Simcha Has an Oral Cancer

Simcha, my sweet, submissive omega dog, is a Golden mix who may have some Finnish Spitz in him. My Golden Retriever rescue organization discovered him at the LA/SPCA, where he had been returned for running away. He was estimated to be seven years of age. We did not have sufficient foster homes at the time, so Simba--as he was called then--was placed in a family-run kennel where he stayed for an expensive and agonizing eighteen months. He was in an outdoor kennel but relished human attention, especially when he was bathed and brushed. Charmed by his submissiveness, I repeatedly featured him as Dog of the Month, but sadly, no one wanted to adopt a mixed-breed dog who they mistakenly thought might have some Chow Chow in him. When Old Gold Rescue shut down, there was no alternative but to bring him to my house.

Although he appeared to be in perfect health, Simcha was found to have a growth on his foot and one on his flank. The one on his flank appeared to be a mast cell tumor. Dr. Stone was able to excise them both, pleased at the clean margins he was able to obtain.

Despite having lived in an outdoor kennel for so long, Simcha made the transition to indoor living (with a doggie door) without a hitch. He joined a pack dominated by alpha male Elliot and a group of older spayed female dogs. His unusual tangle-free coat and semi-prick ears made him a particularly easy keeper. From the first, other dogs have pushed him around, but he has never lost his puppy-like smile and his easygoing disposition. Always the last one to be fed, Simcha bounces his front feet around in a happy dance without moving his rear feet, as he waits for his bowl to be placed before him. He conveys a sense of being appreciative.

Simcha has a relatively mild case of storm anxiety. Whenever there is thunder, he crawls under furniture, burying his head, trembling. He responds well to being placed in an Anxiety Wrap. Even during benign weather, he enjoys sleeping on the foot of my bed.

Simcha's only vice is to run away whenever he can squeeze through the laundry room door. He absolutely adores to play "Keep Away" and it is typically impossible to lure him to return. Sometimes he will tease us, coming very close, only to dash away again. Fortunately, we can trust him to return to our carport after about 40 minutes of cruising. (He was already neutered when we first encountered him, so at least we know he is not out impregnating dogs when he escapes.)

Simcha was due for his annual vaccinations when Katrina disrupted our lives. All the other dogs are up-to-date on their shots. When my Wednesday mornings opened up, I was finally able to take Simcha to Dr. Grisoli. I was especially relieved to do so, because Simcha's breath has recently become foul. I figured that the worst that would happen is that he would need a tooth pulled, which is not a big threat for a 10- to 11-year-old dog in good health.

At first glance, the vet agreed that he needed an extraction: one of his upper right pre-molars appeared loose and his gums were badly inflamed. However, upon further examination, it became clear that he has a lesion 4-5 cm across on the roof of his mouth. The center part of it is gray, necrotic (dead) tissue. Both of the vets in the office looked at Simcha's palate and decreed that it was clearly an aggressive cancer. It was obvious that any surgery that removed the offending tissue would leave him with little intact hard palate. He would also lose several upper teeth. Even if oral surgical wounds heal quickly, it would clearly be painful and make eating difficult.

Already the lesion seemed large enough that radiation seemed an unlikely option--and I lamented that I only had one day off per week if Simcha required regular trips for radiation treatment. It seemed like it would be gentler to spare him what would be mutilating and ineffective surgery, and to simply monitor the growth of his cancer, opting for euthanasia when he is unable to eat or is otherwise significantly uncomfortable. Poor Simcha--more than a year in a kennel and now attacked even within the safety of my home! Such a sweet dog does not deserve such a fate. It is now my responsibility to make his final months as fulfilling as possible.