HELP - My best friend has osteosarcoma

[Anne]

It was suggested that my dog have her mandible amputated. I didn't agree to this or to chemo but she does have one chemo drug included in the therapy she is on. She was expected to live for only two weeks or thereabouts at the end of December.

Her oncology report today was excellent, she is still doing well and feeling well. Osteosarcoma is a truly horrible disease and it's taking too many of our breed.

[Xena's Daddy]

Originally Posted by lucasmom

Mike...I had a great laugh over your "nail clipping" comment. Lucas is the same way. I can do just about anything to that dog except clip his nails!!! He is so funny. That is one of the reasons why I don't want to measure his boo-boo. I can just see him giving me that "dirty look" when I even look at his leg. Thanks for the laugh. I haven't done much of that these days.

Keep in touch. Laurie

Hi Laurie,

Yes, they're definatley good for a laugh!!
Whenever I do cut her nails, I have to basically wrestle with her just to get it done! Once I finally get her 'trapped' in the corner of the bathroom, I can only get one nail at a time.......she always breaks away from me between each-and-every cut to go & sniff out the ALL pieces that come off! She acts like I'm cutting her feet off or something! LOL............
God, I LOVE my dog!!

Talk to you soon,
MK

[lucasmom]

Mike-
I read your comment on one of the other threads about you and Xena most likely not being able to go out on your boat this summer. I was so sad after reading this as I could relate to not being able to see my Lucas jumping in the lake and biting the waves. I could just watch him all day standing knee deep in the water and biting the water as it rolls in. He would also run behind me while I would ride our ATV in the fields. We had so much fun and I cannot even think of not doing these things again without him. I cried for a long time as I need to get a grip on the fact that most likely I will never do these things again with my dear dog. He will turn eight on 4/28. I would give anything if he could live just one more year....but without pain and have one more quality year. I know that you probably feel the same way, as do others. Hang in there. I am praying for Xena when I pray for Lucas. My best to you - Laurie

[lucasmom]

Can someone tell me how big these OS tumors grow? I cannot believe the size of my dog's tumor on his radius. It is growing uncontrollably and is the size of raquetball under his skin. The skin looks like it is going to burst!!! The interesting thing though is that my dog, Lucas, does not appear to be in pain. I do give him tramadol before bedtime, but he is acting just fine. His appetite is great, he runs and jumps around. Gets in an out of the car without problems. Yes, he limps terribly, but he is acting fine. If I didn't have to look at that dreaded tumor, I could almost convince myself that he is fine...although I know that he is not. I feel like having him wear a knee sock so I don't have to look at his leg any longer. Does the tumor eventually stop growing? Has anyone out there ever had the tumor removed? I don't mean amputation. Thanks.

[Xena's Daddy]

Hi Laurie!
So he's still doing good? That's nice to hear. Other than the increase in size of his tumor, of course. (From an egg to a raquetball?? Mine's still a raquetball..........for now) Hopefully it's not a fast grower..........that's the best case for our 'kids' now..........

I found my girl in the spare bedroom this morning, she was kind of hiding out of sight. (Isolating) I guess she was really hurting. When I offered her some 'medicine' (She knows that word!) she immediately jumped up & tried to run to the refrigerator, but ended up losing her footing & fell onto her chest!! She recovered quickly, but I was mortified! I thought today was going to be the day.................so I ended up bringing her to the Vet today so he could have a look at it. I wanted to make sure it wasn't broken or anything, and as it turns out, she's still O.K.

But I will say that she is less active today, and didn't want to go outside at all. Over the last couple of weeks she's been very happily going out & laying down right outside the door just looking around & exchanging barks with the neihbors dogs for an hour or so. (She lays at the bottom of the ramp I built for her.......there are two steps and I didn't want her to break her wrist)

I had the very same questions for the Vet today, and he told me that they do NOT stop growing, in fact, tumors grow exponentially, (Faster & faster as time goes on.........) but that every tumor grows at a different speed. He went on to tell me that he's seen some dogs only last a week from DX, and others that lasted up to 5-months!! (This is all without treatment, of course. Just pain management)

He said not all of them are prone to breaking, but that it is a very real possiblity. That is the LAST thing I want for my girl!! That is NOT the way I want this to end for her.

I think we're getting close now...........

Best to you & Lucas!!
Mike

[warrior1]

The tumor can grow very large. My Warrior's grew to an enormous size. It seemed to grow bigger by the day. Though I have no knowledge of whether or not it is even possible to remove a tumor like that, I would have to ask myself why I would want to. Unfortunately, nothing will change the diagnosis. I know how horrible it is to look at. It is a constant reminder of what is going on. However, right now, it may be bothering you more than bothering him. Spoil him rotten and keep letting him enjoy the quality of life he has. My thoughts are with you and your boy.

[Xena's Daddy]

BTW, I also asked my Vet about some sort of a 'sling' for her front leg, so she won't use it, but he said there isn't anything available, other than bandaging it up for support. But that's not good either because of the pressure it would exert on the mass.

Also, he said they sometimes DO get big enough that they start breaking through the skin. (!!!) But I would imagine that if it were allowed to get to that stage, he would be in SUCH pain that he probably should have been PTS long before that. But that's my opinion.

As far as removal, (Limb-sparing) the Vet specialist who DX Xena said hers was too large to try something like that, and even if it weren't, there are many risks associated with that type of procedure. Basically, 40% end up with serious problems resulting from it; from implant failure, to bone infections. She's got enough problems right now................
So I opted for the pain management strategy.

