Jaxx has bone cancer

[caseygina]

what did you up his pain meds to? we had a good weekend with Riley-I had a party for my husband's birthday, so all our family and friends were there-Riley was the center of attention-non stop petting and hugs and kisses for her from everyone. we had beautiful weather over the weekend-she sat outside friday and saturday for a few hours-loved it. but when the weather gets crappy, she doesn't want to do much. that always makes me nervous, but then i think to myself, any other day when it was ugly outside (before the dx) she laid in bed anyway!! i hope jaxx does okay.

[Marley55]

His med's were adjusted to Tramadol 50mg, 2 tabs 3 X a day plus his rymidal dosage was upped a bit as well to 125mg.

I am hoping today when I get home I will get a bit of the happy dance since he has been snoozing all day according to Mark.

We are so lucky in that Mark is a firefighter and works one 24 hour shift every 3 days and then has 5 days off in a row every 3rd week so I am much more at ease that there is someone there with Jaxx almost all the time. It may sound silly but I hate going to work and taking time away from the moments I have left to spend with Jaxx, but I still have comfort in knowing that even Mark is not his " favorite" there is still someone home spoiling the heck out of him all the time

[caseygina]

Riley's on tramadol-50 mg, one tab twice a day. i sometimes will give her one right before bed. her rimadyl is one 100mg tab, twice a day.
i completely understand about being happy someone is there. my husband can work at home, so he's been home with Riley since we found out. if he has to go out, my dad is retired and doesn't live too far, so he'll come and stay with her. my biggest fear is that if something were to happen while we weren't there, i would never forgive myself.
i only work 5 minutes from home, so i try and run home at lunch just to see her. i will take every single second i can get with her, even if it's just an extra five minutes.

[jonesjoyful]

praying for you and your boy and for all the ones going thru this awful disease!!

joy

[lucasmom]

Marley 55-
I am so sorry that Jaxx had a bad weekend. Hang in there though because it seems that this disease waxes and wanes. Some days are really, really good and then they turn really, really bad. Last week I thought that Lucas would have to be put to sleep this week and now he is back to his old happy, rottie self. He is even walking on his OS leg without problems. He was just barking at the squirrels and ate a good dinner. You never can tell.

I am so glad that you always have someone home with Jaxx. My poor Lucas is home alone most of the day, but my daughter gets home around 3pm from school so it isn't that bad. He generally sleeps on the sofa by the front window and "guards" the street. My next door neighbor says that he still barks like crazy at the UPS guy and the mailman. So...that is good news.

I am thinking of you and Jaxx. Laurie

[tom134]

Has anyone tried radiation treatment? Our rott was diagnosed last week and we are persuing such a treatment. It's essentially two shots of radiation (one per day) and is supposed to aleviate any pain for up to two months. Her OC is in apparent in her front left radius. Apparently the treatment has been successful in 78-94 percent of dogs according to the vet we are working with.

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by tom134

Has anyone tried radiation treatment? Our rott was diagnosed last week and we are persuing such a treatment. It's essentially two shots of radiation (one per day) and is supposed to aleviate any pain for up to two months. Her OC is in apparent in her front left radius. Apparently the treatment has been successful in 78-94 percent of dogs according to the vet we are working with.

What is success? That the dog lives a few days longer? I would really find out about those statistics....because it does not seem real to me. Most often by the time the dog is showing symptoms or there is lump, the cancer has already seeded itself in other organs. At the most the radiation treatments buy a little time. How much are these treatments?

I am so sorry that your dog has been diagnosed with this awful disease. I would really read up on the stats. and see if it is worth putting your dog through radiation treatments before proceeding.

Gina

[Debbie Ervin]

Go to www.rottweilerhealthfoundation.org Coming Soon! and there are stories of each Rottie who has the same or simular cancers and other diseases that plague our breed. You can find out alot of treatments that different families have used and what success and for how long it lasts. Good luck, Debbie Ervin p.s. both my rotties stories are posted there.. Thor and Ceasar

[Debbie Ervin]

It is Rottweiler Health Foundation under Real shared stories..

[tom134]

The radation as I understand it is for pain only. It won't do anything for the cancer. The treatments don't have any side affects (loss of hair, burning, etc.).

[Anne]

Originally Posted by brunie's mom

What is success? That the dog lives a few days longer? I would really find out about those statistics....because it does not seem real to me. Most often by the time the dog is showing symptoms or there is lump, the cancer has already seeded itself in other organs. At the most the radiation treatments buy a little time. How much are these treatments?
Gina

Gina, your comments lack any sense of compassion or understanding. What's wrong with buying more time provided the treatment is not painful for the dog and she can enjoy more pain free time? Who of us who love our dogs wouldn't want more time if we can keep our osteosarcoma dogs pain free?

I don't know much about radiation treatment because we're not going that way with my OSA dog though I do know radiation is used to relieve pain. We see an oncologist for the very reason of keeping Sophie pain free and to give her more quality time. The treatment she has is expensive but that is of no concern to anyone but me.

