7 y.o Yorkie

Question
My Yorkie has an enlarged liver  vet says there is a mass
I am taking him to a specialist to have an exam.  I have him
on milk thistle from the vet.  Both vets are working together
as a referral.  
He does not act sick at all.  He is on enalapril for his heart and theophyline   he did have a stone at one time.
Otherwise he is a happy lovable dog.
I am so worried over all this and do not want him to go through
surgery etc if it is cancerous.  I want him to have quality of life.  Can the vet do a needle biopsy and get a pretty good idea
what it is and can they remove the mass if it is only there on the
liver?

Answer
I hope that this dog's lungs have been xrayed or ultra sounded as the second place liver masses go is to the lungs. Your vet can certainly do a needle biopsy- they are not hard to do, but removing a liver mass is not an easy job.

One stage at a time. For one thing, your dog being on enalapril means that he has pretty bad heart disease. How is a dog like that going to handle a long liver surgery? He must have some fluid issues from the heart disease or he wouldn't be on the theophyline.

I guess the point here is Karen, and you are correct in saying you want him to have a quality life, is where do you draw the line?
If he does have cancer- and rarely are liver masses anything but that, then your decision to not have surgery will be the best one.

You can give him hospice care until you know he is not having a quality life, then make that very tough decision we all have to make at some point. I just went through it with my 15 year old cat, Crouton.

You are a loving and responsible pet owner, and I know that you will make the best choice for your little guy. It sounds as if he has had a rough life medically speaking. I will pray for him, bless his little heart. Just know that when the time comes you are giving him a gift of love.

Please let me know what the biopsy results are.