My 8 year old rottie started limping off and on probably 6  months ago.  Weeks of regular walking and running, then more weeks of limping and restricted activity.  Our vet (and I) thought it was her foot; in fact, he X-rayed the foot and had a radiologist read it and it was pronounced to be osteoarthrisitis of the left front foot.  We treated her with various NSAIDs that worked for a while and then didn't. I took her for second opinion March 3 and she was pronounced with osteosarcoma.  A chest X-ray was taken and 2 nodules were found in the lungs.  The vet guessed she had no more than 3 months to live.  I called our veterinarian oncologist (Ilse had melanoma 3 years ago and this vet has been treating her since then) and we met with her to discuss options.  Since Ilse supposedly had such a short time to live, we nixed amputation since she would undergo the amputation, recover, and die soon after that.  So she has undergone 3 doses of palliative radiation and 2 promiderol treatments 4 weeks apart.  A second chest X-ray was taken last week at one month after the first X-ray, and the vet. onco. and the radiologist who read the X-rays were both surprised to see that the lungs were all but clear!  It seems the promideral can shrink tumors as well as strengthen bones and alleviate pain.  Now we've been told 9 months to a year of life is what she MIGHT have.  We have to rethink the amp. decision.  She is in pain, and pants a lot with the pain, or sleeps most of the time with the Tramadol.  She wants to be her happy self, but if she even trots after a squirrel, she pays the price of lots of pain.  I think I need to schedule another consult with the vet onco. maybe. 

Thanks for advice,

Marie