Canine Osteosarcoma: Amputation and Life Quality
ByIn the last post, I focused on looking at life quantity, or lifespan, in considering amputation for dogs with osteosarcoma. Let’s focus on life quality issues and amputation.
Often the first question that arises is, “But will my dog be able to have a normal life on 3 legs?” Everyone, the answer is almost always yes.
There are two big things to factor. First, are you available to assist your dog in walking during the recovery period? The remaining limbs need to strengthen to support the extra weight. This can take just a few days in a lean, young dog, or it may take a few weeks in an older or overweight one.
The second things to factor in is other problems that could affect the weight bearing, like arthritis, hip dysplasia, old ligament tears, back or neck problems, and so on. The presence of other orthopedic issues can slow or complicate things a little and should be discussed with your vet.
Usually, most dogs are up and hopping around whenever or wherever they want to within 1-3 weeks. They really do just fine once their strength builds. It can be hard to watch but many times when people are depressed about it, they start to look at the dog and realize, “Wow..my dog actually seems pretty happy!”
They just seem to move on with life and live in the moment, which is a good lesson for all of us to learn from our dogs.
During recovery, you will need to help your dog learn to walk on three legs. This is really pretty simple. you just need to help them support their weight during walking. This can be done with a commercial sling you can purchase, or with a towel looped under the belly or the chest. You just lift some of the weight and they will hop right along.
Remember in males that you will need to position the towel away from the sheath for urination or you will have a wet sling and a unhappy boy!
You will want to provide a surface that is not slippery to walk on. Ramps can help get up in some cases too.
You should work on keeping your dog lean. Being overweight has a whole collection of bad effects in dogs with cancer, and bone cancer is no exception. Additionally, the extra load makes it harder to move around. Another issue to remember is that being overweight increases the risk of injury in the remaining limbs due to increased wear and tear (arthritis, cruciate ruptures, and more).
Activities that required four legs can always be modified. Dogs will learn to live how they can and they adjust, just like we do. If you watch them, they will derive as much pleasure in their new life as they did before. The limits of what they can do change, not the limits of how happy they can be.
Let’s look at the surgery itself and preserving as much life quality as possible with pain control in the next post.
Best to all,
Dr Dressler
About the Author
Dr. Demian Dressler, DVM is known as the "dog cancer vet" and is author of Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Beyond Surgery, Chemotherapy & Radiation. Visit his blog and sign up free to get the latest information about canine cancer. Go to http://DogCancerBlog.com.
47 Comments
November 13th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
My dog has cancer in his knee on the right back leg so he would have an above the knee amputation. He is 12 years old, He has congestive heart failure, (well managed with Enelaprill and Furosemide for 3-4 years already), and he is a Pit Bull weighing about 80 pounds. is he too old for an amputation?
Thank you for your response.
November 15th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Melanie,
There is no correct answer to this question. In situations like this you must do what you know is the right thing for your dog. This is the gray zone of life decisions. Surgery could push him over the edge, or he could recover well and life happily for a period of time. Based on your description, a lot of owners would euthanize at this stage, but this is such a personal choice, you need to take time to quietly clear your mind and do your best to answer the following question for your dog, “at this point in my life, is the life I have lived up to this point so a good one and a full one?”
D
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:45 am
My 120 pound 10 year old Shep/Husky mix just came home from a right front leg amputation due to bone cancer. My amazing vet believes that we caught it early enough and gave me thought that Jack would improve faster at home but I need more advice on his rehabiliation. I appreciate your mention of up to 3 weeks for recovery in older, overweight dogs as I was concerned that I needed to get him up and moving very soon. He is currently doing the “army crawl” and I have gotten him to sit up some and have actually caught him on all “three” twice since he came home but he crashed to the floor a couple of time and I’m worried that he can do more damage if I keep trying to encourage him to get up. I am concerned now that we made a selfish decision to go with the amputation and I too become more encouraged each time I look in his eyes and see a wag of the tail. If you have any “tricks” you can share with me that would make it less stressful for him I would appreciate them!
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Hi Terry,
I have a 120 pound 9 1/2 year old Rotweiller diagnosed with osteosarcoma. The Oncologist wanted to take out his jaw and told me they may not get all the tumor. I have him on K9 Immunity and 14 pills per day of tetracyclin (on my research I discovered that 2 people have given the tetracyclin to their dogs and it shrunk the tumor after 6 weeks). This is the treatment I have used now for 2 weeks and his tumor is definitely smaller and he is eating like a horse and running again like a puppy.
