Hi! I'm the pal of a 10-year-old greyhound named Caesar who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his left rear leg in September 2003. We had the leg amputated in hopes we'd have him around for another year, or maybe two if the gods smiled upon us.

Now, of course, it's been more than five years. Caesar's life turned out to be better after the amputation.

About four weeks ago, however, he started showing marked signs of instability in his remaining rear leg. He'd quaver or fall, or he'd hop in a crouch. The condition would get better, then worse, then better, then worse again. 

Overall, he's better than he was back then. But he just returned from a really, really bad walk.

Our vet says the problem could be anything from a blown disk to a arthritis to a pinched nerve. We took him to an orthopedics specialist who said he'd have to do an MRI to see what the problem was. I'm out of work, and we don't have the money to pay for the test. After discussing the situation with the doctor, we decided to try prednisone.

Caesar got better, then worse, then better, then much worse as of a half-hour ago. We'll have to come up with the money for the MRI, but it's weekend,and we're understandably concerned. 

Anyone have any advice or insights? Your input would be greatly appreciated.