Regrowth of Dog Eye Tumor

by Brittany B.
(Brooklyn, NY)

Our dog Sage’s issue is a return of an eye growth. In the December of 2012 he developed a growth on his left eyelid - in the corner. We had the vet surgically remove it in late January of 2013.

Around December of this past year I noticed that he had a little polyp starting to grow back in the same spot, but that interestingly stopped growing. It looks like a skin tag now, although it does rest on his eye a bit.

In the photograph you will see what did continue to grow- a tumor below his left lower eyelid. At first that lower lid was just a bit puffy, (around December, 2013) but in mid February of this year it began to show from underneath. His eye had begun oozing, and this morning there was additional black gunk (for lack of a better word) on that lower eye lid.

He only shows small signs of discomfort. I noticed him in January rubbing his paw agains that left eye, and I guess that was a sign. It was in early February I decided to take a wash cloth and wipe his eye daily.

We think Sage is a German Shepherd/Husky mix, and he is approx 8 years old. We adopted him just over two years ago, in December of 2011. He is about 65-70 lbs, Med build, and a white beauty with tan hints in his coat.

I am worried about having another surgery since he is 8 years old. Sage is in pretty good health- runs on our walks especially since it is cold. He does have some hip issues from before we got him, and he was treated for heart worm before being transferred from his original home area in North Carolina (the pet rescue partners with high-kill shelters in the South, bringing the dogs north).

The hip issues include slight hip dysplasia plus the possibility that someone shot his left hind leg with a paint ball gun within the months before he landed in the pound. So, there is a great deal about his history we do not know.

We

do know that he is well cared for now, and with us he is a city dog, (Brooklyn) taking 2-3 long walks a day. He gets tired on those walks and slows down, especially in the summer, but we adjust to his needs.

Sage has not lost his appetite, and bowl movements are normal. He eats a cup of Merrick grain free hard food twice a day, and we supplement that with salmon oil, turmeric, and glucosamine pills with his meals. He gets broken up “Old Mother Hubbard” grain free treats on his walks. He does get cooked high quality meat (steak, chicken, ground turkey) when we have some. I’ll separate out a bit for him and cook it with no herbs, and that happens 2-3 times a month.

He’ll sometimes eat cooked asparagus, beets, and green beans- probably once a month for each. He will only eat it cooked. He’ll also lick the coconut oil off our hands since that is what we use for lotion these days.

His heartworm/deworming pill is given to him with peanut butter, a treat he gets on an occasion. And, I am sorry to say, he will get the occasional piece of cheese... Sage will not eat anything that is remotely sweet, which is interesting. Never wants apples or other fruit, and thank god he doesn’t go after anything sugary. That is the whole of what he consumes in our home.

I have been interested in treating this issue internally, paying more attention to his internal PH and overall nutritional health, but my attempts in the past have been poking on the edges with small experiments (ginger in water) and not a program which will address the issue. I am happy to supplement more real food into his diet.

The real concern is that this is reoccurring, and if we go the surgery route (which I really do not want to do) it will just do it again perhaps in speedier and speedier cycles. Surgeries will just become a strain on his physical health, and that is not what we want.

Your guidance is appreciated.

Thank you!

Brittany