Sad in San Diego

by Julie
(San Diego, CA)

Eli

Our little boy Eli was just diagnosed this week with Prostate cancer which has also moved into his lymph nodes. We're not sure of Eli's age as he was a rescue dog from San Bernadino pound. He sat in the pound for 3 months before we were lucky enough to find him. He was in very bad shape the first few months; mange, kennel cough, ticks, fleas. So needless to say, I'm sure his nutrition was very poor as well. We are not wanting to treat Eli with chemo or radiation; he may be as old as 8 or 9 and our vet doesn't think he would weather it very well & it would really affect his quality of life.

I would like to know if anyone out there has had a dog with prostate cancer & what to expect so we know when it is time to let him go. He does some whincing when he tries to go to the bathroom & has a little incontinence but he still looks so forward to his daily walks and his energy is still good. I am going to switch his diet over to all organic meat & proteins, no grain with added vitamins and herbs (saw palmetto & nettle) to see if this may help him.

What is so truly sad about losing Eli is that we've only had him in our lives just over a year. He is truly the most gentle, loving, obedient dog I have ever come across. We think he may be a mix of Chinese Crested (Powder Puff breed) & Maltese or Poodle.

Thank you for any information you can pass on regarding this type of cancer as I know it is pretty rare with dogs.