So very sorry to hear this news but all is not lost yet, still hope !

My late Katie had a similar problem two different cancers we had the lumps removed each time they came back, each time we did they were smaller until at 9 they stopped coming back, she lived until she died at 13 from a completely different problem. So don't give up yet.

So sorry to hear about Tonks, what a shock! All mine and Ella's fingers and paws crossed that the lumps don't come back and Tonks can live a long and happy life!!

I am so pleased that another dog had this cleared as well as Ellie, there is hope Catrin.

Thanks everyone. Julie that's hopeful news. I just wish Tonks' worst wasn't other hock as the vet couldn't take wide margins because there just wasn't room. We had them taken off fairly quickly and they were sent away for testing.

She's off her Atopica now,as that's the med that suppresses the body's reaction to caner cells, and we've upped her steroids to try to help the itching.

As soon as we can afford to we're going to get a new lounge carpet as the one we were left with from the landlord is ancient and vile and full of dust even though it's hoovered and carpet shampooed regularly. I've also asked for a steam cleaner for Christmas and am going to buy her a faux leather bed pad with some vet bed on top. We can't afford to change our sofas for leather sofas, even though I've seen a second hand one very cheap,it's the van hire etc to get it here. But I thought if I also put vet a vet bed mat on the sofa for her, and steamr hem regularly that will hopefully keep dust mites at a lower level that they are now. She also allergic to storage mites so I'm going to take her off kibble and start feeding her home cooked rice and white fish with a dietary supplement from the vets ...and lots of fruit and veg....trouble is I have no ideas about the quantities/ratios I should be feeding her. Any idea?

If I can keep the allergens to as low as possible then she can stay off the Atopica, and be comfortable for the rest of her life.

I wouldn't worry about the one on the hock not having wide margins Catrin, they will come back and can be taken off with wide margins next time. Worrying isn't going to help anyone and it will put you under a lot of unnecessary stress

I used to run my hands over Ellie every day to see if there were any new ones so caught them quickly, Staffies don't have thick coats thank goodness so we can feel the lumps much earlier than a thick coat.

You may find laminated flooring cheaper than carpet, if you get the stuff that clicks together you will be able to take it with you if you move and put a cheap carpet down.

I find big throws easier because they go in the washing machine, I still steam my furniture but it doesn't need it as often with washing the throws.

I have a book about feeding dogs but it is in the conservatory, will get it out tomorrow and let you have the name and author, it may help with you home cooking. I used to home cook for Tommy, I used minced meat, beaf, lamb, turkey but not pork as he had renal failure, I will try and find out why I couldn't feed pork. I cooked a week's food, put a meal in a bag then freeze it, much easier.

Thank you that would be really helpful.

Yes I'm really glad she is short coated as you can notice things so much more easily than if she were a big hairy beast.

We will go for laminate if we can't afford carpet..I'd prefer carpet as our lounge is really cold as there's no radiator in there for some stupid reason....just a horrible flame effect noisy blow heater fire.

So sorry to read this, you must be gobsmacked. Six is not that old but as the vet said these cancerous lumps might not develop into anything more for some time. Thinking of you and Tonks.

Thank you. We're keeping our fingers crossed.