K9 Immunity (2 doses morning and evening) total 12 pills
K9 transfactor (1 pill per day)
Tetracyclin 14 pills per day
Nu Vet Plus (1 pill per day)
I also give him one injection (for pain) of Rafterdex 2ml per day.
I ran out of K9 immunity for a couple of days and found that this is the one that really is working.
I also read an article on a dog named Beanie and his owner had 2 Rotweillers and Beanie had to have his leg amputated so his owner bought him a cart he would walk then get back in the cart when he was tired. They also have I found a harness with a front leg for dogs.
if you need anymore info you can email me at tfiinc@shaw.ca
Hope this info helps Jack.
Take Care
Mavis
March 7th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Terry
A thought would be to keep him confined unless you are performing an active physical therapy or assisted walkng activity. You can use a towel under the belly and chest for the backside, and a leash or harness for the front side, and help move the dog. There are also harnesses that can be purchased online for the same effect. Take Jack out at least 4-6 times a day. His strength will build. I talk about this a lot in the osteosarc section in my e book.
Best,
D
May 17th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Long story short,My 8 year old Rottie was diaganosed with osteosarcoma in his hind leg, Doc said put him down, I know he was not ready to be put down, I knew that, he favored his hind leg, but his demeanor was the strong boy I knew, so,,,,I had his leg amputated, Im amazed, the evening of his surgery, he was up, pulled off the lampshade, did not lick or tear at his wound. 10 days after surgery, he is as fiesty as ever,,,I know the cancer can resurface, however, at this point, I know I did what was right, he is full of life, and at the time I was told put him down,,,,,that was just wrong. I have given my Baby some more time, I will never regret that.
May 20th, 2009 at 5:47 am
My rottie husky was diagonised with osteosarcoma yesterday and we caught it early and body scan showe no other spots so today my Penny is haveing a right front leg amputation so we can have her longer in our life.She weighs 61 lbs and has been using 3 legs for a few day before we took her in and I hope she does great with her 3 legs.My husband and I both work full time outside the home so she will be alone at times.we get her back friday and someone will be home sat sun and holiday monday and possible tuesday as well so I have faith in my Penny she will adapt quick.She has a strong will and has a strong rottie tude she thinks she is the alpha so never a doubt between my husband and my choice to have this done.We also know that the cancer can rear its ugly head but we are blessed to have in our lives. Just wanted to vent as it is a tough choice for anyone to make Kitty from colorado
May 27th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Kitty, I hope everything works out for you and Penny, I know how you feel, I hope for the best. So far, my Rottie is doing great, and I will not regret amputation, So far, so good, however, I know the Vet said, it may buy a few month’s,or up to a year, but at least that is better quality for my bonehead, He is now trotting on three, trying to escape the yard to get to the neighbors female, jumping, and trying to hump my spayed female Rottie, for pete sake, he is either doing extremely well, and in remission, or he has just been given some extra time to keep me on my toes, and happy. I know he hurts, but refuses to say so, I just love him up, comb him, pet him, and lay with him, snuggling and loving him up, that is the best I can do for my Baby. Suzy
June 5th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
It is now 7 days for Ms. Coco since her rear leg amputation. It was real tough the first few days. I had to hold her leash in the front while my husband supported her with a sling in the back. She is now almost totally on her own when walking! She still needs some help when squatting and she does get tired quick but I know that it only gets better from here. She misses her rides in the car though. Does anyone have any suggestions on getting dogs in the car? We bought a ramp but she is so afraid of it since it isn’t very sturdy.
