HELP - My best friend has osteosarcoma

[aprillovesherdogs]

Oh Laurie, I'm so glad that you have had all this extra time with Lucas. In my first post I mentioned that Matty went in for a repeat check when he started to limp in the front and back. He was in so much pain, but could still get around. I felt rushed into making a decision then and there because they said there was no hope. It has been almost 3 weeks since he passed and I've spent so much time trying to justify what I did. I have come to somewhat of a conclusion that what I did was right, because he would have been so shamed and depressed. The thought that ran through my mind was eventually seeing him trying to drag himself around in agony. I am finding relief in my decision because I spared him from pain. I am also thankful, even though I felt things went too fast, that I didn't have to rush to the vet in the middle of the night in an absolute panic. I was emotional and I'm sure he sensed it, but if it had been a critical emergency, my extreme distress would have made it a very "unpeaceful" end.

I hope this doesn't seem like another "two cents" being added, but your heart will ache more if you allow him to go on his own. Those poems were so true and heartfelt. I haven't cried for a few days so I needed them too.

Just keep treating him like a king. My Ansel (Gooby), who is almost 11, has benefited greatly from our loss of Matty. Everyday is "what Gooby wants, Gooby gets". He will get one doozy of a birthday party.

Take care and take care of yourself.

[jlaack]

Yes, I am very worried about Lucas. His breathing is rapid and he sounds asthmatic. I tried to listen to his lungs with my stethescope and I am afraid that the cancer is in his lungs. I have been giving him tramadol to help with pain, just in case his rapid breathing is due to pain intolerance. I WISH they could just talk to us!! You know that we would do ANYTHING they wanted. It is just sooooo hard to decipher what is going on.

I was thinking and worried about you and Lucas all day today. I remember you mentioning that his breathing was off but that his xrays came back clean is good news. His off breathing could be because of pain. When we first got the dx we were very conservative with pain medication and I remember Harley panting a week later. I thought it was already in his lungs after 1 week and placed a panicky call to our vet. They repeated the chest xrays for my benefit, still clear, but our vet thought that his unusual breathing could have been pain related. We increased his pain medication and it did end the panting and labored breathing. Since you have ruled out cancer in the lungs, this would be my second guess for an explanation. I believe you have room to increase the pain rx. Generally, I'd rather have my dog I little more than a little less comfortable. If you haven't already, I would discuss this with your vet.

I also feel strongly that you shouldn't plan on a fracture being the time to let him pass. Ultimately this is your decision and I respect your role as his owner. We went through a break (it was the plate not the bone but same effect) with Harley before we amputated and it was no picnic. I am glad I didn't PTS at that point, but if I had it wouldn't have been wrong either. We had some saving graces that made this event somewhat bearable. We had sufficient strong painkillers to administer to keep him comfortable, he didn't have a tumor so he didn't have that pain on top of a fracture, I had a splint to use and was very skilled at wrapping his leg and using his custom fitted splint and last (probably most important) because he had been through four surgeries before this happened a lot of nerves were completely destroyed hence he did not have the full sensation of a dog with a leg that was always in tact. Because he seemed comfortable and was even bearing weight on the leg I couldn't appreciate how bad it was until I saw the xrays. Evenso, this was incredibly difficult, and if I had PTS at this point, it would not have been a wrong decision.

Yes, Lucas could fracture his leg tonight (of course, I hope that doesn't happen) but I wouldn't leave that as the determination of when to say goodbye. If this sadly occurs, he will be in a tremendous amount of pain and it will be very difficult for you to be able to take care of him at that point unless you can get the vet to come to you. If you plan to wait until this happens at least find a vet that can be more available according to your dogs needs.

[shelneese]

I have been reading these posts all day and Chama has all of a sudden had a bad bad day. So we have made a decision to PTS on Thursday - The vet is going to come to our house.I think that all of you are very wise and that having been through the worst - you are helping me through this and hopefully Lucasmom as well.
I don't know what I would have done without this forum.
thank you all and good thoughts and prayers too.
Chama's mom.

[Auburn]

I lost my first rottie and few years ago with cancer. I will never forget what my minister told me, "C.S. Lewis, great Christian writer, believes dogs go to heaven and I do too. Dogs like people have finite lives, but sadly they don't live as long as we do. Just love him with all your heart while you can because you will see him again one day."

I'll say a prayer for you and Lucas now.

[abbiesdogs]

Shelnesse Im so sorry you have had to make this decision I shall be thinking about you today, I think its lovely that you can have Chama pts at home, I have done this for all my dogs, also all my vets in the UK and here in Spain offer 24 hour call out even in the middle of the night so when my dobe had bloat he didn't have to suffer all night.
So I pray that if anything happens to Lucus in the night (or any of our precious furry kids) you can get quick medical attention.

