osteosarcoma

[cerd1964]

Hi. I am devastated. My gorgeous grey Stanley has this week been diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Has anyone out there got experience of this? Stanley is almost 9. Be grateful to hear from you if you have gone through this

[alexandsteve]

Lots of folk on here with experience.
Hugs to you both xxx

[alexandsteve]

I've just mentioned it on Facebook so hopefully you'll be getting lots of support and advice coming soon xxx

[gilli176]

I'm one of the lucky ones my girl dizzy was diagnosed and had her leg amputated on the same day. She went through chemo and over 4 years later she's now 13 an still here. Dizzy did well with everything she just got on with it and no complications. But it's not always quite so plain sailing. Feel free to ask questions and I'll answer themes well As I can I'll find the thread and you can see how we felt at the time

[allthehounds]

Hello, I'm so very sorry to hear about Stanley. I've had three greyhounds with osteosarcoma so if there's anything you want to know hopefully I can help. If you want to contact me off the forum my email address is [e-mail].

Our first dog was diagnosed in 2006 and he was only 7. The tumour was quite big by the time it was discovered and because Ringo was a big lad and already had arthritis we opted for palliative care only. The pain soon became too much for him though and just 6 weeks after diagnosis we had to let him go.

Our next dog, Mou-Mou was diagnosed in 2011, she had just turned 8. Because she was a small, strong and very active dog we knew we wanted to try everything we could for her. She had her front left leg amputated the day after the diagnosis and she came home from the vets just 24 hours later. She surprised us by how well she managed on three legs but it was difficult getting the wound to heal and she had to go back several times to have dead skin cut away and have the wound restitched. She also had lots of phantom pain and would start screaming in the middle of the night out of the blue which was really scary the first time she did it. Eventually though the stitches came out and there was no looking back. Mou was as fast on three legs as four and it was great to see her living life to the full again. We followed the surgery with chemo which she also tolerated well, no tiredness or sickness and she was due to have 6 sessions, one every 3 weeks. Unfortunately just before her last session she started falling over and lost the use of her hind legs. More x-rays showed that the cancer was back and this time she had a tumour on her spine which was pressing on her spinal cord and causing hind end paralysis. We decided to let her go the day the x-rays showed the cancer had spread so she lived nearly 6 months post diagnosis.

Finally our most recent experience was just last year with our gorgeous big lad Ernie. I still miss him so much so it's difficult to write about him but here goes. Ernie began limping last March (2014) when he was 8 years old and straight away I feared the worst. He had x-rays but nothing showed up so he was put on strong arthritis meds and they seemed to do the trick. To cut a long story short he would be ok for several months then limp again but x-rays still didn't show anything untoward until September time when at last the bone cancer finally showed up. amputation was never going to be an option for Ernie as he already had arthritis, wasn't that stable on four legs never mind three and he also had a heart murmur so again we chose palliative care. Ernie did great and continued to live his life to the full and we didn't restrict him in any way. Yes people say there is a chance the bone can break if you don't have it amputated but Ernie was having regular x-rays to check the bone and it remained strong the entire time. We felt there was no point in keeping him going if he couldn't love life until the end so he raced across the garden, he jumped about and did everything he did before the diagnosis. At the beginning of December Ernie finally began to slow down, he could no longer get on the bed or the settee and although he was still eating like a horse we knew it was time. On the 3rd December Ernie had cheese on toast for breakfast and we set him free on his journey to the Bridge.

I can't tell you what I'll do next time I have to face an osteo diagnosis, it all depends on the dog and it's character. Amputation takes away the pain straight away but it doesn't cure the cancer which is why they recommend chemo too to try and prevent it spreading. I'm glad Mou had her leg removed and we gave her every chance we could despite it costing us most of our savings but at the same time I don't regret not amputating with Ernie. You have to feel comfortable with your decision and not be swayed by what other people say. Only you know your boy and whatever path you decide to take will be the right one for him because you made it out of love for him. Everyone here will fully support you and Stanley along the way and please ask away if you've got any specific questions or worries. Lots of us have been through this more than once and it really is like being on a rollercoaster, one minute you're up and everything is going great and the next you come crashing down.

I hope I can help you through this and as I say if you want to email me please do.

Sending gentle hugs for you & Stanley.

