Hi everyone,

It's day 5 post amp for my 11 yr old rottie, Kali. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Day after her surgery they found another tumor in her right front leg. They gave a couple options and we're feeling overwhelmed.

Option 1 is to do nothing and to just manage her pain as humanely as possible.

Option 2 is to get chemo

Option 3 is to surgically take out the tumor without having to amputate that leg

Option 4 is to do the surgery & then chemo after

Option 5 is to receive BISphosphonates (sp?) & chemo

Option 6 is the BISphosphonates by itself

(I remember reading about bisphosphonates somewhere in the forum but can't find it anymore :/

I wanted to get some other people's opinions since there's so many options and getting overwhelming

Kali and pack, I can only imagine how overwhelming this must be for you; the original diagnosis and all the decision making involved with that; the surgery; and now another tumour and an entire host of other options to consider.

Part of your decision I'm sure will depend on what type of tumour it is. Karen's already asked, is it OSA?

I empathize with the distress and confusion you must be feeling right now. I don't have any advice, but I am sending many many good wishes to you as you struggle through yet another decision-making process.

Carmen

Sorry to hear about the additional diagnosis. Which leg was amputated with the first surgery. Do you know if the cancer has spread at all. I'll be honest, I don't have any experience with your options, but I am going to say I think you need to have an idea of what the status of the cancer is in the rest of her body, and that means you need to have some real good conversation with your vet, hearing everything they would say, good or bad. Hopefully you are comfortable with him/her and trust their advice. One of the first things I think needs to be considered is quality of life for the dog. Will doing a second surgery make it difficult for her to walk for a while, can you handle that both mentally and physically. Some dogs have side effects with certain meds and depending on the dosage you would need for pain management, that could be a possibility.  These guys usually respond really well once the initial healing stage  has past, so by no means am I saying don't consider any of your choices,  I am going to assume that any of those options are going to be expensive, are finances something you need to consider. Kali is going to require some extra time and attention, do you have that depending on what option you choose. I'm just throwing things out that I would think about if I was in your position. The one thing we say around here is there are no wrong choices, we make a decision based on what we think is best for our buddies and hope the outcome is what we intended, this journey is not an easy road, sorry that you got double whammied. Overwhelmed is a word we are all familiar with around here and know that feeling, it's what makes coming here so good, hopefully it takes some of that feeling away and helps you along the way. You'll get support from everyone here no matter what you decide, but my gut tells me you and your vet need to have a good discussion about everything involved. Good luck, Spirit Gus and Dan   

I just read your blog and am so sorry that you have the double dose of cancer news. I really liked, and respected, Pam (Tazziedog)'s advice.

On a brighter note, Kali is one stylin' pup in her new boots!! Sounds like she's coping really well with the amputation surgery, keeping my fingers and paws crossed for some better news on the horizon.

Angel Tai's Mum Laura

Thanku everyone for all of your thoughts! It really means alot!

@Pam- I'm not sure if there's a place here in Anchorage that offers radiation. If not, you wouldn't suggest the surgery still & just go for bisphosphonates & chemo?

I'm also worried on how she'll be able to walk if she gets surgery on her ulnar bone since that's where the tumor is.