June 8th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I have a 10 and a half year old St. Bernard with Osteosarcoma. He was treated initially as having arthritis with glucosamine for months. This worked well until it didn’t. Then we moved to Metacam one week on and one week off and blocked his access to the stairs. At the end of the second week he was sore again. We repeated same result and now 4 weeks later. We rushed him to the emergency room because he wasn’t eating and in pain. They did an IV for fluids and treated him well. I can’t remember exactly but I believe we had to go back within 72 hours and this is when it was first thought he had Osteosarcoma. There were so many variables Ostesarcoma wasn’t considered when we rushed him in for not eating or drinking much. He came home on pain killers, Ziniquin, and Metacam. If it was a bacterial infection this would solve it since the vet considered a biopsy too risky and if we weren’t going to amputate then it wasn’t worth it. At his age my wife and I just did not want to put him through amputation which came up during the first emergency visit and we were fearful of localized radiation causing broken bones because we just can’t get him to take it easy during the brief times he feels better. After a week of Metacam we were able to drop the pain killers. He finished the Ziniquin. He went back 4-5 weeks later. He was noticeably better. So much so the vet was hoping for a clear X-Ray. Unfortunately it only confirmed the cancer. He did great for a week or two then another turn for the worse. This time the pain killers didn’t seem to help. At night he was in pain and audibly so. He has a high pain tolerance and this means he’s in a lot of pain and that was after several doses of pain killer. He’s just wonderful and it was really hard to watch the cancer spread and very quickly. Now at least three months into it he is almost constantly lame in his back right leg even during the good times. Last night was tough and this morning he wouldn’t eat breakfast. I have been making him fresh beef, rice, chicken, and whatever he wants for months and he never passes it up. At least he is snacking this time unlike the previous time we rushed him to the ER. In conclusion as a result I just put my dog to sleep and it’s such a tough decision. It’s really bothering me. Did I do the right thing? Why didn’t we catch this sooner? What is the cause of the lack of eating at times? What would the outcome of have been with amputation? He had lived a great long life but could it have been extended with quality? What would he want? I agree with a prior post this is clearly a grey area but I wish it were black and white. I just hope he knows I tried to do the right thing in the absence of conclusive foresight and a lack of his opinion. It’s more of a qualitative decision than quantitative and much is unknown. One one hand I question whether I did the right thing to save his quality of life but had I of let it go would I be kicking myself for letting it go on too long. I just don’t know but either way its difficult.
June 13th, 2009 at 10:32 am
My 12.5 year old 60# male was diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma on his left front elbow in March 2009. He had his leg amputated and the lymph node was dirty. He adjusted beautifully to 3 legs. He had 3 IV treatments of doxorubicine and now has had left facial paralysis and vestibular disease for the past 2 weeks with no improvement. CT scan showed no inner ear infection and neurologist is leaning toward a facial nerve problem rather than central. It is hard enough for a 4 legged dog to balance with vestiblar disease but even worse for my three legged guy. He has no blink reflex so I am giving him artificial tears, his lip droops and he can barely chew and does not want to walk. He is taking Cerenia. Would pred help? Is there still hope that it is idiopathic or has it gone on too long and so idiopathic must be ruled out and he has a mass?? What can I do to help him? He is so dibilitated I decided not to do the 4th and final chemo treatment. He has wonderful specialists but another opinion is always welcome.
Thank you,
Sally-Anne
June 16th, 2009 at 6:46 am
My 9 yr old Golden Retriever had his right rear leg, up to his hip bone, amputated in Feb. this year. He recovered fairly well and adjusted to having 3 legs. His daily walks were a little shorter because he would get tired faster, but overall he did well. About a month ago, he was starting to get weak and had a fever. I took him to the vet, they said he had a virus, gave us antibiotics. A week later he’s no better, they did a blood test, said the tests looked good but he is a little anemic. They gave us vitamins, recommended glucosamine and chondotin, 1/2 deramaxx per day and tramadol at night (which he had already been taking- the pain meds seem to make him miserable, I’ve been limiting them as much as possible). He has been declining ever since, is having a very hard time getting around, can barely get from the house to the yard. I’ve been to 2 vets in the same office, no one seems to have a solution. I’m not sure how much more I can put him through. If anyone has any ideas I would be most grateful.
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Hey, Just a update on my Rottie, he had his rear leg amputated, osteosarcoma. He was strong, full of life,after surgery. I dont know if he is tiring because of only one rear leg, or if there is more of that horrible cancer coming out again, but I noticed he it tiring out more. Im thinking he hopped on three when the cancer hurt him, and maybe, is is use to hopping on three, but he is getting unstable on his one hind leg, or can it be the osteosarcoma is in his other leg, is that possible? Anyone else have this?
