Hi everyone… it’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything. I come on every now and then and read posts here and there 
but for those who don’t know or remember us, Axel came in to my life as a tiny little runt of a puppy at 8 weeks old. He turned into a Labrahorse I call him, a healthy 50kgs of pure suck 
He did top the scales at 54.5kgs, oops. We both went on a diet then!! Haha.
But buckle up, it may turn into a novel to read.
I’m posting now as Axel is very unwell. It all started back in March. He had a tiny lump show up on his head, so I immediately got it checked. It was squishy and moveable and very round. The vet said it wasn’t anything to worry about, and nothing showed up when he did a quick fine needle aspirate in house. Axel had two other lumps on his chest that were also fatty lumps so assumed it was the same.
Fast forward two months and the lump all the sudden rapidly grew. So I book in again but it was ten days until we got in. It grew between those days and got firmer. But remained circular and moveable, but our vet was concerned so sent out a few tiny biopsies. They came back inconclusive so we booked to remove it. Even in that two week period for surgery it grew more. It went from the size of a pea to as big as a golfball. And it was attached it turns out. It was a stage two soft tissue sarcoma, got all margins though, also removed his two fatty lumps and sent them off for reassurance but those were fine.
His recovery was rough. No walks until stitches out and just as stitches were due to come out all three sites developed massive seromas. So bed rest again until those disappeared.
Flash forward a month and a half… we were on the deck and he was enjoying a bone and all was wonderful. Then I put him inside to rest for an hour and then I came back inside and he was panting, and pacing, and whimpering. Absolutely shocked I assumed he was overheated being it was a fairly warm night. I set him up in front of a fan. With a cool wet towel for him to lay on, and I gave him a cool towel wipe down. He cooled and seemed exhausted but better…. For a couple hours. Then all the sudden he was having mobility issues, limping, head tilt, a bit unstable. I thought he was having a stroke so I brought him to emergency vet. They ruled that out and gave metacam for pain as we narrowed it down to his left shoulder. That helped and he was back to normal, finished the meds on day 5. I kept him on bed rest for two weeks, doing great! So took him for a gentle little walk, did great. Couple days later took him for a little walk again along a creek and let him trot in the creek a few minutes, that evening he was stiff, so I gave him a dose of pain meds and he was back to normal again. But I continued bed rest for about ten days, then out of no where his pain comes back 10/10. So took him to the vet, they did X-rays of his shoulder all looked great, no concerns. Also were ruling out a tumour as well as injury. Nothing found except an old elbow trauma, no idea when he did that. This dog has amazing pain tolerance, the injuries he has done to himself and doesn’t even bat an eye….
but that’s why I knew something was seriously wrong. He is limping, groaning, couldn’t get comfortable. Referral to a orthopaedic specialist was now in the works.
Metacam no longer was helping, so added tramadol, that helped a few days then no longer. So switched to metacam and Gabapentin. That definitely took the edge off, for a few days
finally we got in to an orthopaedic specialist, at this point it had Been 10 ish days on pain meds, and had to up the dose in the mean time. Also swelling had developed. The vet poked and prodded and for the first time ever I heard my boy yelp, never had he ever yelped in the 6.5 years I’ve had him. The vet assumes there is a tumour on his ribs, or scapula, as his scapula is pushed out and there is a lot of swelling.
My heart sank and I burst into tears. Also so shocked as I went in thinking he really injured his shoulder or back, and leave with a fear of a tumour. So the specialist upped his pain meds to the max dose, and sent a referral for CT scan, which was a week wait (it’s tomorrow) and his pain the last two days is unbearable. I cry constantly. He gasps when walking. He can’t stand to eat or drink. He gets up to move sleeping positions. He does get up to go outside and do his business but then gasps in pain for a few minutes until he settles down again.
My heart is breaking. I feel so cruel. So I called the specialist today to ask what else can be done for pain management, he suggested emergency vet and leave him there on IV pain meds. I asked if I should say goodbye to him today instead and he said it’s completely a personal choice but he believes it’s most definitely a tumour and amputation will be the answer. Devastated I hung up and called my vet I’ve been using for 10 years. He said he agrees with me, it seems more of a very strange injury… and that I should get the CT done before making that decision of saying goodbye. He also suggested a fentanyl patch he can wear for five days while we wait for the results of the CT.
So that’s my plan for now, keeping him comfortable, spoiling him with his favourite things such as ice cream, and canned food. I tried holding a bone for himbut it was far too painful.
