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My old dog has nasal discharge. Is surgery worth it for suspected cancer?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | 14 years and 11 months old

My 15 year old dog has a never ending nasal discharge. Ct done,radiography done,nasal swab taken.Fungus, Enterecoc bacteria found and the treatment done.Flagyl also used.Dental care done.Doc said surgery must be done.If its cancer i know radiotherapy is a must afterwards.Since hes 15, i wonder if he can handle.W/0 radiotherapy, surgery serves no longer survival than no treatment.What should I do?Its most probably cancereous.Should I ve that surgery? It will recover uneasyly&he'll suffer more?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian

Published on June 4th, 2018

Poor Spike! I know this is a tricky situation due to his age. Every dog handles this dofferently but the older they get the harder it is. I would consider his age and talk to your vet in best case scenario how many GOOD QUALITY months could you get out of him. If it is only projected to add a month to his life then I am not sure it is worth putting him through an extensive and painful surgery plus radiotherapy. On the hand, if it 6 more months, then it may be worth it. If you dont plan to do the radiotherapy and surgery alone wont extend his life then I personally wouldnt do surgery at his age. I would talk to your vet abot what can be done just to make him comfortable - pain meds, appetite stimulate, long term anti-fungals or antibiotics, etc. In seniors, I always like to consider how to give them a good QUALITY of life over QUANTITY. I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 16th, 2018

    Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Spike! Unfortunately the CT images didn't come over well. They are blurry or too small. Regardless at Spike's age and the lack of response to a long course of antibiotics I would say that a nasal tumor is very high on the list for his symptoms. If it was a bacterial infection I would expect it to respond to antibiotics. Fungal wouldn't. Most tumors in the nasal cavity are not good tumors (squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, fibroscarcoma, lymphoma). Personally I would ask for a biopsy before removing the tumor. The referral specialty hospitals in my area biopsy nasal cavities. There is a risk of bleeding but it might be helpful to know the type of tumor as some are chemotherapy responsive and some require surgery to "debulk" the tumor. If it is cancerous there will be chemo or radiation required afterwards to keep it away as you can not get good margins in the nasal vacity (can't completely remove). You need to ask yourself: would I do chemo or radiation? How much do you want to put your 15 year old dog through? Removing a tumor from the nasal cavity is a big deal that may not get you years for Spike. If it is cancerous it could reoccur depending on what type of cancer in his life time. I think you need to sit down with the specialist. Write down your questions and get the answers you need to make the best decision for Spike. You have spent a lot of money to get this CT done, be sure you understand everything completely. I wish you the best!

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