June 27th, 2009 at 12:23 am
Suzy, there are lots of reasons for this. The most common is just some arthritis and soft tissue strain. Have your vet take some films of the opposite leg…
D
July 14th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Thank you Dr. D. I will do that, Thank you for your input. Suzy
September 4th, 2009 at 6:44 am
My 7 year old male rotttie was diagnosed with sarcoma. Don’t know
what type osteo etc. My vet gave me option
to have bone biopsy but says the only treatment option is removing hind leg and chemo.
What do you think about getting another biopsy? And about amputating leg?
Thanks
Sonia
September 6th, 2009 at 8:06 am
Our 6 yr old male St. Dane (1/2 Saint, 1/2 Dane)”Bailey” was diagnosed with Sarcoma on August 28, and confirmed on August 31st. We had his left rear leg amputated on Sept.2nd. Our vet didn’t feel that Cheno or Radiation would benefit. That leg was broken 4 years ago in a car accident and never healed properly. He has always been strong and resiliant, and had been hiking with us 3 weeks before. After that hike, he refused to put weight on that leg. He had slipped going up a hill and had used that leg to catch himself. We thought he had pulled something or torn a ligament. X-Rays showd that a tumor and also that the leg was broken. The swelling and pain was well above the tumor. He came home from the hospital on the 3rd and is up, walking well and loving all the attention. In all the reading we have done in the past 2 or 3 weeks, we have decided to change his diet and add vitamins and herbs. I will do more reading and most likely use the K-9 suppliments. We (along with the vet ) are hoping that in breaking the leg, we found the cancer early. He is the love of our lives—goofy, charming and the best companion we have ever had.
September 19th, 2009 at 9:51 am
It has been 10 days since we brought our 6 year old rottie home from having her amputation done. We had hoped we caught it early due to the x-rays couldn’t confirm the cancer until we had the biopsy done. We quickly decided to give her a chance and the amputation was done 1 week from the initial x-ray. My husband and I were extremely upset when we picked her up, she wasn’t even visible excited to see us(which never happened before). She had bad reactions to the pain meds which we stopped after 5 days due to her not eating and drinking at all. She is getting around very well and appears to have adapted to the 3 legs very well. My concern though is that she is still not showing a real interest in her food. I can get her to eat maybe a couple handfuls of dog food when handed to her, and usually 1 to 3 chicken breasts a day. Seems her appitite keeps dwindling and she eats just because she is trying to please us. Has anyone else had this problem? I can’t seem to find anything on-line and I am getting very concerned. The hospital left us a message yesterday stating that we had made the right choice that the results came in from the testing of the limb. It confirmed osteosarcoma as well as being a very aggressive form. This being said is it possible that the cancer has already moved to the lungs? Or is it possible she is still having a difficult time adjusting to her new life?
October 11th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I have a 8 month old Corgi that may have Juvenile Osteosarcoma in his hind leg. We are waiting for the results of a Valley Fever test, then a biopsy if the test is negative. The Vet believes it is one or the other. From what I have read this is a cancer that hits older dogs and larger breeds. Is there truth to that? Can I believe that the chances of my Corgi getting this are slim?
October 17th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Adrienne,
I sure hope your little Corgi does not have OSA. Although generally what you say is true, there are cases of certain connective tissue tumors in bones affecting young dogs. Tests supporting the diagnosis of Valley Fever should be done first, as your vet did, as you may get a false negative on the biopsy.
Best
D
October 24th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Hi, we have a little schnoodle name RJ hes 8, turning 9 in Feb. and they found what they believe is osteosarcoma in his front leg. All recommendations from doctors and websites lead us to get his leg amputated. We had this done this morning, they are going to biopsy his leg to see where we stand further. RJ has had problems with seizures in the past, last one about 2 years i wanna say.(knock on wood he still continues to be free of them) And he has to take thyroid medicine as well. What can we do for him, he’s been through so much and the Doctor says only a year to a year and a half left on his life, could he be wrong? What can we do to keep RJ going for many more years? Any advice would be grateful. Thank You
Shannon & Rob
October 25th, 2009 at 7:58 am
Hi Shannon and Rob,
I am very sorry to hear about RJ. The first thing to do is hold everything until you get that biopsy. Could be a different cancer type, and that could affect the time you have left. Next, you need to pay attention to his diet (carb restriction and more), get him on a supplement program (see the e-book and the blog posts), stimulate him with manageable challenges once he is well to reduce stress hormones, consider the chemotherapy statistics, costs, and define what type of risk tolerance you have- then make a call on your approach. This is a complicated question, as you can see. This week’s webinar is on OSA, so you should tune in (it is recorded so you can listen later):
http://www.mydogvet.com
Best,
Dr D
November 22nd, 2009 at 11:20 am
Dr Dressler:
I have a 14 yr old female 60 lb soft coated retreiver. We had x-rays and it is almost certain she hass bone cancer (no biopsy). I have started the bisphosphonate. I have her on a very good diet and supplements. She has a good appetite and her blood work is impressive for an old girl. I am seriously considering an amputation to spare her further pain. How do you feel about amputation in such an old dog but one that is pretty healthy overall?