My prayers go out to all you with pooly pets abbie

[rottie40]

Hey laurie,
How are you today chuck?
I have had 2 dogs with bone cancer, Remy my first was the world to me, his leg broke, I dont regret keeping him as long as I did! up to that point he was eating and going out for walks etc. I got him straight to the vet and we said out goodbyes.
Scrumpy he was different, he just couldnt cope with the pain and I had him put to sleep before his leg broke, saying goodbye was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.
I suppose what I am saying is EVERY DOG IS DIFFERENT.
I know people are trying to help, but I for one, think some of these posts are not helpful and are making a VERY diffficult time for you and Lucas even more difficult.
YOU NEED EVERYONE'S SUPPORT right now, and I know and feel how much you love you're dog.
Trust in yourself, you can only do what you think is right at that time,
NO REGRETS Laurie
Love, Light and healing thoughts, Jacky

[Anne]

Originally Posted by rottie40

Hey laurie,
How are you today chuck?
I have had 2 dogs with bone cancer, Remy my first was the world to me, his leg broke, I dont regret keeping him as long as I did! up to that point he was eating and going out for walks etc. I got him straight to the vet and we said out goodbyes.

I know people are trying to help, but I for one, think some of these posts are not helpful and are making a VERY diffficult time for you and Lucas even more difficult.
YOU NEED EVERYONE'S SUPPORT right now, and I know and feel how much you love you're dog.
Trust in yourself, you can only do what you think is right at that time,
NO REGRETS Laurie
Love, Light and healing thoughts, Jacky

You may note Rottie40 that most, if not all of us who are posting in this thread are either living with dogs with osteosarcoma or have recently lost a dog to this awful disease. We are all having a difficult time with it.

Most of us would not want to put our dogs through the excruciating pain of a pathologic fracture. That you did so with your dog is your choice but it's not a choice I would make for my dog. I heard my friend's dog screaming in pain when her leg fractured. Her owner is suffering regret and guilt that her dog suffered this.

We all love our dogs and we are grieving at the prospect that they won't be with us for very long. I think our aim is to let our dogs pass in restful peace rather than in severe pain

Those of us who have OSA dogs need the support of eachother but I will never support allowing a dog get to a point where it must go through such pain. You may think we are not being supportive of an owner but you can rest assured that we are united in sparing a dog such serious pain.

A shame that you find some of our posts unhelpful but at least we are supporting eachother and I for one, find the posts by others in the same boat as myself to be very helpful indeed.

We need to communicate and support eachother through the forum and I trust that our communications can stay as positive, helpful and encouraging as they have been.

[rottie40]

Anne,
I dont find any of your comments, positive, helpful or encouraging
You missed my point TOTALLY!!!
I DID NOT - 'put my dog through excruciating pain' as you so cruelly put, sometimes your choice is taken away, he had pain free quality of life right up to the end, his bone broke VERY unexpectedly.
Please do not judge people you do not know
I have owned 20 Rottweilers over my lifetime and have rehomed &rescued many over the past 25 years, EVERY ONE OF THEM IS DIFFERENT and this terrible disease affects each one differently, what is the right decision for one dog and owner is not necessarily right for them all. Maybe when you are less emotional you will be able to understand that.

YOU CAN FORGET WHAT PEOPLE SAY, YOU CAN FORGET WHAT PEOPLE DO, BUT YOU NEVER FORGET THE WAY PEOPLE HAVE MADE YOU FEEL

[moondog]

Originally Posted by rottie40

...You missed my point TOTALLY!!!
I DID NOT - 'put my dog through excruciating pain' as you so cruelly put, sometimes your choice is taken away, he had pain free quality of life right up to the end....Maybe when you are less emotional you will be able to understand that.

Excuse me, but I believe you and others that are in denial have missed the point. Of course every dog is different, but the cancer is NOT. Of course you put your dog through excruciating pain, as Anne so REALISTICALLY pointed out, and of course your dog hid his pain better than other dogs may have the ability to do. Because your dog can "take it", doesn't mean the pain isn't there.

Originally Posted by rottie40

I know people are trying to help, but I for one, think some of these posts are not helpful and are making a VERY diffficult time for you and Lucas even more difficult.

YOU NEED EVERYONE'S SUPPORT right now, and I know and feel how much you love you're dog.

Us "people" are trying to HELP THE DOG! Do you think for one minute that saying "Oh, my heart goes out to you" does a DAMN THING for the DOG? Of course not! Do you think for one minute that saying "Oh, I truly feel your pain!" does a DAMN THING to relieve the actual and very real physical pain the DOG has to experience? Of course not.

YOU are the one that is out of line. Those of us you so freely chastise are here for the well-being of the dog FIRST, and do hold sympathy for the owner, second. To think in a million years emotional pain can hold a candle to the very real and yes, excruciating pain of bone cancer is to live in a dream world full of the vapor of hopes and wishes, which of course the dog can't know and so it doesn't even touch them and offers no relief TO THE DOG at ALL. Gee, a hell of a lot that does for a dog suffering from this disease.

