I needed to spay her! :-( What a mistake!

Aww ? that's so tough!! I am a huge animal fanatic, and If I had the money at my disposal I would of course do it!

However, to be realistic, seeing as she's 13 and already had such a great and full life thus far. I'd probably take my chances with the tumors. Surgery on an older pet has risks in itself, and I'm sure the recovery would be really hard ? do what you can for the time being, and keep her as comfortable and healthy as possible. You probably still have some good years left together!

I believe when you get a pet, you agree to care for them for the entirety of their life. But there comes a time, when they get old, when you gotta weigh the pros & cons.. And think about how much it will benefit her. They're not hurting her, but will continue to grow. She very well could pass before they get to that point.

It's a tough one ? but I don't think there's really a wrong answer. So don't beat yourself up either way.

I wouldn't do surgery. She's far too old, so she won't take it well. I say let her be and when the time comes, go from there.

aw I'm sorry! I'm curious is she spayed?

Just keep him comfortable for as long as you can....personally I wouldnt do the surgery.

I wasn't really thinking about putting her down right now, just deciding on whether or not to move forward with the surgery. If I didn't get the surgery, I would probably wait a few more years to put her down because they aren't causing her any pain at the moment and are slow growing.

I was worried about giving an old dog surgery though, that is my biggest concern. He did blood work on her and it came back perfect, great liver, kidneys, and heart. If I don't get the surgery for her, I feel selfish, like I am choosing money over her. :-(

We, well my parents, have a 14 yr old golden retriver. Hes had surgeries for cancer, his thyroid and he's got hip dysplasia. My parents have put thousands of dollars into him. So i would say do it. Pup is a part of ur family.

Personally, with her history of seizures I would likely keep her comfortable for the time being. Surgery on a 13 year old dog can be pretty stressful and it sounds like that would be a pretty big surgery. For me it's all about quality of life so if she's comfortable and happy I would keep her that way until its time to make that decision. She had a great life, and 13 is a good age to make it to. But, keep in mind that no one can make that decision but you. If you let anyone else make that decision then you will always feel like it was the wrong one. Good luck to your pooch!

I'm so sorry about this news! I would put her down. Sorry to say, I know its hard but you need to think of her quality of life over quantity. :(

Oh and she is a small breed so she could live for another 5-7 years.