Jo Anne
November 28th, 2009 at 11:10 am
Has anyone considered a prosthesis? I ask because my 8 yr-old St Bernard/lab mix is getting his front right leg amputated next-week. 3 of the vets in my local vet-office have 3 legged dogs (or “tripawds”). Look that term up online when u have a chance…anyway, my vet says the dog knows the prosthetic is something that shouldn’t be there & will likely chew it up (figure spending ~$800 on one). However, ever since I found orthopets (dot) com the idea of a prosthetic leg has peaked my curiosity. I truly believe my dog would both use & benefit from one (based on how he uses his cast) but everyone thinks it’s not necessary. I need to decide before the surgery if I’m gonna ask them to keep a partial-limb. Thanks everybody!
November 30th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Has anyone who visits this blog used artemisinin to treat canine osteosarcoma? I would be so grateful for any assistance along these lines. Most sincerely, Z
December 17th, 2009 at 7:41 am
Z:
I tried arteminisen. But you would have to talk to a holistic vet. It may have helped but it is hard to say as I put my dog to sleep 2 weks a go. Really, nothing seemed to help and she was old and I was unwilling to amputate. I kept her as comfortable as I could until she was in such obvious pain.
Best wishes. very difficulty time.
Jo Anne
December 24th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Hi,
The Vets claim they have only seen this symptom before in a cat.
My 7 year old Bullmastiff just had his front leg amputated because of bone cancer 2 weeks ago and he is having random painful attacks. When he gets up or when he’s walking, that side of his body twitches and he howls in pain. We just hold him and try to calm him down until it goes away. We are working with the Ontario Vet College (where the surgery was) to change around his pain meds but he basically sleeps all the time and only gets up when we make him. He is very unhappy with his tail between his legs
Has anyone ever experienced this before and have any reccomendations? I just want him to be comfortable.
Thanks for any help.
Angie & Hunter
December 25th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Dear Angie,
assuming appropriate testing has already been done (labs, X-rays etc), one thing to consider would be back or neck pain. Have the vet see if there is restricted range of motion in the neck or a pain response anywhere in the vertebral column. “Pinched” nerve secondary to a slipped disc or some other cause of back pain (tumor spread or other..) would be thoughts I would be having right now.
Also have them check the other limbs for pain since more weight loading on those other limbs might be increasing a pre-existing condition that nobody knew about before.
Hope this helps,
Dr D
January 2nd, 2010 at 7:34 pm
Hello, I have a retired racing greyhound named Jewel who was diagnosed with left hind leg osteosarcoma. She will be 12 in May. Prior to last month she had been getting around gloriously. She still ran around a lot. The chest x-ray didn’t show anything (I do know it is there, however).
I want to consider amputation because I don’t think she’s ready to go. She still wants to go with us when we get up. She eats very well. She is old though, I realize. I just don’t think that the tramadol, neurontin, rimadyl combo is cutting it.
January 3rd, 2010 at 8:46 am
Hi, I have a schnauzer that just turned 12 years old. He was diagnosed with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor on his right front elbow when he was 9.5 years. He went through two debulking procedures but was about to go through another one but the vet held off due to he had elevated liver enzymes including his ALT. Did not know if this thing spread or not, but he put him on antibiotics for three weeks to see if this would bring it down. Low and behold it did except just for a little elevated alkaline phosphatase. So, he felt he was ready for surgery and could tolerate the anesthesia, but this tumor grew so fast this time week by week that when the vet called me he indicated it would take two seperate surgeries to debulk this again due to the tumor wrapped around to the inside of his arm. So I had no other choice but to elect for amputation to finally be rid of this. I am just suprised this thing is so aggressive but especially the last month while we were waiting for his liver enzymes to come down. Oh, and BTW the vet thought maybe Corky had a bout of pancreatitis possibly. To avoid this, should he be on a strict diet from now on? Also, he had the surgery Tuesday and now it’s Sunday (5 days postop.) He seems to be doing well except for the occasional blood curdling cry at times, but his Penrose drain was removed yesterday so he seems a bit more comfortable now. He even managed to jump on the couch which suprised me but I don’t really want him to do that too often yet.
