Dogs and Brain Tumors

[Sharon]

Based on my experience this week I thought some education might be helpful.

Out of the blue Tessa had a tremendous seizure . Surreal and frightening for both of us. It went on until we got to the emergency vet clinic.
At 13 8/12 I didn't opt for MRI 's etc ., but the vet said that when an old dog has a big seizure ( never having had them before ) it is 99% of the time due to a brain tumor . ( Same for people.) No signs of a brain tumor before that.

Meds may or may not help. They may help initially and then not help anymore, at that point seizures will happen regularly.



I believe Mike Pal had the same experience.

[welsh]

I have a neighbour going through this right now. Lost her husband to cancer a few years ago and now the dog is having seizures due to a brain tumour, & she feels the dog is all she has left ... very difficult situation.

Same thing: the dog started having seizures.

[C.A. in TO]

Often the sudden onset brain tumor is a hemangiosarcoma. Most who experience hemangiosarcoma get the tumor in the spleen but since it is cancer of blood cell walls it it can also present in the heart or the brain. Pressure in the brain can cause seizures.

[Sharon]

Good info . The tumor doesn't have to be carcinogenic to be a problem as you know. My dog may have had that tumor for a year or more. They grow at their own rate which = pressure = seizure.

[maplevizsla]

Sharon,

This is what the emergency clinic believed happened to my Hunter girl as well as she was 12yrs old and then boom a few seizures later totally out of the blue and they thought it as well was a brain tumor, made the hardest decision ever that afternoon.

[Sharon]

Since I have posted this , I can't believe how many folks have PM'd me to talk about it happening to their dog.... not wanting to talk about it publicly. And yet , I had heard nothing about it before.


"made the hardest decision ever that afternoon" quote Mv
Absolutely right. For me it was because all major organs ( except the brain) were working fine.