I just found out my dog has a tumor that is cancerous

[Guest]

I forgot what the vet called it, but he has a polyp in his ears and the tissue was sent to the lab and it it came back cancerous, so now he needs to have something done called a total ear canal ablation, has anyone’s dog had this done, what is the outlook, does it usually take care of the problem?

The vet I spoke to is sending me to a specialist, but I’ll see him on Thursday first to ask more questions before that, I’m just worried now, my dog is going on 15 yrs old, will this procedure completely remove the cancer.

What is the chance of recurrence? How much does a procedure like this cost?

I don’t have a lot of money, but I don’t want to lose him either, I just don’t know what to do.

[Anita]

At 15 you need to consider how much longer he's realistically going to be here with you. Have a long talk with your vet. Hugs to you.... these decisions are so very hard but your boy is relying on you to keep him pain free.

[Kira]

Unfortunately your questions about the cancer can’t be answered without knowing what type of tumour is it. Save those for your specialist on Thursday.

Dogs usually do well after an ablation. I’ve only seen it used for dogs with chronic ear infections though.