January 3rd, 2010 at 8:47 am
PS, I know this is an osteosarcoma blog and my story is a little different but had no choice but an amputation which is similar to the stories above.
January 3rd, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Dr. D. All has been good for my 9 year old Rottie after having amputation of a hind leg due to Osteosarcoma, his rebound was amazing, he had an issue with tiring after the amp, we got over that, He has been living very comfortably, eating well, going outside and barking as usual, however, yesterday, he just did not seem himself, he did not eat, seemed very tired. He even refused his favorite can food. Today, I took him out, he was ready to go out, but he got really tired, really quick, he dragged, It was quite an effort to get him in. This evening, I made him some fresh beef, he ate, thank goodness. He drank water. As I sat and pet him, I noticed he is very sensitve when I rub him below the shoulder blade. Im wondering if more of the horribe cancer has returned to my baby. I dont know if its the cold that is making him sick, or if more cancer has surfaced.Im so worried right now
January 9th, 2010 at 7:50 am
Dear Suzy,
please bring your Rottie in for a check up. Could be just a little sprain, but it could be something else entirely. Let’s hope it’s a minor orthopedic issue that quickly resolves!
Dr D
January 9th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
Dear Stephen,
most times the amputation will help tremendously with the pain after the post op period. You may be able to go up with the dose of Tramadol, add gabapentin, amandatine, elavil, and try a different anti inflammatory like metacam or deramaxx. Another option is samarium injections.
Best,
Dr D
January 23rd, 2010 at 2:14 pm
My 7 year old rottie had left rear leg amputated and then 5 weeks of chemo, and still shows cancer-free in the lungs. However, he has now been diagnosed with signicant hip dysplasia in his one good back leg. The vet is trying adequon shots, but he just cannot use that leg, period, and has begun urinating in the house and crying when he does. We have to pull him up and almost drag him out of the house to try and use the bathroom. I mean, he has NO use of that back leg. We also tried some acupuncture but to no avail. My vet xrayed the dog’s spine but didn’t see any cancer there, though several people told me that it sure sounded like the cancer had spread to the spine. Is that possible?
January 26th, 2010 at 7:07 am
My old friend Fortis is a 10 year old 150lb Cane Corso. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the tarsus (ankle) area of his right rear leg on 1/23/2010. I noticed a slight limp about 2-3 weeks prior to the diagnoses and swelling the day before. No biopsy has been done but his vet (who I highly respect) is confident in his diagnoses. He feels that I will need to euthanize my boy within about 3 weeks. It’s so hard, he seems so happy and driven. I’m considering amputation although I’m not sure this it is what his vet would prescribe. Lung xrays were negative today although it is assumed the cancer has already spread. Is there any harm in waiting to do the amputaion 1 week from today? He dosen’t appear to be in any pain but thats fortis. I’m with him 24hrs a day and don’t allow him to get to crazy! Im so scared, I just want to do the right thing for my boy, my best friend, Fortis.
January 31st, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Dear Brett,
The standard of care for osteosarcoma (not considering life quality or quantity) includes amputation, if for no other reason than pain reduction, and in some cases other good things as well. You should gather more data on this if you are not ready to have him put to sleep. Treatment plan analysis includes your dogs life expectancy with cancer versus without cancer (probably the same right now), the type of person you are (what is your tolerance for side effects or life quality decreases during surgery and chemo) in exchange for the benefits of a complete cancer plan, and so on. You might want to get a life expectancy extension figure (how long would treatment give him with surg, chemo, and all the other things in the Dog Cancer Survival Guide) and then ask youself, after gathering info on dogs recovering from amputation, if this feels right for both you and Fortis.
You could be looking at 6-9 months more, hard to say. For a ten year old dog, that is about 5-7.5% of a life span. For a person this could be another 2-5 years of life or something.
Cancer is not clear cut. Get the facts, do your reading, take a few days and make your choices as best as you can. None of us has a crystal ball, so we have to make do.