The emotional pain we as lovers of these dogs experience with their loss is our cross to bear by virtue of being so very blessed with their presence in our lives, and by understanding what we owe them in integrity for what they have given us so selflessly all their lives makes bearing that personal pain worth every tear we shed. If we can't get "beyond ourselves" during such a difficult time, then we are of no value to our dog's needs.

[observer]

Thank you moondog, as always.

Rottie40, don't think for a moment that your dog wasn't in pain. They hide it incredibly well -- we do what we can with drugs, but they have limits.

We are sorry for the sadness that Laurie feels, but when it comes right down to it, those of us who have seen what this disease does are ultimately here to advocate for Lucas. Laurie is having a really hard time with the idea of having to take Lucas in to be PTS-- she hopes he just dies naturally at home, she wants the vet to come to her house, and he's basically told her it's OK to just wait until his leg breaks. Sorry, but we are all trying to be realistic, and put Lucas' pain ahead of Laurie's sorrow. I hope he lets her know it's time before his leg breaks, and then she has the courage to do the right thing.

[Marley55]

This is such a difficult topic to remain unemotional about. I am suffering through the same devastating cancer with Jaxx and just taking it day to day as well.

I agree that the needs of the animal must come before our own, sometimes selfish needs. They are in pain and they are suffering and if we watch them closely and truly “listen” to what they are telling us, I honestly believe they let us know it’s OK to let them go.

Being of American Indian heritage, I have always help a rather spiritual view of the life and death process and how our bodies house our real heart and spirit. Long ago my grandmother helped me when I found a baby bird that had fallen from the nest and was near death. Of course as a small child I was SURE my Grandmother could fix it as she could fix everything. She looked at the bird and took it aside and humanely dispatched it to the bridge. Of course I was wailing and asking why why why. She told me, and this has stayed with me forever :

Our body is simply the house that holds our spirit and soul. When the house is infested by termites then it’s time to let it go and move on.

I think of that everyday as I watch Jaxx slipping away from me and try to balance his needs, my needs and the termites.

I am hoping that Lucas will be at the bridge before the termites destroy his house.

Marley

[Xena's Daddy]

Originally Posted by rottie40

his bone broke VERY unexpectedly.

Rottie40,
Uuhhh......I'm pretty sure they ALWAYS break 'unexpectedly'.......(??)
Which is EXACTLY why us as the owners & caregivers of these wonderful animals need to make the call before that happens, if we should have the chance to be so lucky.

I know that it can happen at any time, to anybody, and I'm not suggesting that you let your dog get so bad that it was bound to break. Believe me, I understand. I spent the last 2-months absolutely terrified that my girl was going to break hers.......(And I know I'm just really lucky that she didn't!!) All I'm saying is that as hard as it is to make that final decision, I think there comes a point that the tumor is growing SOOO large that it IS BOUND to break!!

I think that's one of the biggest things about this ridiculous disease that makes it so difficult for us as owners.........that we have to try to balance our decisions between giving them the quality of life that they deserve, for as long as 'humanely' possible, and making the call before something really tragic happens. Merely on speculations & predictions, no less. Not an easy thing to do, and a fracture can happen to anybody in this situation. But if the tumor has grown so large, and so ugly that it is breaking through the skin, well then yes........I think 'you're asking for it'. And if that IS the case, then I think that's extremely irresponsible!!

I just don't want Laurie to live the rest of her life regretting what cannot be taken back, that's all. I think she seems like a really nice person and seems to have a really big heart.......which you definately need for this kind of thing. Just so long as the brain has a 'hand' on the wheel too.

All heart= 'Natural' death (Yikes!)
All Brain= PTS upon Dx (Double-Yikes!!)
A healthy mixture of BOTH= The best chance for a good, balanced ending for your beloved dog!!

Regards,
MK

[BonnieBlue]

Hi Laurie,

I hope (and pray) that Lucas is having a good day today. We go back to the vet with Rocky on Friday, it's been one month since we were told he may (or may not) have this dreaded disease.

Just wanted to let you know I'm thinking about you.

Laura

[observer]

Marley-

Your grandmother was a very wise woman. Thank you for your outlook on this tragedy that so many are dealing with right now with their beloved dogs.

[Jaidann]

Originally Posted by Marley55

[color=navy]
Our body is simply the house that holds our spirit and soul. When the house is infested by termites then it’s time to let it go and move on.

I think of that everyday as I watch Jaxx slipping away from me and try to balance his needs, my needs and the termites.

Eloquent. I don't think it could be any better said than this. It doesn't take away the hurt, but it makes the release at least bearable and make sense.