PLEASE HELP - My Rottie has bone cancer.

[Jodi S.]

Please, somebody help me. My baby who is 8 was diagosed with bone cancer on Friday. I took him to the surgeon to have knee surgery and found out that he had cancer. I LOVE HIM. He is my life. I can not let him go without a fight,. I have an appt. this AM with a holistic vet to do anything I can, Anything.

If anyone has llived through this nightmare with any success, please contact me. I will give you my phone number and pay for any phone cost.

I am desparate. I love him.

[moondog]

Hi Jodi,

I'm so sorry to hear about your boy. :( I have no experience with bone cancer, but there are many here who do. I know you are desperate for information, so maybe I can get you started with a search for threads where bone cancer is discussed while you're waiting for other replies.

In the upper right of your screen, there's a search button. Click on that and enter "osteosarcoma" or "bone cancer" in the search box on the left. That will pull up a whole list of threads for you and hopefully there will be something helpful there for you. :)

[LORHEL]

Jodi, sorry I can't help you with any answers, but I know some people on the board may have gone through this, just wanted to tell you to hang in there, and I am very sorry you got such bad news. I hope you can find something that will ease his pain. Big hugs to you both. :(

[mmgy]

There are at least two types of bone cancer, osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma. Do you know which?

Mary Mac

[Jodi S.]

osteosarcoma

[Barbara Surplus]

Well, I'm really sorry to hear your news, Jodi. I did go through this with my wonderful boy three years ago but lost him quickly. Perhaps your holistic vet can offer a treatment plan that will help for I believe allopathic vets can probably offer only invasive and, usually, painful treatments. It certainly is worth trying.

Although I now deal with my own dogs holistically, I do acknowledge that by the time it reaches the stage where the disease can be recognized, it is often too late to do anything other than offer pain treatment to get them through the worst of it and then gently help them leave this world when the time comes.

I wish I could offer you more positive words and I'm sorry that I can't. Let's hope you have some encouragement from your vet. Please let us know the outcome.
Best wishes,
Barbara

[mmgy]

My Rocky had cancer three times, the first was chondrosarcoma at age 7 1/2. Chondro is usually milder than osteo. I haven't any direct experience with osteosarcoma, but I have past and present experience with canine cancer, and will be happy to share what works with my dogs. First though, collect your thoughts. Get with the holistic vet, and ask lots of questions of him, and your regular vet. Read all you can get your mouse on, but don't believe anything until you've read it at least three different places. Then go back and talk to the vets again, because you will have forgotten half of what they said. Think about the good and bad possibilities in your future. Think about how much you're willing put your dog through for you, and for him. Then talk to your vets again. Calm down, and love on your dog as much as you can. He can feel your stress, so try hard to be calm. A happy attitude is a big part of coping with this, and can make a big difference in the success of your treatment. Take a deep breath.

Let us know later today what the holistic vet says.

Mary Mac

[Miabella]

So sorry to hear this, Jodi. I recently lost my 4 year old Rottie to cancer (hemangiosarcoma, not osteo), and it was devastating. We're all pulling for you.

[frontierrots]

there have been some recent studies with the use of human med Fosamax (Fosomax) that have extended the life expectancy of dogs with bone cancer greatly

Have your vet check out studies or you can do a web search for fosamax and bone cancer. The studies have been primarily with a group of Wolfhound people

[Rottlva]

I'm very sorry to hear this :( :( :( Let your days together be filled with meaning. I too have heard of Fosomax. They use it in people with osteoporosis to help with the brittle bones. I'm assuming that it is used the same way ( as a bone stregnthener in dogs).

Judi W has let it be known that the canine health foundation is looking for rottweilers and other select breeds with cancer ( one of the types they are looking for is osteosarcoma) to help them participate in a study. Please consider this as this disease is so prevelant in our dogs. It would be wonderful to have your boy help others in his breed.

Again, My thoughts are with you. It was heart wrenching to read your note.

Jessica

[Jodi S.]

Thank you for your kind words. I am so miserable, I haven't eaten since Friday. I did see a holistic vet today and Rosco will be on a high protein diet since the cancer cells love carbs, which is in his dog food, Innova. Only meat and protein for him now. He is on all sorts of herbal potions, including fish oils and a series of potions which he seemed to like at first blush. I don't know if I am fooling myself or if this can help put him in remission. I know I need to do something than just watch him die in front of my eyes. I owe this to him to give it a fight, even thought it is costing me thousands of dollars. He is going to be on a new drug which is experimential called assimitian ( or something like that) -- I will try ANYTHING. Rosco is also on Rimidil and is doing nicely. He still has plenty of life in him. He is my heart and only a person who loves a Rottie can understand.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

[mmgy]

Sounds like you had a good visit at the vet. Let me throw in 3 products that you might want to read about. One is Hill's prescription n/d canned food, which is proven to help dogs with cancer. How I don't know, but Rocky ate a can a day as part of his regimen, and outlived his third diagnosis at age 10 by five months. The other two I'm using now with his sister Delilah, and I like them a lot. Both are made by VetriScience, and can be bought reasonably at KV Vet. One is a multi-vitamin, Canine Plus, and the other is an antioxidant cocktail called Cell Advance 880. Obviously check with your vet before adding anything.
www.vetriscience.com
www.kvvet.com
In my mind, I can't beat cancer, but I can keep the rest of the body as healthy as possible, and that will allow my dog the best chance. It's difficult to go through this gracefully all the time, so I come here and holler every so often. We'll be thinking of you and Rosco.

Mary Mac

[Jodi S.]

I bought a case of the ND today for the baby. I agree, I can't cure it but I will fight with everything I've got to keep it from spreading. I will tell you tomorrow exactly what 'cocktail' he is on, the info is in my car and I haven't the strength to get up right now. At least I feel I am helping him.

[roadweed]

Jodi,
I am sorry about Rosco. I recently lost my boy to Lymphosarcoma. I don't know much about Osteo, but we have a member here who was able to extend her dogs life with holistic care. Her user name is Chivas, I have not seen her around for a little bit, hopefully she will check in soon. In the meantime you might try searching her posts. Also you might look up the greyhound association on the net, I know they were doing some clinical studies on a new med for cancer.(I think it was osteo, sorry I don't know more)

[Jodi S.]

Thanks for your note....I just want to crawl into a hole and die. The joy is out of my life thinking that my baby is sick. Am I just fooling myself with the herbs and high protein diet? Don't know but I have to try. I know the end result and I don't know if I can take it. It is too late to unattach myself.... we have been partners for 8 years, he reads my mind and he knows all. Brilliant breed.