Best of luck to you in this tough time,
Dr D
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:40 am
Dr. Dressler,
Can or are digital xrays now use to diagnose osteosarcoma? If not,
do you think it’s better to just have an xray taken of my dog’s leg
rather than try Deramaxx (concerned with side effects; seems like
dogs or small animals are more prone to drug side effects).
My dog’s a Westie. He’s overweight (25 lbs) and his been limping for
more than a year now (gradually worsening; it had gone away before).
But now it’s been about a couple of months and it’s no longer going
away.
Thank you very much,
F
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:24 am
By the way, Dr. Dressler, my dog’s ALP has been elevated for some time
now. The last check 4 to 5 months ago was 165 out of a 150 normal high
Prior to that, about a year ago was 177 out of a 131 normal high. Both
bilirubin and GGT are quite normal. His serum calcium has also been
elevated until his last blood test back around 4 months ago, both
total serum calcium and ionized calcium were within normal limits
then.
F
February 7th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Dear Ferdinand,
It is always better to get information rather than shoot in the dark. I will say that statistically ostesarcoma is not very common in Westies, on the average, compared to some other breeds. However, just like for you and I, if we were limping for more than a year it would be prudent to get it checked out for a diagnosis.
Better safe than sorry in this case!
Best,
Dr D
February 10th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Hello….how come everyone gets a reply but me?
February 13th, 2010 at 7:50 am
Dear Dr. Dresslier;
We have just lost our beloved 14 year old golden, Keaton, and are now faced with a very difficult decision regarding our 12 year old golden retriever, Sophie. Sophie was diagnosed with lymphoma – a very aggressive form – in April 2009. At the time, we made the decision that we would not put her through an amputation due to her age, and the fact that we were told she would have to be in treatment away from us for approximately 2 months. She is a recovered separation-anxiety ridden dog, and that kind of separation would have been the end of her. Since then, however, we have had her tumor (right front leg) debrided twice, and it has come back faster and bigger each time. Now our vet is saying that they are 100% sure that if we amputate, they can make her cancer free – and she could have good quality of life for her remaining time.
She is overweight, and 12 years old, though she does not look or act like a 12 year old dog. She has amazing spirit, a love of life, and lots of energy. Her tumor is the size of a grapefruit, and seems to cause her discomfort as she is always licking at it. It is so difficult to tell if she is ever in pain as she has never shown pain under any circumstance.
Are we doing the right thing – amputation of her right front leg at her age and being overweight – and having just lost her life-long buddy?
Thank you for your advice.
Sincerely,
Tana
February 15th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
Dear Tana,
I am a little confused. Are you sure that the cancer in the leg is indeed lymphoma?
It is difficult, in my opinion, to cure lymphoma with an amputation. Could a miscommunication have occurred?
Dr D
February 15th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
Dear Reader,
I wonder about the back as a source of pain, but it could be the remaining hindlimb. I assume this was osteosarc?
I would consider:
a. pain control: tramadol, gabepentin, amandatine, and a NSAID like one of :Metacam/Deramaxx/Previcoxx would be a nice combo.
b. consider Pamidronate: http://www.dogcancerblog.com/more-ideas-for-bone-cancer-pain-pamidronate/
c. I would suggest getting a veterinary orthopedic surgeon involved for a second opinion
d. sometimes cancer spread to the vertebral column is visible on routine X-rays, but not always. To assess this fully (and the source of the pain if it is persisting), advanced imaging like a CT scan would help, if you are near veterinary referral center or a vet school.
e. other aspects of care are covered in detail in the Dog Cancer Survival Guide.
I hope this helps!
Best,
Dr D
February 16th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Thank you so much for your reply. We had to put our dog to sleep. We were getting many conflicting opinions from different vets, but th bottom line was that our rottie could no longer walk at all, whether it was the osteosarcoma spreading or hip dysplasia–at that point, a distinction without a difference. Thanks again.
February 16th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
Dear Reader,
I am so sorry. This must be very hard right now. My thoughts are with you,
Dr D
February 22nd, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Dear Dr Dressler
I had my 5 yr old great pyrenees leg removed 6 weeks ago. he was doing really well. Running around and his spirit is really good. Today is just started to be able to barely walk. Is it possible that the osteosacoma has alos spread to the other rear leg.