Love Sian. xxx

[loopylou]

Hi , first I am very sorry to hear your news you must be very worried and shocked. As you can see already from the replies every dog and owner face this in a different way with varying out comes.Our boy Suggs began limping just before Christmas. I wasn't overly worried it was frosty and the ground was hard , and he had been running like a loony with our other dogs. Of course Ostoeosarcoma crossed my mind, but sure enough a couple of days later after shorter< on lead walks and rest he was fine.At the end of January he started to limp again , the same as last time I thought he'd over done it , he was nine and a big lad and had again been charging around.Sadly over the next two days it became worse and he fell trying to get down the step into the garden.He was so afraid. My heart broke and I feared the worst.We took him to our fabulous Vets for X rays I voiced my fears and told him if it was cancer my husband and myself wanted Suggs to go whilst under g/a.We said goodbye to him but were kind of thinking we'd see him again and it would be a broken bone or torn ligament or something. Half an hour after getting home we got the call to say it was aggressive cancer in his leg, we asked them not to wake him . Everyone makes different decisions for different reasons.My lad was a big lad who had been an incredibly nervous boy , happiest at home with us. He had come on in leaps and bounds but it had taken the whole seven years with us , he was still having firsts doing little things other dogs do as a matter of course.He was a brave uncomplaining lad but would have been confused and frightened by the treatment, vets visits and I don't think he'd have managed well on three legs.You will make the right decision for your dog, if it were one of my others the decision might have been different but in honesty I doubt it .My girl for example is small, cheeky a bit of a nutter and would maybe cope better but she has a clotting disorder so it would depend.I made a promise to my dogs they would always be safe, fed , warm and not have to suffer and be afraid again.I knew with Suggs to go any other way would be to break that promise because of the dog he was, while Gillian's Dizzy has done really well and Gillian would have known Dizzy could probably cope with it all, but maybe didn't expect such a fantastic outcome.All I can advise is do what's best for Stanley, you know him better than anyone, look at your home situation , can you be there for him at first if he has amputation and speak to your vet. Wish you the very best and of course Stanley,hope you can make a decision you feel at ease with , after reading these posts.

[Milothemonster]

I am so very sorry to hear about Stanley. You must feel like the bottom has fell out of your world right now. Sadly there are so many of us now who have been through this with our dogs and you will see that all the stories are different as indeed each outcome.

I like you wanted to hear as many people's experiences as I could get , I wanted to know as much as possible, I suppose I was trying to build myself a shield.

So here is my story with my beloved Herbie.

Herbie was 11 years and two months when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the hind leg. He had developed a limp, only slight at first , but what worried me was because he hadnt done anything to warrent the limp , ie hadnt fallen or done too much or been tearing around. The limp just came from no where. At first my vet thought it was simply a strain seeing as Herbie was no spring chicken and for two weeks he kept him on anti inflammatories. But by the end of the second week and with no improvment, I insisted that the vet xray Herbie and straight away we got the diagnosis that we all dread.

Herbie had his leg amputated and for the first 24 hrs seemed to do ok. But then he suddenly deteriorated, he developed massive swelling away from the surgery site, and he was screaming out in pain and distress. My own vet told me it was to be expected after such surgery, but I knew this was something more. Despite my vets prodestations that it was nothing untoward, we asked for him to authorise Herbie to go to the excellent vet hospital near to us, where they immediately discovered that Herbie was in fact bleeding internally and was dying. They recognised that he had a bleeding disorder that affects some greyhounds and only their expert knowledge and knowing how to treat him saved his life.

They told me that my vet should have been aware that some greyhounds can have this bleeding disorder and should have recognised the symptoms.

Herbie was in the vet hospital for five days, and I changed my vet!!

But after this initial set back Herbie came home and started his recovery.

I know a lot of us will admit that the first three weeks are the hardest after amputation. The dog is spared that awful pain from the osteosarcoma and that is a blessing, but they then have to get over a serious operation and adjust to life on three legs.

Dont get me wrong, they do amazingly well on three pins once their pain from the surgery site is managed etc. In fact Herbie was up and about and hopping around so quickly it took my breath away.

We then decided to go down the chemo route for him, and he had six sessions of chemotherapy which he sailed through with hardly any side effects at all.

We took every new day with him as a blessing and a bonus and we helped him live life to the max, albeit with tiny adjustments thrown in to enable him to get around.

He had a whale of a time and he got to run on the sands , paddle in the sea , romp in the long grass and laze in the sun again, just like he always did.

Then one day eight months after the amputation I noticed that he seemed reluctant to place one of his front legs in certain positions, it was as vague as that, but it rang alarm bells again. Then he started to show that he was stiff and in some pain, so I took him to my vets and they thought he had just strained himself, as they can do when they are on three legs, but I just knew that this was more than that, so again I asked for him to go to the vet hospital.

We took him up there and they xrayed him, and then my world came crashing down.

The osteosarcoma had returned , only this time it was in his shoulder.

