I started seeing this 4 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback unneutered male in April. As a 2 month old, he had a dime sized area of gingival hyperplasia on the roof of his mouth as a puppy of 12 weeks which continued to grow throughout the time since it was first seen. It was diagnosed as a malignant spindle cell tumor invading the bone of the maxilla just prior to seeing me for the first visit in April in hopes that I could get control over the growth. The mass was not ulcerated and took up a large part of the maxilla on the side of the tumor and seemed to surround his teeth.
On presentation, Marshall was healthy with no other physical issues besides the mass in his mouth. It was not painful and did not cause any issues with eating. He did seem to drool more on this side of his mouth.
Pulse: moderate and slippery
Tongue: pink and quite healthy
Acupuncture: GV-14, BL-13, BL-20, GB-34, GB-25, SP-6, LU-5
I did not get a great sense that these points changed the pulse but they did seem active.
I dispensed A/D3, Inositol Hexphosphate, XFHMY, XCHT. I also switched him from a dry food diet to a commercial raw frozen diet.
I saw him 30 days later. The mass clearly had grown and Marshall still seems not to care about it. On this visit, his pulse seemed thin and deep and his tongue a little pale. I switched out the XFHMY for mod XFZYT. I also added in a mushroom combination.
Blood Stasis/blood deficiency. The following points seemed to help the pulse: BH, GV-14, BL-13, LI-11, GB-34, SP-9.
I rechecked 30 days later and the same situation with the tumor clearly bigger and still not bothering him. This has been the case for the last 2 visits. Pulse is moderate with minimal in the way of active points.
What should I do differently? Such a young dog to have this problem and seemingly so healthy besides. Thanks for any guidance you can offer!!