Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My dog Roscoe, only 4 years old as of March 2016, had his leg amputated from a STS in October of 2015 (came back as grade 2). Recently, we noticed a new tumor, then a second tumor, and (when we took him to the vet) a third. This has all been within 3 weeks and they are growing fast. They are not locally invasive because they are popping up all over (abnormal for STS). The original tumor was in his armpit and we amputated. I talked to 3 different specialists and each said "If another pops up, we can take it out and then talk radiation."
Now: We have 3 tumors (anal gland, right rib cage, left shoulder area). They're everywhere. To top it off, it has spread to his lungs. My question is: Can we beat this? Am I crazy to think we can? He is SO healthy! We've been running together every other day (2-3 miles), he shows zero symptoms except a few bumps. Obviously, the cancer is aggressive and he is young. We have an oncology appointment, etc.
Any advice would be so appreciated. My long-term boyfriend and I are at a loss. Our other dog, Bella (6 years old), was diagnosed with Mast Cell Tumor in the same week. Luckily, it seems like we can just remove that. Things are looking food for Bella.
Fingers crossed the law of averages will kick in and our babies will be okay!! Our main questions are:
1. What chemo drugs are most effective for aggressive STS?
2. Is it worth it to remove the 3 tumors now and then continue with chemo?
3. Should I just let him live out his days happy and unstressed and do nothing?
Lastly, thank you tripawd blog. We <3 you all!
Kristin, Roscoe, Bella, and Jack
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Gosh Roscoe! You've got a lot.going on, huh sweet boy? Of coirse, the bliss of being a dog is you aren't worried about a thing! You don't care about xrays or lumps or bumls. You only care about living in the moment and getting all that loving and spoiling that you've gotten every single day of yoir life!!
Others will cime.in with specific insight into your situation. My Happy Hannah had osteosarcoma. "Our" vet, as well as Karen, mom to Stubborn Pug Maggie can give you some great supportive information and solutions. They may not see this until.tomorrow, but jist wanted to tell you to hang.in there! Many dogs have whacked the heck out of statistics around here!
Deep breaths for.now. Focus on the NOW. ROSCOE IS FEELING GREAT and that's the best measure of how well he's doing, and will continue to do! Savor the moment and let NOTHING interfere with your time together! Roscoe sure.isn't!
Stay connected! You are not alone!
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS. Would love ro see pictures when you have a chance!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
<3 Thank you so much! Today has been very difficult for us as it seemed every new piece of information was worse than before. As you said, Roscoe is so clueless and just loving life every second! He shows no signs of illness and I certainly don't want to be sad and make him feel stressed. Thank you so much for your kind words and support. It means a lot to all of us! I am hoping he beats the odds!
Hopefully someone will have experience with this and maybe have some creative ideas or something positive to keep us going! We had a photo shoot the other day actually so I just need to remember how to add them to a blog (are there instructions for that?)!
Best,
Kristi, Roscoe, Bella & Jack
This is very atypical of sarcoma. Carcinomas are more likely to behave this way (especially if the anal gland is involved). Maybe they could review the prior biopsy or take a biopsy of one of these lumps because sarcomas and carcinomas have very different response to treatment. Have they repeated blood work? If your dog's calcium levels are high that could be a negative prognostic indicator.
Pam
Hi Pam!
I agree. Not behaving like an STS, grade 2....I did so much research for STS and consulted so many specialists and each basically told me "it's locally invasive, be very vigilant about checking the surgical site for new growth." That's exactly what I did, found a new growth and immediately took him to the vet! Within days, 2 more popped up (opposite rib cage and butt area--not the gland actually). Then I got scans and they said he has lung metastasis! We did one round of chemo and are getting blood work done now. Also, all of the tumors came back grade 2 STS...but it's behaving like a crazy grade 3! I'm really at a loss... Planning to do a dose of doxorubicin in 2 weeks but I've been reading conflicting research articles about it really having an effect on STS....
Thoughts? I'm taking him to another specialist to talk about immunotherapy next week. I can't believe how it's behaving...
Thanks so much for taking the time.
Best,
Kristin & Roscoe
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