Hello all:

The breeder of my wonderful 8 yr old yellow lab recommended that I post a message on this forum in order to gain some insight into the ramifications of a surgical procedure that has been recommended by our vet.
About 4 weeks ago, my wife noticed a suspicious looking lump on the left side of our lab's lower jaw. I thought nothing of it, but when it changed in size in only a matter of days, I raced to our Boston-based animal hospital to seek help. Our vet almost immediately ruled out any kind of abscess, and ordered a biopsy, which was performed yesterday. We are obviously still waiting for the results, but he has prepared us for the worst. He is fairly certain we are looking at a tumor, quite possibly malignant.
In cases where there is a fast growing tumor in the rear of the jaw, our vet believes that removal of the bone is the most effective way to eliminate the cancer and minimize the risk that it will come back. He explained the procedure to me, and it sounds ghastly. Essentially, the entire left side of the lower jaw bone is removed - I believe it is called a hemimandibulectomy. It requires a three day stay at the hospital, and some pain management once our lab comes home.
I would never, ever think of putting my best pal through something like this, but he is extremely healthy otherwise. Chest x-rays were normal, his lymphatic system is super, and he has unbelievable energy and spirit. He honestly acts the way he did five years ago.
My vet assures me that dogs do just fine after the surgery, except that eating and drinking may be a bit messy. The left side of his face may droop a bit, as well. My biggest concern is quality of life, so I'm reaching out to you folks to see if any of you have experiences with this surgery or could otherwise give me some useful advice. My wife's big concern is whether or not he will still be able to pick up his tennis ball. I know that may sound trivial, but it's a big part of his life!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. The hospital I'm referencing here is world-renowned, and the doc who would perform the surgery is top-notch. However, I would only do this if my pal would bounce back and enjoy his routine. He is an incredible boy, and he's only 8. I'm not ready to lose him, but I need to know whether the procedure is just too brutal. Thanks so much.

I am really sorry to hear of your boy's trouble. If it is indeed the worst news, I will tell you I would not have my dog endure mutilation like that. There are worse things than a peaceful death.

I don't have any personal experiences to share but I'm hoping for the best of outcomes for your baby. I'm so sorry he has to go through this.

I would ask about starting radiation treatments on the tumor. Maybe a less aggressive surgery will be needed if they can shrink the tumor or at least halt it's growth. (?)

Once you get a definitive diagnosis you might want to get another treatment opinion by requesting a phone consult from a specialist(oncologist) or vet school. Surgeons will often only offer surgery because that's what they do when it might be possible that there might be an alternative treatment available. Also do research on your own. There may be a yahoo support group where others have gone through this.

Good luck and try to stay optimistic and pray, I don't think you have the biopsy results back yet and even the best of Dr's have been wrong. What is your boy's name? I will pray for him.

Thanks so much for your thoughts. His name is Scupper. Any prayers would be appreciated.

I am sorry your going thru this. A couple weeks ago I found a tumor on my 4 yr old boy's belly. His did come back as a stage 1 Mast Cell Tumor. His surgery went well and the margins came back clean...Thank God. However his was not quite like ur boy may have to go thru. I know what its like. I wish you the best of luck and I will pray for you and ur boy. You will know the right thing to do !!!

*Sad* If the 8 year old Lab does has a malignancy, how do you know that radiation would work on the still unknown cell type if it's even malignant at all?

I think it's best to leave that to 2nd opinions, an oncologist as you mentioned. You went too far recommending radiation without knowing what this Lab owner is dealing with so far.

I don't think giving treatment advice such as radiation for a possible, unknown form of cancer is a good idea coming from a breeder. You didn't say you have medical experience or training so please, pray as much as you can but don't give that type of advice with so many unknowns.

I don't think a vet on the board would go that far. JMHO.

To Scupper's owner, I'm sending good wishes for the growth to be something that isn't malignant. If it's benign, maybe he won't need any treatment. If it is, a 2nd opinion is always a good route to go. I'm trying to be optimistic but not giving you medical advice. A 2nd opinion is the only advice I would give anyone as an anon poster. I'm sorry I said anything to *Sad* but we get entirely too much strong medical advice from unqualified non-medical people on here at times meaning well. Let us know the biopsy results if you can. I am hoping for it to be good news.

I know of several dogs that had this procedure done. In the hands of a board certified surgeon, the surgery is very cosmetic and once the pain from the surgery and healing is over, the dogs have done wonderfully.

You consider it a disfiguring procedure, the dog doesn't. It becomes the new normal for him. Our furr buddies ability to adapt is astounding.

If he is healthy otherwise, please consider it. If you don't and the tumor is malignant, the pain the tumor will cause before you put him down is a hundred times worse than the pain from the surgery.

I'd first like to say that I'm very sorry that you and your wife are having to face such a frightening ordeal with your beloved "Scupper" I know it's hard right now but try to hold out some hope that Scupper may have an infection in the jaw bone...it's a long shot but it's possible. Once you get his biopsy results, and if Scupper has cancer there is an oncology specialty practice in Waltham called NEVOG, for New England Veterinary Oncology Group. Their phone # is 781-684-8688. We send many clients with their pets to NEVOG. If you go to this practice or any other practice for a second opinion try to make a list of questions and concerns before you go. That way you won't get side tracked or overwhelmed by all the imformation and treatment options. I wish you and Scupper the best of luck and will hope for a miracle that he'll be OK. Please let us know how you make out with your precious boy.

