Growth in mouth

Rio stopped eating anything with bone although still keen to eat. I had a look in her mouth and couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. She's been raw fed for a few years and usually tackles anything with relish. She was due her 6 monthly propalin check up anyway, so phoned and made the appointment saying I think she might have possibly broken a tooth so I wanted a double appointment. The appointment was only a couple of days later and in the mean time she had developed a growth/ abcess totally encasing one of her top incisors. Anyway the vet did the propalin check up and took bloods to check everything was in order to proceed with a GA. She wouldn't let him look in her mouth but said at her age it was probably gum disease and she'd need a dental under GA and he'd have a proper look then. She was given a course of antibiotics to reduce the infection. The bloods came back showing more protein than he was happy with, so did a full urine analysis to see if the kidneys were compromised. The test results were cause for slight concern but nothing major. She had a second course of antibiotics as the swelling looked bigger to me and she was struggling to eat anything with any texture at all although she still had an appetite. She was given pain killers in the hope if the pain was reduced eating would be easier, although there was no real evidence of pain I just knew if that thing was in my mouth I'd be in agony. I had a chat with the vet when I picked up her last lot of antibiotics and told him I wasn't convinced it was a gum disease issue and thought it was more likely a tumour and wanted him to do xrays to be sure and when he had her under the GA he'd see for himself why I was so concerned. The thing is these days they tend to quote you a price upfront for anything major as we're talking several hundred pounds and I wanted the xrays done so we knew exactly what we're dealing with, without cost being an issue.
So the appointment for the GA was made for today. I took her in at 10am and got a phone call at 2.30 this afternoon to say she was awake and quite lively and Gordon wanted to have a chat about what he found. We went in at 4.20 and he had the xrays and photo's on the screen to show me. He decided she didn't need a dental and her teeth and gums are actually in good nick but the xrays and photo's clearly show several ulcerated areas on the roof of her mouth, no wonder she's struggling to eat. The xrays reveal a translucent area at the front of the roof of her mouth and the bone apparently feels slightly mobile. He's sent off samples for biopsy which will take about a week, he's put a rush on them and will call me as soon as the results are back but it's not looking great, we're thinking oral cancer and pts once we know for sure. He did say it's possible it's something with an unpronounceable name (well for me anyway) but he's not hopeful. She's home, she's eaten and is now sleeping. She has yet another, different AB's and more pain killers to last the week.
It is what it is and we'll deal with it but if anyone has any ideas/ suggestions as to what to feed her this week all suggestions welcome. She's currently living on yoghurt and raw eggs beaten and sardines fed separately. It has to be smooth as anything with texture clearly aggravates her mouth. It doesn't have to be raw, she managed a couple of tiny tins of Hills A/D critical care earlier. If you can imagine having several large ulcers in your mouth you'll get the picture.

Oh dear I am sorry to read this. Have nothing but sympathy to offer you either. I do hope the prognosis isn't as bad as you fear.

Plain yoghurt would be my only suggestion - unless you aren't worried WHAT it is and she would like something like custard or soup? If she likes yoghurt it's excellent food.

Just had a thought my last dog liked the flat tinned 'terrine' stuff. You could try whizzing anything she does like in a processor I suppose just to make it like a puree?

steamed white fish maybe, tinned tuna. Like you say with something like that in her mouth she won't be wanting to eat much.
Poor girl, I understand what you're saying and why, and I am the same, why put her through months of messing about when the end result is the same.
Lots of love and hugs, thinking of you

It's anything with 'texture' she can't manage TW. But you can of course puree any food. If it were my dog and the prognosis was looking to be very grim - I'd just try anything I know she loves the taste of - whether 'approved dog food' or not.

My heart goes out to you, and I would agree with Tang - at the moment, all that matters is that she enjoys life as much as possible, and with food being a major part of that, then give her what she loves........only pureed.

Oh Shirley - poor Rio and poor you.

What about cottage cheese - also anything you can blend. Jars of baby food could be an alternative.

This site http://www.easytoswallow.co.uk/ is for humans but might give you some ideas for Rio.

(((hugs))) xx

I did try to puree her raw chicken making it quite sloppy with a stock cube and also marmite she was fine with that last week but won't touch it for the past few days. She's been having about half a kilo of yoghurt with 4 eggs beaten in it followed later in the day by 4 cans of mashed up sardines, she's losing weight but I can't entice her with anything more. I don't think tuna is smelly enough to encourage her to eat it. I've got some pilchards which I'll try tomorrow. Thing is she sometimes won't touch anything till bedtime when she must be starving. I don't care whether it's dog food or not as long as she eats it. I tried her on milky porridge the other morning which she usually loves but she wouldn't even attempt it.

Cottage cheese is a good idea, I'll have to whizz it in the food processor to get rid of the lumps but it's good and stinky, always smells like sick to me but dogs seem to appreciate that.

What about slippery elm powder sprinkled onto baby food maybe. I was thinking steamed fish because she is eating sardines and pilchards and you can shred it down to nothing, but the puree route is obviously best thinking about it, or babyfood is another good idea.
Poor Rio, thank goodness she's always been a good eater and had the right diet all her life because she needs all of that in this situation to fall back on.

The stuff the vet nurse sneaked in the bag was like a very soft pate and she happily ate that, trouble is I think she'd need 4 or 5 tins at time the tins are tiny. Trouble is everything she would normally love seems to be what she's turning her nose up at now, whether pureed, liquidised or whatever.