They told me there was nothing more they could do, and my heart broke forever.

Do I regret the amputation and the chemo, do I regret choosing that path for him , no, as it gave us another eight months with him, another Summer, another holdiay and another Christmas, that he wouldnt have had.

But that was OUR story and he was MY dog, and I knew what he could cope with more than any vet!

So thats why we all say that everyone's journey with this bastard disease is different and also personal to them.

Dont let any one sway you, you know your dog better than any one even the vets.

My original vet told me at first to put Herbie to sleep and not bother with the amputation or chemo, as being an oldie Herbie wouldnt cope, but we knew that he would, we knew he still had the fight and drive in him, so we gave him that chance.

But again , everyone's dogs are unique and what was right for one may not be right for another.

What ever you choose people will support you, all of us know there is no easy option in this.

Take care and let us know what you decide and give Stanley a hug from us xxxxx

[gilli176]

greyhoundgap.proboards.com/thread/61152/dizzy-tumour-update-p3 this is the post from when we found out dizzy had osteo.

[greybeard]

Lots of good thoughts for Stanley and you.So far not had this but have had to make hard decisions for other medical reasons - you know him and only you can judge how he would cope with suggested treatments.I've thought long and hard about our 12 year old grey who does have severe arthritis in both front legs - regular pain control,supplements and the occasional massage have meant that most days he has a full,active and happy life.But we both think cos of the arthritis,he wouldn't cope with amputation,it wouldn't give him quality of life.And then I think of our feisty,little black grey,5 years old and a whole different ball game - and a different decision.Hard rock and a hard place - but you love and know Stanley so that will guide you. Thinking of you - and like everybody else has said,nobody on here will judge you Cath

[kizzeysmum]

I had a 12 year old dog with osteo, bad arthritis and hip dysplasia. the decision about whether or not to amputate was horrendous. However, I decided to go down the amputation route and it was the best decision for my boy. He had another nine months of a very happy life and you would never have known that he had been so ill.

However, as others have said only you can make the decision as you know your own dog better than anyone.

My thoughts are with you.

[samburns]

I'm so very sorry Stanley has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma and totally understand your devastation

My first greyhound Jazz was diagnosed at 7 years old...he had a progressively worsening limp and when xrayed he was found to have an inoperable tumour in his pelvis, he was already in a lot of pain which painkillers had done nothing to alleviate by the time we had him xrayed and we took the heartbreaking decision to let him go while still under GA which, as hard as it was, I know deep down was the kindest thing we could do for him.

My second greyhound Dickie was diagnosed at 8 years old, just a couple of months off his 9th birthday. That said, symptoms began about 6 months earlier - it just wasn't diagnosed. Dickie had somewhat 'atypical' symptoms - no constant limping but rather what I would describe as three separate incidents of pain and lameness that always responded well to pain relief. He was xrayed three or four times over the 6 months and neither the vets nor the oncologists were certain that it was bone cancer (he had a non-aggressive, slow growing tumour).

We were advised to go down the route of a bone biopsy - these are notorious for being inaccurate and unfortunately gave us a 'false negative' result (I have since discovered that one of the leading vets in this field advises strongly against bone biopsies for greyhounds because the procedure is so painful, throws up false results and can further weaken the bone to point of higher risk of fracture). Anyway, Dickie was finally diagnosed with bone cancer after I received a third vet opinion (accidentally, as I had taken Dickie to a different vet for something unrelated).  

Despite three vets advising us that we should have Dickie PTS (and indeed booking the appointment) - on the basis that, in their words "greyhounds don't do well with amputations, especially front legs" - we decided, thanks to friends here sharing experiences, to go with amputation and chemo. 

My main concerns with Dickie is that he was a big greyhound and he had a phobia of certain floor surfaces so I really worried how he would cope on three legs.  We did know though that Dickie was a very determined dog (he had previously come through massive surgery for injuries sustained in an attack) and otherwise in pretty good health at the time of his diagnosis.  He came home the day after the amputation, in fact he attempted to jump into the car.  His recovery was without complication except getting down with being confined in the house and so he basically dictated the terms of his recuperation - insisting on short walks within days of the amputation and back to chasing a ball in the park within a couple of weeks. 

He started chemo some weeks after the amputation and pretty much flew through that, just getting a bit fatigued and losing his appetite on the day of the chemo sessions.  We were incredibly fortunate that Dickie went on to enjoy almost two and a half years with us after his amputation.  He completely changed my vet's views on treating osteosarcoma.  Heartbreakingly, the cancer came back and Dickie developed a secondary tumour in one of his back legs that we were unaware of and while out on a walk the leg broke and he had to be put to sleep.  I can honestly say though that right up until that happened Dickie enjoyed life to the full and the amputation did not hold him back one bit from all that he loved....save that we were constantly having to reel him in so that he didn't overdo things. 