Thank you everyone for your support and input thus far. Every piece of advice is welcome, even medical advice from someone who isn't necessarily a doc. Food for thought is a good thing. I just took this "ill" dog to the beach (one day removed from the biopsy procedure), and he was digging and swimming and clowning like a pup. Just need to analyze all the facts and make the best decision for him, not for me.

Our 11 year old girl had this-it turned out to be a melanoma. We discussed the surg. but our vet said it is very difficult for the animal and if faced with the same scenario for her dog she would not do it. Now I know 11 is older than 8 but we treated her medically for a few months as that was all she had-the tumor was very fast growing. Once her quality of life was diminished and she no longer wanted to or could eat and she became what appeared to be sad (and others know what I mean) we crossed her over. This was 4 years ago and maybe surgical procedures have improved but with any cancer they will have to go wide to clear margins and even though you don't see any signs of a spread right now does not mean the cells have not migrated. I would speak with a surgeon and an oncologist for more information-I have a friend who is a vet tech in a specialized center and he works in the oncology unit-he says some do very well where others do not-just like humans. Pray on this and your decision will be made for you-I'm sorry for your special baby and your family. In the meantime-spoil that baby even more than usual...

I'm so sorry for your boy's diagnosis Steve, it's horrible to have to make decisions like this. I worked for a veterinarian that had that procedure done on her Lab, and I believe he was even older than your guy. Zach did wonderful and anyone who didn't already know could not even tell he was missing any parts :) I could give you her name and number if you're interested in talking to someone who's been through it...and with a Lab even! I would never consider it a "mutilation", and I'm sure dogs don't think about how they look in the mirror. Good luck with him, and whatever decision you make, it will be the right one.

Don't be so upset. I'm telling the OP to ASK about radiation, I know nothing about what his dog might have. My point being the OP should research treatments before jumping into surgery. If he has surgery can he have his jaw reconstructed?

I had a nine year old yellow female with a cancerous growth on her lower gum/jaw. My local vet did repeated cryosurgeries (freezing the tumor). Eventually, he got it all while salvaging the jaw. The dog lived to be almost 16. A friend of mine had a similar experience, with successful cryo on a tumor of the lower gum/jaw with his lab.

I would also like to say how sorry I am that you are going through this with your baby boy... And I will pray that the biospy is benign and all the worry for nothing... But if it is malignant, you are in an area where there are so many great Specialists. I would seek a 2nd opinion and maybe even a 3rd... They all may give you different options and at some point one of them will feel the most comfortable for you. Tufts is close by, In Town Vet in Woburn,,,, . We are very fortunate to have this availability within driving distance... Blessings for you both. Go with your heart, it will steer you in the right direction.

I am so sorry to hear. I have no help or suggestions to offer, just the best of luck in what ever you decide.

To the person who reccomended radiation. You have to be careful with radiation near the face because it WILL make a dog blind.

"To the person who reccomended radiation. You have to be careful with radiation near the face because it WILL make a dog blind."
I guess it all depends on the tumor and the practitioner. I know a small Cavalier who had it for a tumor on her head, much closer to the eye than a lower jaw, and she did not go blind. Meanwhile, a family member has completed his brain tumor radiation, and he has not gone blind from it. The tumor, however, may blind him, as it is inoperable. Modern oncologists can use radiation knives, as they have done successfully on children I know.

Good luck with the sweet dog, OP!

Thanks all. No word yet on the biopsy. In the meantime, my wife and I were wondering why there apparently is not some prosthetic that can be fitted for a dog that has undergone a jaw excision?

Like a dental bridge? A search I did yesterday came up with something about using part of the iliac crest as an implant. A canine dentist might have more information.

Steve you are so lucky you are very close to NEVOG. I traveled about 2 hours to get there but well worth the trip!! My girl Jaysin developed a Melanoma on the inner upper back side of her jaw, my vets wanted to excise a good portion of the jaw, but based on her age at the time(she was 12) I opted for as large an area but no jaw. I took her to NEVOG for radiation and then Melanoma vaccine treatments. They also did more xrays of her chest to see if the cancer had spread and when she was under for her first radiation treatment they biopsied her lymph nodes, luckily all came back clear. They were wonderful to deal with and put us very much at ease.The cafe next door is a great place to get a nice sandwich and a nice cup of tea.
Her radiation treatment area was much larger than usual but she did very well and except for some eye tearing for while that went away a few months later and the radiated hair on her face turned grey(or I should say more of her face was now grey as she was really greay by then :) ) The trips were long and made her tired but I don't think she suffered unduly and after a good rest was back to her usual self by sunday(we went every friday). She lived a healthy life for nearly 4 more years til almost 16 and did not die of cancer but simply old age. The treatment while expensive(in the range of $6-7000) was money well spent in my book for a lifetime of devotion and friendship she had given me.

That is great news for you and your pup. I'm wondering how the treatments differ when you're dealing with a melanoma vs a bone tumor. Melanomas are always soft tissue, right?

Hello all:

Just wanted to report on Scupper's biopsy. Good news and bad news. The bad first - it's a squamous cell carcinoma, which is malignant. Now the good - it's apparently a very localized and slow growing cancer. My doc, the oncologist and the surgeon who will perform the operation all say that the procedure will be 100% curative. My doc says if I get this done, Scup will be with us for a few more years, and he won't die from jaw cancer. Everyone tells me to get the surgery, but my poor boy will have to go through so much.....

Steve, now that you have a diagnosis/prognosis...you and only you know what's best. Good luck, it's a hard decision.

Take all the infomation you have and follow your heart and your gut.....Best of luck to you and Scupper! (I love his name!)