DS: Advice/Opinions? (Possible surgery on an older dog)?
I have an 11 year old, male, unneutered (if that even matters) Sheltie named Sam. He’ll be 12 in mid-October.
He’s never had any kind of surgery whatsoever. He’s, in fact, a very healthy dog overall – a bit of arthritis and he had Parvo as a pup but since has been in good shape.
Last spring, I noticed he had a bit of a bump on his eyelid, touching eye. Naturally, I was concerned and called the vet and explained it. She said if he didn’t seem overly bothered by it to wait until his vaccinations that were coming up (she seemed to know what it was).
Anyway, she looked at it and said that it wasn’t a big deal – I forget what it was. She said if he began to paw at it, or if it began to get puss-y to bring him back in and she would remove it, or if he ever needed another surgery she would remove it then.
Anyway, his eye is starting to get sort of puss-y and we have made an appointment for him tonight. I’m just concerned (maybe unnecessarily) if she suggests any kind of surgery for this dog what may happen. Obviously I will talk to her about the risks beforehand but this dog is just everybody’s favorite little guy and I cannot fathom something happening to him.
Anyone out there had anything similar?
Thanks for the answers so far. He’s got pretty great teeth, so he’s never had them cleaned, no. His appointments at 5 so I will keep you posted as to what she says.
As you probably already know, there is always a risk when anesthesia is used, and probably more so with an elderly dog. The Vet will want to do blood tests before the surgery, to see if his counts are all in the normal range. I don’t think the Vet would even risk putting the dog through surgery if the blood test results came back poor. So, I guess you really don’t have much of a choice since this thing seems to be bothering the dog and is indeed getting worse. I have several friends that have had surgeries on elderly dogs, including a surgery for bloat. All were successful. I personally haven’t had any experience, thus far, with a senior dog needing to have something like this done.
If it’s touching his eye, pusy, etc then it’s starting to bother him. At this age, they will run a complete blood panel to see if his liver, kidneys can withstand anesthesia. Obviously, there is still a risk w/ anesthesia. This is omething to discuss w/ vet as far as risk at his age.
I don’t like having surgery done on a dog over 10 years of age; however, sometimes you don’t have a choice. In this case, your dog needs treatment to prevent damage to his eye. Maybe not yet, but soon.
Does your dog require any other medical treatment (teeth cleaning, etc.)? If so, get it done at the same time, so he has to undergo only one anesthetic. Taking the growth off the eyelid takes hardly any time at all. In fact, last year when one of my dogs broke a tooth and needed an extraction, I asked my vet to remove the small bump she had on her eyelid…and he didn’t even charge me for it.
I’m sure your vet will run blood tests to make sure his heart, etc., should be able to withstand the surgery. However, if those results come back iffy, you’re going to have to make a decision. There are no guarantees, of course, because ANY operation on a dog of ANY age has a risk factor.
One discussion to have with your vet: if the eyelid doesn’t need immediate attention, what time frame would she estimate that would become necessary? My own feeling would be to do the surgery now if your dog is fairly healthy, rather than wait 6 to 12 months and maybe have him develop a heart condition or whatever in the meantime, making the surgery far riskier.
Best wishes that your dog comes through with flying colors!
My answer is totally in accord with Helen’s on this. Our last dog (about the same size as a Sheltie) had a lump removed from his back and one from his foot when he was 11 and 12, and he lived until 17, so I would be guided by your vet. Hope it all turns out fine for your dog.