Mouth tumor in puppy :-(

[Joanne]

So we just found out that Baylee has "acanthomatous epulis". This is a benign tumor that won't metasticize, but can be "locally invasive". I'm still trying to figure out exactly what this is and we will be going to a specialist.

From what I read this most often occurs in older dogs (Baylee is 7 months old!) and boxers. So lucky us, I guess! :-(

Has anyone had any experience with this? I'm not not sure what measures we will be able to take financially with this. :-(

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Have been watching Baylee's progress and am so happy to hear that her surgery is over and was successful.  Good luck with the 'no toys' rule and hopefully she will be back to full health very soon.

[Sue & Lily Grace]

I am so very happy Baylee is on the way to a great recovery and can run and play as a sweet puppy that she is. I'm am also happy that the horrible waiting game is over for you.

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

Glad that Baylee is doing well.

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

YIPPEE times a million-trillion ! ! !  What extraordinary news, Joanne.  

Baylee can now look forward to a long, healthy life with lots and lots of toys to play with 'till her heart's content.  And your family must be taking a HUGE sigh of relief.

[Emily]

Hi! How is Baylee? Did the tumor come back? My dog is 3 and she went to the vet today for her well dog visit and the vet said she had a epulis. It's a little bigger than a pea. I was looking for advice. Do you have any shoulda, coulda, woulda's if you were to go back in time and do it all over again? I don't know what to do. My vet said we could start by cleaning her teeth and then remove it, but you went to a vet specialist.. Mine didn't mention anything about that.

[Joanne]

Baylee is doing very well! Her epulis was very fast growing. When we first noticed it, it was about about the size of a marble. We watched it for about a week, thinking it was an infected cut or something, but it seemed to be getting worse so we took her to our regular vet. They decided to biopsy and remove it. They removed all of it that was visible and the biopsy told us it was an acanthomatous epulis. They suggested we see the specialist.

It was very fast growing because by the time we saw the specialist a week later, it had regrown plus some. That is why it had to be removed. Something that fast growing would eventually affect her eating and breathing and ulitmately, kill her from that.

She had to have 3 permanent teeth removed and part of her jaw bone to ensure that they removed it all and it wouldn't regrow. Knock on wood- it has not regrown.

The surgery was expensive (maybe $3000? I've blocked it from my memory.) But we really didn't have an option. Her's may have been particularly fast growing- I don't know that much about it.

 Maybe your dog's will not be so invasive and you can avoid surgery? Good luck with everything! Let us know how it goes.

[Emily]

Thanks Joanne, that's great that Baylee has not had anything grow back. GREAT!!!! Sorry to bring up bad memories. Your post was the only hit on the site so I appreciate your advice and comments.

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Emily, I just sent you a private message, but I'd definitely take her to a veterinary dentist at the highest level animal hospital in your area. The epulis will probably need to be removed and then the tissue checked by a pathologist. Hopefully, that specialist will find that it isn't invasive and dangerous (they can travel into the jaw). This is not the type of issue that's worth a gamble, in my opinion. I don't want to alarm you, but I wouldn't waste time in having your regular vet remove it. Keep us posted, please.

[Joanne]

Agreed!

[Emily]

I don't have any messages yet.  :( Maybe it will take a few minutes to get to me.  I don't think we have an dental specialists near us but we are 2 hours from Cornell the Vet Hospital and clinic. I guess I will give it a few days and see what it does and call my vet back for a referral. I love our vet office, they are very reasonable price wise but you always see someone different each time you go. There are 5. They are ALL super nice but I wish it was more like a pediatrician where you actually have a relationship with ONE vet.  I did have the thought of wasting money..I don't want my vet to try to do it and then send me elsewhere for more anesthesia and more money. I'm very nervous about anesthesia because I have 2 friends that both lost their dogs this month during a routine spay. Both dogs died 10 hrs after surgery. They do not go to my vet and actually the two of them don't share the same vet but I've been a support to them and I'm very very nervous about putting my Mabel under anesthesia and especially with people I don't know and who are students. 

[Julie and Max]

I am very sorry to hear this Joanne for both you and Baylee. :(