Osteosarcoma in our boy

[Anne]

I am not making much sense at the moment. Our dog, my sons Rott, was diagnosed yesterday with advanced osteosarcoma in the shoulder.

Xrays had been taken and he was being treated for arthritis. They had xrayed only his elbow. The cancer is in his shoulder.
My son discovered only yesterday that they hadn't done a shoulder xray and had it done immediately.....a very poor diagnosis for the dog who is loved to distraction.

This dog still has good days, interspersed with a few bad ones. He is a happy dog on his good days. We will love him and keep him pain free for as long as he has a quality to his life....then we must say goodbye to he when he tells us he has had enough. Heartbreaking....devestating.

[szky]

Sorry to hear about your family's Rottie. I lost two of my Rotties to Osteosarcoma in 2004. The fact that you love him so much and won't allow to have a poor quality of life speaks volumes of your love for him. Cherish the good days.

Our thoughts and prayers to your family.

[StmprKB]

Nothing worse. We are battling Lymphosarcoma in our boy. Until I had heard this dx, Osteosarcoma was my dreaded dx. BOTH are terrible for an owner to hear. You are doing the BEST thing, keep him happy, pain free as possible, and allow him to go with dignity when the time comes....

Remember, and this is what gets me through my saddest days, Your dog does NOT KNOW he has Cancer, he only knows, on some days he hurts, ignorance is truly bliss for him.... that somehow keeps me sane.

BE PROACTIVE in his pain management...there are pain meds out there, besides the "basics" to keep him copmfortable.

StmprKB

[Anne]

Thanks guys. He is having a good day today, though limping.
He is a dog I rescued for my son so we don't know his history. He was a stray rather than an owner surrender.
StmprKB. You are right, the dog doesn't know he has cancer. That thought will get us through and we thank you for it.

Our thoughts are with you for your boy too.

Now to get the vet to prescribe something a little stronger than Rimadyl perhaps.

[RottiMomCT]

We lost our old girl (anywhere from 9-11 years old as far as we could guesstimate) in October 2003 to osteo or the front leg - it appeared to be in the elbow & shoulder. We opted to remove the leg and she quickly adjusted to life as a tripod. Her attitude improved greatly as the painful limb was no longer painful to her. She wanted to PLAY...something she rarely, if ever, wanted to do previously.

She had 5 1/2 great months with us - got to lay in the morning summer sun every day that it was sunny...

I don't believe Rimadyl will do anything for pain..I thought it was an anti-inflammatory drug? I think we were giving Thelda something called Dexamethasone, although it was not a pain killer either and was not to be given if she was on Rimadyl or aspirin. Do a search here for Osteosarcoma - there is a ton of info on it here, as well as many links posted in the threads.

I wish you strength as you battle this horrid disease...

[moondog]

Originally Posted by Anne

Now to get the vet to prescribe something a little stronger than Rimadyl perhaps.

Anne, I'm sorry to hear yet another of our wonderful dogs has been afflicted with a cancer. My heart goes out to you and your family.

As for pain, Piroxicam is the medication that seems to give the best pain relief for bone pain, and is an anti-inflammatory. This link from Purdue University indicates there is anecdotal evidence that Piroxicam may inhibit the growth of some cancers, but it doesn't say whether osteosarcoma is one of them. http://www.vet.purdue.edu/vcs/Pcop/piroxicam.htm (Don't let the side effects listed scare you off, they are nothing next to bone pain).

[Anne]

Moondog thanks for that info. We will certainly be looking into it.

We spoke to the vet about a more substantial pain relief but he said to stick with the Rimadyl and it's just not doing the job.

My son, whose dog this is is a nurse by profession so this medication is not out of the question as far as availability goes.

[StmprKB]

Anne,
Some vets are still of the "mind set" that dogs don't "deserve" the same management that people do. So, either find another vet that will help with Pain, or if your son is able to access the meds in another way....

I left a vet, of many years, due to our disagreement of pain management. I now go to a vet who is very current and does all pain management practices.

Good Luck and keep the pup comfortable, that is the BEST you can do, and all he is asking for you to do.

