I have a 6 year old black lab/huskie mix named BlackJack. He's the smartest dog I've ever owned (passed good canine and therapy testing at 13 months).He eats homemade dog food with real meat and veggies twice a day and is in top physical condition..

One of his favorite activities is running along side my bike on our 3-mile long trip on the bike path, but over the last week he did not want to go. A few days later I noticed he was limping and holding his left front paw off the ground. The vet found a small tumor growing at the nail bed of his 3rd toe. He ended up amputating the toe. He said the tumor is cancerous and we will know if it is malignant in about 5 days.

I talked to the doctor after surgery and he said it isn't all that uncommon for this to happen but in over 50 years of raising dogs this is the first time I ever heard of it.

Has anyone here ever dealt with this?

Never, I'm happy to say (and we've had quite a few dogs, including several who have lived to ripe old ages).

I hope that all works out well for BlackJack. We have a collie (TJ, a pound puppy) who's 9 - 11 years old; he runs 4 - 5 miles with me 2 - 3 times a week, and still thinks he's a puppy. (For his age he's the bounciest dog I've ever seen, and at 80+ lbs the biggest collie I've ever seen.) We're thinking about getting a puppy: to play with TJ when we're not a home, and to take over the running duties when he slows down.

Please keep us posted on his progress.

That's very sad. I hope it's not malignant and that he'll be OK.

We lost a beautiful, blue merle collie at 7 years old to liver failure. (We'd moved to NJ and he was alergic to everything there. The stupid vet gave him Prednizone instead of, say, Benedryl.)

Six years old is too young to lose a dog for any reason, least of all cancer. All my best to you and BlackJack.

I had a Boxer, a breed prone to cancer.

She had a toumor as big as my fist in her chest. They have treatments, and she beat it. Died later from a heart problem that the first time it presents itself is fatal. She was 5.

I wish you the best.

Sorry to hear this Daryl. Good luck to Blackjack and to you and your family.

I hope everything comes out good for Blackjack. Pets are a huge part of any family.
Take care, Bob.

I know how you feel, exactly.

I lost my bestest friend, my Golden Retriever 'Major' to stomach cancer, then lost my Dad to stomach cancer as well.

Good luck to 'BlackJack' . Hang in there Buddy !

How terribly tragic. Im sorry 2 hear that.

Hope he gets better and has a long life, Daryl.

Sorry to hear that Daryl. Our office dog, Wilber (the owner's golden retriever), died of cancer just last week. He was just 6 years old. I guess he had some sort of quick moving liver cancer. He was frisky and happy a few weeks ago, but then was lethargic for a couple days, diagnosed with the cancer, and died about 10 days after the diagnosis. It's very sad and our office is devastated by the loss. And even though he wasn't "my" dog, I nevertheless felt a close connection to him and I will miss Wilber tremendously. My sincere best wishes to you and BlackJack.


Ron

It's hard to say goodby when there's nothing you can do. Find peace.

Daryl, good luck with your beloved BlackJack. Not a vet or medical guy here, but the good news is that it was a small cancerous growth and may not be metastatic. We can always hope, and I hope it goes that way for you. It's entirely possible.

I share your anguish, fear and pain. We love our four legged buddies. We've put down our share of border collies and I'm still grieveing over one of them who's been gone for five years now.

Keep us posted. This could turn out well and that's what I'm hoping for you.

Thanks everyone for your support. The tumor was not metastatic so it won't spread. BlackJack is now cancer free and recovering better than my wife and I are. The vet says this type of tumor is very common in large breeds and black haired dogs and there is about a 30% chance it will come back. I prefer to say there is a 70% chance that it won't.

Thanks again, even though I don't know any of you personally I consider all of you my friends and the words of encouragement really helped get us through this.

:cheers:

Great news!

I'm really glad to hear he's ok! my little guy is 13 he's getting a little slower and he's kind of hard of hearing but even with that said he's still pretty young at heart and gets really excited when it's time for walkies. he just can't take the heat and the longer walks anymore. it's kind of cute how he lets me know he needs a break he just stops and lies down on a patch of grass. I guess the point I'm making is I don't know how much time he has left so I just try to make the most of it while he's still here. again I'm really happy for you and BlackJack and I wish you both a long and happy 6 more years together!

Glad to hear BlackJack is doing well!