Nasal Cancer Gets My Dog Ben No comments yet

I am sad to write that I finally had to put my beloved Blue Heeler, Ben, to sleep on Sunday morning October 26. That was about 90 days from the first start of symptoms of nasal cancer (started snorting as though he had a human cold, then mucous discharge with blood about 5 days later). This coincidentally is the median life span of dogs with nasal cancer that don’t get traditional cancer treatment (surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy).

I unintentionally wasted the first 5 weeks with a local vet who believed he had a fungal infection (Aspergillus), virus, bacterial infection or just an inflammation. He almost killed Ben in the first week with a bad cocktail of anesthetic. Subsequent anaesthetic by another vet and the MRI clinic had no problems with his quick recovery from it afterwards.

This first vet said they needed a rhinoscope to investigate but incorrectly claimed that no one probably had one in Adelaide, South Australia. At the fifth week I decided to do a Google search and found about 4 vets in Adelaide that promoted the use of a rhinoscope.

I then referred Ben’s case to the good doctors at the Adelaide Animal Hospital and within 3 days of the procedure (4 biopsies in Bens turbinate bone area) discovered that he didn’t have fungus, a virus or bacteria but Transitional Cell Carcinoma.

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