[Dailydrool] Oral Melanoma

[nmanchip at netscape.net]

I have never posted on the Drool, but would like to share my experience 
with a dog with oral melanoma four years ago.  My sweet Howard was a 
beagle/basset mix that I adopted at the age of six.  He had been an 
outdoor dog all of his life.  When we noticed the growth in his mouth, 
we took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with oral melanoma.  The 
vet gave us our options and talked to us about the progression.  The 
vet removed the growth and it came back quickly.  She removed it a 
second time with a laser and it did not return in his mouth again.  We 
took him to MI State University and talked to an oncologist.  He gave 
us the same options as our vet with the same low percentages for 
prolonging Howard's life.  We were given six months maximum without 
chemo, radiation or the removal of part of his jaw.

We were told that the cancer would eventually move to his lungs, which 
it did.  We controlled his coughing with medication.  Howard eventually 
lost the use of his back legs and the cancer had moved to his spine.  
He also had seizures.  Howard beat the odds of six months and lived 
nine months beyond the diagnosis.  Please email me if you have any 
questions.  Spoil your sweet dog for as long as you can.