Skip to main content
Home

An Italian Greyhound Whose Breathing Rate Rose With Lung Cancer

by Michelle
(Atlanta, GA)

Reader Question
Ava was 10 1/2 when she was diagnosed with lung cancer on Monday 6/24/13. I brought her with me to my other dog's annual exam because she seemed to be losing weight. I had noticed the weight loss maybe 2 weeks prior, but wasn't overly concerned because she was eating and still normal weight for an IG. The vet processed her blood work and told me that everything looked fine, but her WBC count was elevated to 27000. The vet recommended a chest X-ray and found that she had many tumors in her lungs. She sent the X-rays to an internal medicine vet, and we went to see her the next day. At this point, I was noticing that Ava was breathing hard. She may have been breathing hard before, but I never noticed it. The internal medicine vet said she was 100% sure that she had metastatic lung cancer and also had some tumors on her liver. She showed me the X-rays and said that she had over 100 tumors in her lungs and there was nothing we could do. She said that Ava had 1 to 3 months to live or it could be any day; she was expecting the lower end. She did note that Ava had a slight fever and prescribed an antibiotic.

Over the next week, I kept her by my side and watched every move. She continued to act like herself, she was eating and had regular urination and bowel movements. Her weight remained at 11 lbs.; it was 14 lbs. regularly. Her breaths per minute continued to increase. On Friday, they went from 34/minute to 48/minute in the early evening. I rushed her to the emergency clinic, and they said that other than breathing rapidly, she seemed fine. They gave me some pain medicine and told me that sometimes dogs will breathe more rapidly when they are in pain. I gave her lots of love all weekend and continued to watch her. The internal medicine vet said to look for gums that were not pink, evidence that she was uncomfortable - i. e. not able to sleep or get comfortable.

On Monday I went to work and my husband called me and said the she was not getting under the covers like she usually does, but lying on top and constantly changing positions. When I got home, I fed her and she ate everything including a treat and her pill treat. I carried her upstairs (she couldn't see very well) and continued to watch her as I worked, her breathing increased
again to 48/minute, and she started breathing thru the corners of her mouth as well as her nose. I didn't want her to suffer. Nor did I want her to be put to sleep at the vet, because the vet office made her shake uncontrollably. So, on the evening of 7/1/2013, we had her euthanized in our home in front of the fireplace, her favorite spot. I have been crying since the day I learned she had cancer and still have not stopped 2 days after she was euthanized. She was my little baby. I picked up her ashes today and still can't believe it has happened.

It all came out of nowhere. She had blood work done last year 8/2012, and everything was normal. I am still trying to make sense of it all.

Everyone says you will know when it is time. I am not sure if I waited to the very last minute that she could function without tremendous pain; she may have had a week left; I will never know. But, I do know that she didn't suffer and she died comfortably in my arms. This has been the hardest thing I have ever experienced.


Answer from Our Team

We're so sorry about Ava. It's clear how closely you watched over her, and how much she was loved.

Counting her breaths, as you did, is exactly what vets ask owners to do. Most dogs breathe fewer than 30 times a minute when resting or asleep, so a rate that climbed into the 40s, together with breathing through the mouth, restlessness and trouble getting comfortable, was a clear sign that breathing had become hard work for her. Tumors in the lungs take up space that healthy lung tissue needs, and they can cause inflammation, fluid and pain, all of which can make dogs breathe faster.

Many owners worry about whether they chose the right time. You noticed the changes, kept her comfortable, and let her go peacefully at home, in her favorite spot, before her breathing troubles could get any worse. Saying goodbye while she could still eat, rest in your arms and feel safe was a kind and loving choice, and from everything you describe, you did not wait too long. The sudden way this disease appeared, after normal blood work the year before, is sadly common with cancer that has spread to the lungs. Routine blood tests usually can't detect tumors in the lungs, and nothing you did or didn't do caused this.

See why dogs breathe fast and cancer in dogs.

This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Cough.