Tripawds Three Legged Dog & Cat Forum Archives
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8/5/16 - Diagnosed with Osteosarcoma
8/19/16 - Full-Quarter Amputation
8/26/16 - Biopsy results: MICROSCOPIC FINDINGS: OSTEOSARCOMA, OSTEOBLASTIC SUBTYPE, HIGHGRADE, WITH INTRALYMPHATIC INVASION - SCAPULA - CANINE
Translation: It's in her lymphnodes but not not in her lungs (as of last x-rays on 8-19)
9/1/16 Chemo consult: Oncologist recommends Carboplatin treatments. Says it may give my pup maybe 6 months more. Of course I said or nothing at all. She agreed it's a crapshoot.
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My pup is 13 years old and also had a slipped disc the same week as her aputation so her rear leg mobility has been compromised. It's slightly hard for her to walk on 3 legs and cannot climb stairs. She has about 80% use of rear legs.
???????
Would YOU get chemo for your dog knowing all this or would you let her pass on in (relative) peace?
Thank You!
Hard call, but having gone through the amp I would probably give the chemo a try, unless your dog (what's her name?) finds the whole vet experience especially traumatic or there are other practical considerations (cost, travel, etc). We did 4 rounds of carbo - finished in April - and they found mets at Otis' second post chemo screen last week. So, did the chemo perhaps slow the spread? No idea, but still glad we tried. Some folks here have done purely holistic treatments, no chemo, so you might want to wait for some of them to chime in. A lot of people have opted against chemo for a number of reasons. There is just no 100% certain choice. You just have to make the choice you think best for her.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
i'm so sorry for your sweet pup's diagnosis. This is all so hard. Honestly I don't now what I would do in your situation. My sweet boy is 9 years old and was diagnosed in March with Osteosarcoma and we finally did the amp of his front left leg on 8 August. He had no metastases in his lymph node and he's doing really well but I know eventually there will be "something". I finally decided on the amputation because he is so full of life and not ready to go yet. He was a rescue that had been in four other homes before I found him - and he is the BEST dog I've ever had. Seriously. He has so much joy and he is so good and just so.... That has had a lot to do with my decisions. I do believe that when it is "time" for him, I will make that decision and it will be hard but it will be right - and unfortunately I've had to make that decision before. All of this is hard and also very expensive. Right now we are not doing chemo and it hasn't been suggested since his amp - but there are a LOT of people here that have had great success with it. You should investigate the chemo and the holistic things too - there are some very interesting recent posts on that. Having said that, no one here will judge you on your decision.
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You're asking great questions, it's clear you love your dog so much.
It's hard to compare situations, everyone is so different. But, since you asked, I personally would focus time and resources on rehab therapy to help with the slipped disc and helping her get strong again, so that whatever time she has left is spent pain-free. Best part is, the Tripawds Foundation will even pay for your first consult! You'll find lots of info about rehab in this post:
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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