Hope all is well,
Mike

[warrior1]

I may have misunderstood, but I was under the impression the lucasmom was just referring to removing the tumor. I didn't think she was asking about a limb sparing. My apologizes if I am wrong.

[chivas]

You CAN get a sling, or a stirrup to put under them to help them walk, I had one for Chivas and that was 6 years ago, shame on. your vet for not suggeting that. A lot of pet supply stores carry them or you can buy them online. Opps, I reread what you wrote - OK right there isnt something to hold the leg up but there are slings to help the dog walk easier - not too put so much weight on the leg.

[my kids]

Hi Mike and all. I read your posts and can only cry for you and your kids. My boy Drake went fast. Three weeks from the time we found out. The swelling came on fast in his leg. He isolated him self to at times. I kept him comfy. I sure miss him. I have pictures of him and me taken the last weekend before he passed away. I can't look at them yet. I had just stopped crying before they were taken. He had been real sick and was throwing up all his food. I kinda knew at that point it was not good. I just kept the pain down and he went o Heaven on that Tuesday. I still have times I cry. I know he is in a better place but, like so many of you I have a huge hole in my hart now. I do have his ashes in a urn next to his mates urn. Tasha. I am sure they are having a good time and waiting for dad to meet up with them someday. All the best for you all. I wish we had a cure and better treatment.
Take care and God bless all you Rottie lovers.
Randy

[BeauandShan]

I am so sorry to hear about your Lucas. We are also going through the same thing with our 11yr old Beau. We too thought he had pulled a muscle chasing rabbits. His tumour seemed to grow so fast yet he was still fine in himself. He is now on painkillers and anti inflammatries and is doing ok. We have had three months so far with him since he was diagnosed and we count every extra day as a blessing. When the time comes we will let him go with dignity and show him the love that he has shown us for the last eleven years that is the least we can do for him.

Thinking of you at this time, let us know how he is doing

[lucasmom]

Mike, Randy, and all-
Thank you for all of your support and wisdom. My heart is breaking for all of our beloved dogs. I know that the time is near and I pray for every day we have left with our babies. I agree with Warrior that the tumor probably bothers me more than Lucas. God, I hate looking at that thing. It is like a demon growing under his skin. I just want it to stop growing. I cannot imagine it bursting through the skin. I will put him down before that happens...afterall, how can I be so selfish to have him suffer just so I can spend more time with him. I cannot imagine my life without Lucas. He is my constant companion. He sits on the sofa with me and "reads", sleeps next to my bed in his "bed", we used to go for walks every day, but that has stopped because he can't walk well. We still go for "rides", and he loves that.

Mike...I have tears in my eyes from reading about Xena. I am so touched and inspired for the love you have for her. God bless you for that. I will continue to pray for her when I pray for Lucas. That is all we have besides loving and supporting our dogs. I just wish that they were older. Seven or 8 years is just unfair. If they were 10 years or greater, I would understand more, although it would still be just as hard to lose our best friends. I think conceptually, I would accept it better. I guess I feel cheated in some way. Please keep in touch. I really appreciate you sharing with me what your vet told you about the tumor. My vet doesn't really know what to do. He said that there really is nothing to do and he said that if we wanted some oral morphine, he would supply that in Lucas' last days. God, this is like hospice care.

My love and well wishes to all of you - Laurie

[lucasmom]

Mykids...Randy-
I forgot to mention that I think about you and your Drake frequently. He is free and in Heaven without pain. I know that Lucas will join Drake probably soon and I cry to think of all of the new friends that Lucas will have someday soon. My only consolation is that someday we will all be together. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this very difficult time. Keep in touch with us. Laurie

[Xena's Daddy]

Originally Posted by warrior1

I may have misunderstood, but I was under the impression the lucasmom was just referring to removing the tumor. I didn't think she was asking about a limb sparing. My apologizes if I am wrong.

Warrior1,
To the best of my understanding, limb-sparing IS removing the tumor.......in a sense. With OS, the tumor is not a growth ON the bone, but rather the bone itself changing shape, growing un-regulated in an outwardly fashion. So basically, you do not 'remove' the tumor, you 'grind' down the bone & either use a bone graph or an implant of some kind, since the remaining bone is brittle & will not support the dog at all. (S/S plate, composite plastic, etc.) I believe that is the only 'removal' option that exists for this............at least when it's in the wrist. (Distal radius)

Regards,
MK

[Xena's Daddy]

Originally Posted by chivas

You CAN get a sling, or a stirrup to put under them to help them walk, I had one for Chivas and that was 6 years ago, shame on. your vet for not suggeting that. A lot of pet supply stores carry them or you can buy them online. Opps, I reread what you wrote - OK right there isnt something to hold the leg up but there are slings to help the dog walk easier - not too put so much weight on the leg.

Chivas,
Does it put any pressure on the limb? (We can't have that.......it hurts bad enough as it is) I want to help her to walk without using her leg..........she's a smart girl, but she never tends to an injury correctly. It's like she forgets all about it when she's got something else on her mind.

Like just now, she jumped up & ran (Hobbled......) to the back door to see the squirrels. She then suggested that I let her out, but of course I did NOT. So I just sat there on the floor with her & watched the little buggers run around my yard, talking to her about them the whole time. (She likes that!)

Anyway, if you know of anything that could assist with walking WITHOUT putting any pressure on the leg, please let me know.
Thanks!
MK