Hi Shelby and Shelby's Family.  I don't have any info on chondrosarcoma (our dog Max had osteosarcoma), but I just wanted to welcome you to Tripawds.  You will most likely hear from others here that have some info on chondrosarcoma.  Shelby is a cutie!  Again, welcome to the best place you could find for great advice and information.

Welcome to you & Shelby. What a sweet face! Best of luck finding some answers. You'll find a way to do what's right for her.

Cynthia & Isabelle

Shelby's a cutie! St. Bernard & Golden Retriever mix, I don't think I've ever seen before (a really pretty mix).  I have no idea how effective chemo is when the cancer cells are in the bone marrow (almost sounds like leukemia).  Please keep us posted. Sounds like she's doing great!

Hi Cheri,

We are in NYC so we went to Animal Medical Center, but a number of people we have know have driven their dogs from the city up to Cornell and received very high quality treatment.  I think the difference in level 1 and 2 might be the lymph node involvement, but I really do think your news is pretty encouraging.  Please feel free to contact me if you want to talk.  We are 7 mos out and could not be happier with the results.  And although we, and multiple vets, could find no sign that Ajax was suffering pain, it has become very clear to us that once the initial recovery period was over, he is much happier than he was during the diagnosis period before his surgery.  Everyone on this site said dogs have a high pain tolerance, it hurts long before you see it, etc.  And I did not believe.  I don't know if "hurt" is the right word, but he definitely feels better and happier now than he did pre-op.  I have lived in the same apartment builidng since we got him at 9 weeks old (he is 8 now), and many of our neighbors have commented on how he seems happy and his "old self."

It takes a while, but it really gets better and better.  And in our experience, we found that for the most part, Ajax himself was the best judge of what to do and when during the recovery period.  We coddled him a little, and pushed him a little, but in the end I think he knew best, and just needed to feel secure with us to move forward on his own.

Happy to email you more videos if you need some encouragement, just let me know …

Kathleen and Ajax

Gosh, I just realized that I didn't answer any of the questions that I know you are most concerned with.  Yes, we were told the same thing re:  no real statistics re the use of chemo in this situation.  For us, the choice was between different types of radiation (see prior posts) and amputation.  Once they did the surgery, if they had found more involvement they indicated that they might have discussed chemo or some of the other newer treatments, but they felt confident they got everything and did not recommend it at this point.  So we never seriously went down that path.

My advice when you go to talk to the vets is this:  ask a lot of questions.  Do a little bit of research (sounds like you have) before you go.  In our case, we really didn't want to amputate, so we explored radiation in depth (amputation is the "gold standard" of care, as we finally conceded, and frankly I should have reached that conclusion sooner, but that's another part of the story).  Anyway, it turns out that there is a new type of radiation being used that is much more effective, easier on the dog, etc. that we would not have found out about if I hadn't emailed someone doing research at Colorado.  The specifics of this radiation discussion aren't relevant to your situation right now, I don't think, but the lesson was this:  if we hadn't done independent research, even though we had REALLY GOOD vets, we would not have even known about this option, because it is not offered in NYC, only in CO and FL.  So even though its miserable, I would suggest familiarizing yourself with the basic treatment options and preparing a list of questions.  If nothing else, you will feel much better.

Good luck!  Sorry it took me 4 posts to get to the point.  Missed my coffee this morning and my brain is frozen here in NY.

Kathleen

Welcome to tripawds.  I don't know anything about chondrosarcomas but wanted to say hello and let you know that we have all been where you are now and have lived through it!  Shelby sounds like a wondeful dog.  Your oncologist will be able to answer your specific questions about treatment. Good luck and go enjoy Shelby.

Debra & Angel Emily