Titan - Synovial cell sarcoma

[Joannaboo]

Well the test results are back. Titan has cancer in his knee joint. With 80% of the tissue removed during his knee repair, now we are stuck in a lump. What do we do from here? Chemo and radiation will not help. Amputation is an option, but not for us, I won't do that to him at age 9 1/2, and my vet doesn't recommend it anyway.

Does anyone have any info or experience with this one? - Synovial sarcoma

My vet says to watch him recover from his knee repair as normal and keep an eye out for lameness and more pain. There is no telling how long he can survive this, could be a year or more? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[hokisteph5]

I'm sorry to hear that it's not good news for you or Titan. Here's a link to a sticky that talks about ethical cancer treatment decisions. While I haven't gone through cancer with either of mine yet, I hope if they ever get diagnosed I would weigh all of the options and do what was best for them, not me.

After reading what other members go through and the decisions they've had to make, I'm not really in favor of amputations or any kind of treatment that would lessen their quality of life. I would spoil them, love them, make a paw print, and think about their favorite things. When the time came, I would be with them when my vet helped free them of their pain.

[livertw]

It's a tough decision. My cocker told me with his sad eyes and drooping head that he needed to be set free of the cancer in his gut. His last trip was for an ice cream cone and cheese burger. Then I held him as he crossed the Bridge, and I sat with his body for about an hour until the vet gently said I should go now. Surgery was never an option. Setting him free of his earthly body was my gift to my wonderful pet.

[Mojave's Mom]

I think it's important to remember that sometimes our dogs will not just "tell us". My husband and I made the gut-wrenching decision to put Mojave down on the 5th even though he was still acting like a 10 week old pup most of the time. Reality set in for me the first time I saw him struggle to get up and go out to potty. I paid close attention to the way he acted when it was just he and I, and those eyes DID tell me....but he refused to allow his body to show it. With cancer, we have nothing to look forward to other than watch our beloved pets get worse with time and quickly become something they are not. We have the option to give them release...we don't have that option with humans. It truly is a gift.

I know your pain and what you're going through now. I wish you strength in the days to come.

[Sam's Mom]

The hardest thing for me when my boy was diagnosed with cancer was realizing "I could not make it better". After all isn't that a Mom's job? With that in mind...I am sure you will carefully watch and make the right decision at the right time. I am so sorry.