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Question

I think my basset has a brain tumor. She has gotten worse over the last two years. She growls all the time even when no one is near her, she will forget who we are at times , she has bitten my granddaughter for walking to close to her. Her eyes look like they are really getting cloudy. My vet had suggested that a possible brain tumor but we can't afford the MRI to be sure. You look in her eyes and she just has that look like she isn't all there. I am afraid that she is getting worse and I am considering having her put to sleep.

Submitted: 226 days and 7 hours ago.
Category: Dog Veterinary
Value: $9
Status: AWAITING CUSTOMER ACTION

Answer

Hello, I am sorry to hear about this situation. First, keep her away from the granddaughter for now. Safety first. Next, it would be a bit unusual for the cause to be a brain tumor that is otherwise slowly growing over this length of time. I have some other explanations for you to explore.
Hypothyroidism. Extremely common in older pets and easy to treat. It is low thyroid hormone production, and definitely, can can cause aggression.   So, I would request your vet to run a basic blood test for an overall health assessment. Most important make sure it includes a "T4 test" and a "free T4 by equilibrium dialysis (the most definitive of the thyroid tests)

Next, cognitive dysfunction could also be a likely explanation and there is treatment that can sometimes help that as well. Here is so more info.     

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/dementia-senility-cognitive-dysfunction/page1.aspx

Hope that helps
Good Luck
I wish the best for both you and your pet. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
Dr. Andy

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Expert: DrAndy
Pos. Feedback: 99.7 %
Accepts: 
Answered: 4/10/2009

Dog Veterinarian

2003 UC Davis Grad, Interests: Internal Medicine, Dermatology, Pain Control, Emergency , Geriatrics

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