While we had such a positive experience from going down the amputation route and chemo and were blessed that Dickie coped so well and outdid any life expectancy we could ever have hoped for, I completely agree with everyone here that it is a very individual decision and not the right one for every dog - I have one grey here who I probably would not go down that route with if faced with a decision because he is so nervous and would struggle on so many levels.  As others have said, the first few weeks in particular do require you to be very much on hand with your grey as they recuperate from the surgery and adjust to life on three legs....I think we all worry how we will cope though, but there is so much support here - it certainly got us through. 

Whatever decision you make you will receive support from us here

I thought you might like to see this thread I wrote on the first anniversary of Dickie's amputation, it contains some photos and video's of him on three legs, doing all his favourite things: greyhoundgap.proboards.com/thread/75775/truly-blessed

[Ted]

Have a look at the following drug that has been used for thousands of years by Chinese Herbal Doctors.
Artemisinin It was lost for a number of years then found again in 1970's. It is now treated as a herbal or Homeopathic Treatment against cancer.

I am very sorry about this happening to your 9 year old Stanley.

[cerd1964]

Thank you all for your responses. It helps to know that I'm not alone at this terrible time. I have decided to go for palliative care as I know Stanley would not cope with losing his front leg. As you all say it is only me that can make this decision as I know my dog. It is definitely the hardest decision I have ever had to make. Lots of love to you all xx ps Sian I will drop u an email xx

[gilli176]

You can only make the best decision for your boy. Much love to you. We are all here if you need us.

[Carol 47]

I have only just seen this thread , and, am just about to go to bed , but, felt i just wanted to add a couple of things . I also went down the amputation route,followed with chemo with my precious girl, who sadly did lose the battle 6 months later , but, with a different type of cancer . I have no regrets whatsoever in going down this route, and, would , if ( and i pray not) ......if another one of mine ever got diagnosed with it, with no hesitation at all . The first point is, that by doing nothing the life span tends to be just weeks, also , osteosarcoma is so unbelievably painful, and, short of the very odd one, the pain cannot be controlled at all . It also destroys the bone, so, has a very very real chance of the bone snapping , which could be out on a walk , leaving the hound in unbelievable pain , which happened to a greyhound local to me. The leg off takes that pain away , even if you dont go down the chemo route .......also my vet said he did not want to take Sophie's leg off, as, going to the vets made her a nervous wreck,and a wimp , she was , what he classed as a long dog, with thin spindly legs , that would struggle to cope as a tripod, plus she had the start of arthritis in the bottom of her spine,and, in her other back hock. She came through amazingly, coped unbelievably , and, handled chemo, like a trooper. In fact she did so amazingly well, that he said that it had changed his opinions on greyhounds handling becoming a tripod, that he would have no hesitation in going down that route with any others who were sadly diagnosed with this horrible disease. My girl was 7 when diagnosed , and, all i can say is that, had we chosen not to amputate at that time , then , there is no doubt about it she would not of been brought out of the anaesthetic ..............the pain is too much,cannot be properly controlled and ,her leg could of shattered, so no way would i of allowed her to suffer that way, I couldnt of lived with myself. To me, if your vet says that his pain can be fully controlled, and, that his leg will not break, then, palliative care could be the right way for him, but, all i say is, please do ask , so, that you have all the facts on Stanley's situation totally . I know someone only 3 months back now on face book had her girls leg amputated , which she wasnt at first because of her age, { I think she is 11 ) , and, when the results came back , she was told her bone was that bad, that it could of shattered at any time . She is doing really well, so, i dont know how you could get on her thread , but her name is Michelle Allgood, and, her precious little girl is called Hennie. Just to say that the one way we would of had her PTS straight away , was, just before surgery she had a scan, and, her lungs were clear ,so everything went ahead , but, had the cancer already shown in her lungs, then , as i said, she wouldnt of been woken up. All we can do for our gentle precious babes with this news, is, find out all the truths , and, then , go with what we feel is then the right option for them . I will always always go with anything , Believe Me, if there is a chance that they could either recover , or, have a good ( although possibly shorter} quality of life ahead , which my girl did , but, with this diagnosis , for me ( my view only of course } ,is, its amputation , or PTS ......I personally couldnt go any other way .My heart truly breaks for you at this news Believe Me , It is the worst new ever , but, based on all the truths that you can find out , In Love, you will make the right decision for him .Take care eh {{hugs}}

Carol x