I guess I’m here for mostly positive vibes, and all those lambie healing vibes. So please, please send it And if anyone has any advice or maybe similar circumstances, please I’m listening
but for those who don’t know or remember us, Axel came in to my life as a tiny little runt of a puppy at 8 weeks old. He turned into a Labrahorse I call him, a healthy 50kgs of pure suck He did top the scales at 54.5kgs, oops. We both went on a diet then!! Haha.But buckle up, it may turn into a novel to read.
I’m posting now as Axel is very unwell. It all started back in March. He had a tiny lump show up on his head, so I immediately got it checked. It was squishy and moveable and very round. The vet said it wasn’t anything to worry about, and nothing showed up when he did a quick fine needle aspirate in house. Axel had two other lumps on his chest that were also fatty lumps so assumed it was the same.
Fast forward two months and the lump all the sudden rapidly grew. So I book in again but it was ten days until we got in. It grew between those days and got firmer. But remained circular and moveable, but our vet was concerned so sent out a few tiny biopsies. They came back inconclusive so we booked to remove it. Even in that two week period for surgery it grew more. It went from the size of a pea to as big as a golfball. And it was attached it turns out. It was a stage two soft tissue sarcoma, got all margins though, also removed his two fatty lumps and sent them off for reassurance but those were fine.
His recovery was rough. No walks until stitches out and just as stitches were due to come out all three sites developed massive seromas. So bed rest again until those disappeared.
Flash forward a month and a half… we were on the deck and he was enjoying a bone and all was wonderful. Then I put him inside to rest for an hour and then I came back inside and he was panting, and pacing, and whimpering. Absolutely shocked I assumed he was overheated being it was a fairly warm night. I set him up in front of a fan. With a cool wet towel for him to lay on, and I gave him a cool towel wipe down. He cooled and seemed exhausted but better…. For a couple hours. Then all the sudden he was having mobility issues, limping, head tilt, a bit unstable. I thought he was having a stroke so I brought him to emergency vet. They ruled that out and gave metacam for pain as we narrowed it down to his left shoulder. That helped and he was back to normal, finished the meds on day 5. I kept him on bed rest for two weeks, doing great! So took him for a gentle little walk, did great. Couple days later took him for a little walk again along a creek and let him trot in the creek a few minutes, that evening he was stiff, so I gave him a dose of pain meds and he was back to normal again. But I continued bed rest for about ten days, then out of no where his pain comes back 10/10. So took him to the vet, they did X-rays of his shoulder all looked great, no concerns. Also were ruling out a tumour as well as injury. Nothing found except an old elbow trauma, no idea when he did that. This dog has amazing pain tolerance, the injuries he has done to himself and doesn’t even bat an eye….
but that’s why I knew something was seriously wrong. He is limping, groaning, couldn’t get comfortable. Referral to a orthopaedic specialist was now in the works.Metacam no longer was helping, so added tramadol, that helped a few days then no longer. So switched to metacam and Gabapentin. That definitely took the edge off, for a few days
finally we got in to an orthopaedic specialist, at this point it had Been 10 ish days on pain meds, and had to up the dose in the mean time. Also swelling had developed. The vet poked and prodded and for the first time ever I heard my boy yelp, never had he ever yelped in the 6.5 years I’ve had him. The vet assumes there is a tumour on his ribs, or scapula, as his scapula is pushed out and there is a lot of swelling.My heart sank and I burst into tears. Also so shocked as I went in thinking he really injured his shoulder or back, and leave with a fear of a tumour. So the specialist upped his pain meds to the max dose, and sent a referral for CT scan, which was a week wait (it’s tomorrow) and his pain the last two days is unbearable. I cry constantly. He gasps when walking. He can’t stand to eat or drink. He gets up to move sleeping positions. He does get up to go outside and do his business but then gasps in pain for a few minutes until he settles down again.
My heart is breaking. I feel so cruel. So I called the specialist today to ask what else can be done for pain management, he suggested emergency vet and leave him there on IV pain meds. I asked if I should say goodbye to him today instead and he said it’s completely a personal choice but he believes it’s most definitely a tumour and amputation will be the answer. Devastated I hung up and called my vet I’ve been using for 10 years. He said he agrees with me, it seems more of a very strange injury… and that I should get the CT done before making that decision of saying goodbye. He also suggested a fentanyl patch he can wear for five days while we wait for the results of the CT.
So that’s my plan for now, keeping him comfortable, spoiling him with his favourite things such as ice cream, and canned food. I tried holding a bone for himbut it was far too painful.
I guess I’m here for mostly positive vibes, and all those lambie healing vibes. So please, please send it
And if anyone has any advice or maybe similar circumstances, please I’m listening 
‘s to you and massive
