My sweet boy

I just returned from my quick trip to California to see doctors and buy things to try to lightning-proof my new house.  QiJian accompanied me on flights, as he is an approved emotional support animal. He slept soundly at my feet on the flights (albeit with a hit of Xanax). My other purpose was to take him to his US vet, since he we recently discovered a carcinoma in his lung, and I wanted another opinion.
Upon learning of his tumor, and discussing options with his Costa Rican vet (and my friend), I was planning on doing nothing except making him comfortable.  He shows no symptoms; the diagnosis came from an x-ray taken when he was poisoned by a “guaranteed non-toxic insecticide” when my house was fumigated. (Another long story..).

My vet here told me that the surgery requires cutting open his sternum, which would be hard on him and mean months of recovery.  Chemo is out of the question, because it would make him sick; he has always been extremely sensitive to any chemical changes or products (as seen with the fumigation).  He is in no pain and is eating and pooping and playing, and shar peis normally live to about ten years.  QiJian will be nine next month, and I want to focus on his quality of life rather than my need for him.

My vet in the US had a different take on this:  She said that, first of all, lung tumors in dogs tend to be slow-growing.  Also, depending on the location, the surgery might be done by spreading the ribs rather than cutting them.  So, the next step is a CT scan, which will give us the exact location of the tumor. If completely contained in one lobe, and if in the right place, the lung could be removed and his life prolonged.  I also need to find a vet here that can do the surgery without cutting.
We will do his CT scan next week and make a decision when we have more information.

So, pray for my precious pup.  I’ll keep you posted.