StmprKB

[BostonRott]

The other problem with Rimadyl (besides probably not offering him much relief) is the liver damage that it can do. I'd really look at getting him off that ASAP and onto the piroxicam. Another approach is if you have a kindly relationship with your doctor, or if your son is comfortable, find a regular human doc who will write the script for you or your son, and then fill it at your local drug store.

Sorry to hear you're going through this, it's never easy. Quality of life is the most important thing, and allowing them to pass peacefully, while never easy, is the best gift you can give in the end.

[StmprKB]

But, remember bostonrott....the sad thing is, the Rimadyl isn't going to have a whole lot of time to do damage And, if Rimadyl is used according to direction and side effects are watched for....it should be ok. But, it would not be my drug of choice for bone pain.

I know with Czar, the amt of pred he is on, is doing damage, but you are d&#* if you do and d$#* if you don't....same with Chemo, major poisons in that as well....

You can't win with Cancer...

StmprKB

[moondog]

To me, the most important consideration with any disease is to "know thy enemy". Cancers are formidable foes, some of which rarely reveal themselves until they have established a foothold, microscopically, throughout the body.

None of us wants to lose the dog that we treasure so dearly. When battling a fatal disease such as cancer, this means we need to be ever mindful to keep our focus on the dog and not lose sight of him/her in our distress, because the dog is the one who is caught in the middle between our desire to preserve life and the disease that threatens it. Anything we do should be done for the dog, and for the dog only. In order to prevent needless suffering, at some point we must make some hard choices ...choices that most often hurt us, and hurt us deeply.

Our dogs will help us to know when that time is approaching, if we listen, and modern medicine can help keep them comfortable in the meantime.

[StmprKB]

Originally Posted by moondog

Anything we do should be done for the dog, and for the dog only. In order to prevent needless suffering, at some point we must make some hard choices ...choices that most often hurt us, and hurt us deeply.

Our dogs will help us to know when that time is approaching, if we listen, and modern medicine can help keep them comfortable in the meantime.

I agree Moondog..... when contemplating which treatment to do for Czar, my husband asked the question, "are we doing this for HIM, or are we doing this for US?" That statement alone was the driving force in our decisions.

We also made a pact, that if either of us saw him suffering, it was time to PTS.

StmprKB

[Anne]

What a wealth of information you all are and so kind and understanding.

Yes, I agree whatever is best for Jack is what we will do. Side effects at this stage of his disease are neither here nor there. I doubt he will be with us for much longer and whatever will relieve his pain in the time we have left is what he will have. He has been treated for arthritis alone when there was a more sinister problem here. Rimadyl was certainly helping with pain control at the beginning but is of no value at all at this stage.

Being a nurse, my son will have no problems (with friendly doctors) accessing Piroxicam and will start Jack on that today. I will keep you posted as to the the effect it has on Jack.

All we are doing now is trying to make these last few weeks of Jack's life the best he has ever had. We don't know what kind of life he had before he was rescued but we are responsible for him now and he is a happy, loving boy on his 'good days'. A totally wonderful dog.

When he tells us he has had enough we will have a vet come to the house and put him to rest in the place he is familiar and comfortable with. He loves his couch and we think that would be the best place for us to say goodbye to him. Thanks to all here who have helped us and given us information.

[StmprKB]

Originally Posted by Anne

When he tells us he has had enough we will have a vet come to the house and put him to rest in the place he is familiar and comfortable with. He loves his couch and we think that would be the best place for us to say goodbye to him. Thanks to all here who have helped us and given us information.

We are able to do the same Anne. And it is comforting to know, he can be at home, and comfortable when the time comes. Good Luck, and do keep us posted...

StmprKB

[targonrotts]

i feel your pain...kristen was just diagnosed with the same on her rear, left femur.
i have her on prednisone 20mg once daily.seems to be holding on well.
she turns 10 next week.
we will hold on until she tells us.so far, she still tries to check for squirrels and cats outside!and waits for dinner eagerly.
i always wondered...why do parrota and turtles live so long and our poor dogs so little?