What does the cost of the treatment have to do with it anyway? If Tom is prepared to pay for the treatment and it gives the dog extra pain free time then I say go for it.

Tom134, I wish you the very best of luck if you decide to go with the radiation. Many of us will be very interested in the results. There is a thread in the forum here called 'HELP - my best friend has osteosarcoma'. Please join us there Tom. We are supportive and understanding because we're all going through the same thing with our dogs.

[Xena's Daddy]

I'll add my two cents:

From what I've recently learned about this disease & the various treatment options, radiation seems to be mainly used for dogs who are not good candidates for amputation (ie: Two affected limbs, HD, ED, arthritis, etc.) In these cases, they use the radiation to treat the tumor for pain management only, as it has no curing effects. I believe chemo is started right after the radiation therapy is complete, as it's usually used in conjunction with chemotherapy as an alternative to amputation. (?)

With that said, I see no good reason NOT to do it, providing you have access to a veterinary radiation facility........and of course, the $$$!! I don't know how much it costs, but I imagine it's up there. And believe me, I fully understand the desire to 'do whatever it takes'. But personally, I thought the medicinal route was the obvious choice for my girl, as it was likely to be much more cost effective & would yield approximately the same result, since I elected not to 'treat'.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do, as only you know what's 'right' for your dog.

And welcome to our little 'club'.....
MK

[Marley55]

I am going to speak from experience as I am a cancer survivor. Yes, chemo and radiation are effective, however the end result with an OS dog will still be the same. No chance of a cure. Only the relief of pain and perhaps only a few additional weeks or so.

I personally could not put Jaxx through that treatment, knowing how I suffered, sick, nauseated with a host of side effects that I fought through in my journey to regain my health and survive. Many people who have lost the fight after going through the treatment have said if only they knew how bad the treatments were they would have opted for less time and feeling better. But as they say, hindsight ....

While I fully understand our desires to do all we can to help our much loved pets, sometimes our desires outweigh the "right thing" Don't misunderstand, if I knew there was a fighting chance Jaxx would have been in treatment in a heartbeat. Sadly there is not, and so I struggle to maintain the balance between his needs and mine and hope and pray Ior both of our sakes that I am doing the right thing.

Take Care

Marley

[Debbie Ervin]

I also will put my two sense in, having gone to the oncologist every week with my sisters dog for chemo! Boomer had stage 3 lymposcarma. They opted to treat with chemo, we had very mixed emotions during his 9 months going through all this. He was on so much medication and even predisone home everyday, and different protocols of chemo every week. He was in remission for 2 weels. It was alot to put him through, he seemed happy but the chemo finally sent him tot he ER and his body was so tired and out of wack we had to put him down. We talked about it extensivily and would not go this route again. It was alot on Boomer although he was a trooper and the cost need I say... and what more time in our case did he really get? There are different cases some amputaions work for a year or alittle longer! That is worth it!!! My other friend from NY opted for amputation and Ben got another tumor acouple weeks later again right above the amputation site! He had to be put down 1 month later after trying meds. to keep the tumor down. Every case is different and I wish you the very best! Sincerely, Debbie

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by Anne

Gina, your comments lack any sense of compassion or understanding. What's wrong with buying more time provided the treatment is not painful for the dog and she can enjoy more pain free time? Who of us who love our dogs wouldn't want more time if we can keep our osteosarcoma dogs pain free?

I don't know much about radiation treatment because we're not going that way with my OSA dog though I do know radiation is used to relieve pain. We see an oncologist for the very reason of keeping Sophie pain free and to give her more quality time. The treatment she has is expensive but that is of no concern to anyone but me.

What does the cost of the treatment have to do with it anyway? If Tom is prepared to pay for the treatment and it gives the dog extra pain free time then I say go for it.

Tom134, I wish you the very best of luck if you decide to go with the radiation. Many of us will be very interested in the results. There is a thread in the forum here called 'HELP - my best friend has osteosarcoma'. Please join us there Tom. We are supportive and understanding because we're all going through the same thing with our dogs.

I do have compassion, but I am a realist also.
It bothers me when vets give statistics .... that are so high. I mentioned to Tom to find out about the statistics on pain relief. Pain relief can be given with medications also, at a fraction of the cost, and less side effects then radiation.

Veterinary hospitals are in business to make money. They will offer whatever treatments they can to a pet owner....but it does not mean that it is what is best for the pet, or the owner. I know dog owner's that were promised the moon and the stars by the vet so that their dog could live a bit longer....people that mortgaged their homes to pay for the treatments. In the end the last couple of months were spent running around for treatments....the poor dog not having much of a life , owner's in the hole financially, and the dog dead.

I think cost of treatment is important....and should be thought out before proceeding.

In the end, if people have the money, and it makes them feel better thinking they have done what is best for their pet....that is what is important to them.

Gina