Chemo decision for elderly dog

Toffee will be 12 in September. A week ago she had a
spindle cell tumour removed from her back leg (the part
they call her knee)She's recovered & is happy & bouncy.
The lab results show it was a low grade tumour, but I've
been told that they couldn't remove the margins they
should have because of the positioning of the tumour,
so unless Toffee has some chemo it has a good chance
of regrowing. My immediate reaction was - she's much
too old to go through that! but I've spent half the day reading up on stuff & my thought are that if it regrows then it could be more aggressive/go deeper. Also it
seems that chemo isn't as awful for dogs as it is for humans. I've got a whole page of questions jotted
down for her check up on Monday, but I'd also
appreciate anyone's input/experiences with this. We
have a big decision to make next week.

Kitla,sorry I can't advise you about Chemo,just wanted to wish Toffee all the best(( hugs))Its great you have a list of questions.Fingers crossed all goes well,please let us know how you get on xx

I also have no information for you but I'm sorry you are in this situation. I hope you find the answers you need!

Good luck with this and with your decision. One only you can make.. I have a 14/15 year old collie and am making similar decisions re her elder care.

My immediate reaction when I saw the title of your post was no I wouldn't put her through that.

The more I read the more my mind changed and I think if the chemo was only for a short course and my vet thought Toffee could stand it I would seriously consider doing it.

Whatever you decide good luck to you and Toffee. The older they get the more precious they are

I have a one eyed 14 year old Beardie boy here and I know the time is coming when I will have to make that hard decision.

My friends jack Russell has lymphoma and has been on chemo for a while. She feels rubbish for a few days each time but then is back to her old self

When I had to make this decision it was for a much younger dog, just 8. The age was irrelevant tbh, It was all about the prognosis, how much time would it buy him? How much would it cost? it ain't cheap you need deep pockets or prior approval from your insurer. I decided against it but it was a no brainer for me tbh he would have had a front leg amputated and combined with chemo might have bought him 9 months or so. So he was pts while still under sedation from the xrays. The only person hat can help with this is your vet, you need to know the probable outcome.
There was someone on here who's Akita had chemo quite successfully, don't think she's here anymore and I can't remember her name.

I agree that you need a better prognosis for how long it would give her and what quality of life she could expect were you to go ahead.

Whatever your decision, I wish Toffee all the very best

The thing is with Toffee's situation, her tumour has been removed & if we do nothing it may never grow back - it wasn't big & we caught it early. BUT if it does come back
she'll probably need chemo anyway. I've looked at pics
of this type of tumour in other dogs - lots of the images
were of 3 legged dogs, the spindle cell tumors grow fast
and get pretty large so I don't think leaving it would be
an option. I know the cost will be ££££ or maybe £££££, don't care,
she's not insured due to probs with the insurance co years ago, but
I have emergency funds & FIL regards her as his granddaughter
so will help

The visit to the oncologist has changed things a bit. The
fact that this lump appeared quickly means it may not
be as low grade as first thought. S/C sarcomas have
"roots" that will still remain in Toffee & in a low grade
case often don't grow back - but if it's more aggressive
then it will.
Chemo will only hold it at bay,
radiotherapy everyother day for 3 weeks is an option but can only be done once, if it fails that's it.
Or another op to remove the area around the tumour site, but if the lab results show they didn't get it all she'd need radiotherapy too.
We think the op is her best chance, if it succeeds then
its gone for good. Either decision is horrible though &
I'm dreading having to leave her at the vets for days.