I'm so sorry about Augie.

I wished I could help you but I don't know.  I do know, panting could be caused from pain meds if he is on any.  Or steroids, if he is on any.  Or the lung mets can cause some breathing issues.  Or inflammation in general.

I'm so sorry.

I moved your post to "ask a vet".  We do have a vet friend that checks this area but it may not be immediate.

thanks for the kinds words…….Augie had a bad night, panting all night, seems better this morning, not panting too much but has been sleeping all day,  spent all morning out in the yard, he napped in the cool shady grass.

A little history about Augie, back in April of this year Augie started limping. I didn't think too much of it since he and his bother are always in the yard rough housing and chasing rabbits. After a week I noticed it wasn't getting better so off to the vet we went, at first our vet thought he might be having some trouble with the hardware he had in his left hind leg, see Augie broke his leg when he was 8mos old. So our vet did some x-rays and hardware looked good and all in place, nothing loose. Then my vet thought it was hip dysplasia, sent us home with some anti-inflammatory meds. Another week pasted, I noticed the limping had gotten worse, so we went to the animal hospital where he originally had his surgery on his broken leg, more x-rays, they thought it could be a possible bone tumor but they weren't too sure. Next step we had a needle biopsy, came back inclusive, so we had a bone biopsy done and that came back being cancer. They were pretty sure it was osteosarcoma. I found a great Oncologist I felt comfortable with, Dr. Elmsie, in Colorado. We had his leg amputated the next day (5/5/2011), we agreed to follow in 3 weeks with chemo. The results came back as undifferentiated sarcoma, which is a highly malignant cancer  Still I kept faith we would fight this head on, I've read so many wonderful stories on this site that kept me positive! So the fight was on and Augie did wonderful through his first three rounds ~ the Dr decided to switch back and forth between carboplatin and doxorubicin in addition we would also take losartan and piroxicam. Then when I came home last Friday and he was stumbling around and had vision problmes, the Dr. did the lung x-rays and saw all the lung mets which lead her to believe the cancer has now spread to the brain, which caused the seizure, which is why he was stumbling and having vision problems…I searched the internet for symptoms of brain cancer and it does seems as if that's it. He's been shaking his head a lot, my regular vet though that was just the beginning of a ear yeast infection (the shaking of the head started two weeks ago) he did seem a bit more sleepy but with the combination of chemo and meds I didn't think that was too unusual…..I feel horrible. Hes gotten worse since Friday and hes been through so much, poor little guy.  I just can't believe it!  He's been such a fighter the whole way and with such a great attitude. Augie is my best friend and my doggie soul mate ~ my heart is just broken!

Augsmom -

Just so you know, Pam is our vet friend.

Please let us know how Augie is doing.  It's so hard, we know.  

Augie was put to rest Sunday evening. The pain I'm feeling now is just unbearable, I can't imagine life without him.  

He slept all day on Sunday, a few times it seemed as if he stopped breathing, he no longer could see out of his left eye and ran into stuff when he did get up and about, he didn't even look like himself anymore, it was heart breaking! A few times if I or my fiance were to rub his ears or neck he would cry. I wanted to have a special dinner with Augie so I grilled him up a steak, had mashed potatoes and ice cream. After dinner he came into the bedroom to lay down, sat on his bed, chocked his head to the left and let out a whimper…he cried and whined some more and I knew it was time. He started to pant again and would not go outside with his brothers.  I questioned bringing him home Friday, but wanted more time with him ~ after seeing him up all night Saturday, panting with no sleep and then hearing him cry Sunday night I didn't think he should have to wait another 12hrs, that's when we were scheduled to have Dr. Elmslie put him to rest.  He was on pain pills (piroxicam), but didn't' seem to be helping. I can't get over how great he was doing and so quickly the cancer took over his body, I can't get my mind around it!!! It is a gift we can give them to take the pain away but I just hope I didn't let him experience to much pain………I just don't know what to do with the hurt I'm feeling, I can't stop crying and coming home is so hard that he's not here now. 

i m really sorry for ur loss....i knw no words would comfort you... i m crying with you ... i feel i m also heading closer n closer  to lose my baby... n my heart aches all the time. i dont knw wht all wil u think but i feel like accompanying my dodge whrevr he  is heading - rainbow bridge or any other bridge..... i m totatlly shattered so i knw wht u r going thru ...