I have a 12 year old poodle and about 6 months ago we found that she has a mass in her groin area. The vet said he couldn't take it off cause she is to old for the surgery and she wouldn't make it. Well she started having thinning hair which has recently turned to hair loss, she scratches all the time and her skins looks different and she is losing weight. Her nose runs and she isn't eating like she normally does. She still follows me around the house and she still gets cranky with the other poodle but I can tell she is different. Sometimes she runs a little and I think she is OK, but I look at her and I know she's not. My husband recently got laid off so I can't afford to take her to the vet. I am scared to death that she has cancer and she is dying. Can someone please help me, does anyone know what these symptoms could be. I am scared I have to put her to sleep. I love my dog, she means everything to me!

I'm sorry to hear you situtation, it's a hard thing to have to go through.
Unfortunately there isn't much you can do if you can't afford to take her to the vet.
Have you thought about asking if your vet will do a payment plan for you? Often vets will send you a bill in the mail and allow you to pay it off in installments.

Also, old age is not a disease. A good veterinarian will feel comfortable removing a mass on an older dog provided that they have pre-anesthetic bloodwork and examination to ensure her organs are able to handle anesthesia. A lot of times hair loss can be attributed to thyroid and other hormonal issues.

Unfortunately, the only way anything can get done is through a veterinarian. Even if we could tell you what was going on, treatment would have to be through a veterinarian.

A complete blood count and serum chemistry profile (basic bloodwork to look at the cells in the blood stream and organ function) would be a good place to start.

poor old lady :(

I'll tell you one thing. If the dog does have cancer... and the vet can't give you a good outcome... I opt not to do the surgery.

My moms dog that she lost almost 5 years ago had the most aggressive cancer either humans/animals could possibly get. It attacked her bladder. X-rays showed her bladder looking, basically like a steak. It was huge. And it was so embedded into her body and tangled into other things, that the doc. Couldn't remove any of it. Instead, the vets re-wired her. We had to extract urine out of a tube that was connected to her bladder... We suspect the cancer moved from her bladder up to her kidneys. My mom spent $5g on this dog. She was diagnosed in late summer and died in Oct. Sometimes my mom and I both feel that we made Brittie go through all that pain and surgery just for our own selfish reasons. It breaks my heart even today. She was such a wonderful dog! The day she died, we had the vet come out to our house... She was put to sleep on her favorite pillow in the living room. It was strange... that night, her two daughters and my black pit/rot mix (who was barely a year at the time) all curled up on that pillow pad that night. Ive never seen all three do that since.

Today, I look at my 12 year old girl... And I swear on her life that if the vets can't give me a 90% survival rate, I won't do the surgeries... I'd rather make her comfortable in her last days then make her suffer for my own selfish reasons.

At the very least, you should get a full blood panel done. That will determine if she does have cancer or what may be the issue.

Talk to your vet. Tell them what's going on. Our vet with Brittie did a lot for us. There is also a lot of good insurance programs out there. Sign up now when there is no diagnosis. You'll get every penny back that you spend on your dog. It makes the big bills not so big anymore knowing the money is going to come back to you.

I hope you make a decision. Moving forward without even knowing if it is Cancer or not is the absolute worse.

Good Luck

I was going to say, and then saw it was mentioned, that a vet shouldn't have issues with surgey as long as all the pre-anesthetic blood work comes back fine.
I guess at best all you can do is make her feel comfortable, and ask the vet for any natural or home remedies that you can do to help her with pain if she is in any.
Is this the same vet that you have been using for her 12 years? Do you think they could help you out with a payment plan?

I know how hard it is to loose a pet that you have had that long. And you said that you hate to have her put to sleep. But I think you should consider the dog, from you message the dog could not be enjoying life at all and her not being able to reason she may think that the pain she is having is you are causing it to punish her, so please overlook your own feeling and think of what the dog is going through.

I am sorry for you and I do know how you are feeling.

It's difficult to lose a pet - heartbreaking. But one of your responsibilities is to keep her safe and out of pain. If she is suffering you have to take action. She can't.

And, yes, I've been in your position and the sadness goes on and on.

I'm so sorry.