Hi.  I just saw your story and wanted to say how sorry I am that you are too going through this, especially with a dog so young in its life.  My dog was diagnosed with osteosarcoma on July 21st so I'm fairly new to this too.  I wanted to address some of your questions with what I've been learning but a lot of great information has already been given out by the others in this forum.  First, your dog is a large breed, but most of the dogs diagnosed with bone cancer are.  Amputation is almost always suggested because bone cancer gives dogs horrible pain and it's the only way to really get rid of it.  Most dogs recover fairly quickly and go back to doing all the things they were doing before, except in smaller amounts usually(shorter walks, playtimes, etc).  For the bone biopsies, my dog's was scheduled right after the x-rays but was cancelled because the bone was already fractured and eaten away too much so the vet was afraid the biopsy (which they drill into the bone) would shatter it.  A lot of people have the biopsy done after amputation to confirm it and also they sometimes biopsy the lymph nodes around it.  I'm sure your vet has x-rayed the lungs, which the cancer spreads to eventually, although most lung xrays are clear at the time of diagnosis but it shows up later on. 

They say younger dogs have more aggressive osteosarcoma, so if he's healthy otherwise, and if you can afford it, I would definitely do chemotherapy.  The statistics say that amputation alone gives the same amount of life left as if you hadn't amputated, with about 2-6 months.  Adding chemotherapy gives a 50% chance that they will live up to a year, but like many of the people have said on here, you can't always go by statistics and he could live much much longer.  Some dogs with chemo even live up to 4 years later!  Some people have regrets choosing chemo, and it definitely can take a toll on your dog, so have a nice long talk with your speciailist about it and weight it all out before you decide.  I would definitely start him on the K9 Immunity /Transfer Factor/Omega fatty acids.  They seemed to help my dog feel better, and look at it this way, it doesn't hurt them so if there's a chance it can help, why not.  I would also go ahead and ask your vet or specialist about a cancer diet, which is a high protein/low carb diet  because cancer feeds on carbs.  While he's waiting for amputation, it would help to have him on some kind of painkiller too.  All the luck and best wishes to Bailey.   

Hi Ashley and Bailey

You have come so far in so short of time. To backtrack to some of your pre-amp questions (big caution I am NOT a vet and only started to learn about OSA one month ago when my dog's leg was amputated), my vet and articles I read indicated that bone biopsies were often inconclusive, so there was little gain by having one done before the amputation. Second, as for radiation, my vet indicated that was normally done for older or ill dogs who could not handle amputation and was done for pain relief. Radiation of course does not eliminate the tumor which is the source of those nasty cancer cells. And third, I considered limb-sparing surgery, but it seems that recovery time and potential for complications are greater. I did not want my dog to be recovering for 4-5 months if he might only have four months to live, or even if he has 1 or 2 or 3 years to live. As I said, I am not a vet, and might be giving horrible information. Tazziedog should feel totally free to correct me.

I asked the vet for a sling and they gave me a nice towel sling, which helped on stairs and elsewhere. It gives insurance that your dog can walk home if you walk far away from home. But otherwise you can use the towel trick (under the belly). I laid down lots of matts on the floors, although I'm not sure how important it is. Great if you can carry your dog up or especially down stairs at the beginning. However, two days post-amp, my dog's bruising was too painful so he no longer let us carry him up the stairs. (Then it was time to sleep on the kitchen floor - I guess sleeping in the entrance of your apartment block is not an option 🙂 .

It has taken me longer than most to come to terms with the amputation. My dog was supposedly superdog at the vet post-amp. But he was underdog once he got home, for about two weeks. He now has his 'mojo' back so I think I can finally say I am happy with the decision. Even thought serious pain had just started to appear, I know he would have been in serious trouble by now (or no longer with us) if we hadn't amputated the leg. His best and most crazy friend will visit this weekend (4 wks post-amp!!), so this will be the acid test.

Best of luck to you and Bailey,

Susan & Tazzie 2

YAY!!!  I'm glad Bailey is doing so well!  And now you know what you're dealing with, so that hard waiting part is over…phew!  Since I'm on summer break still, I spend my days researching supplements and cancer treatments (I should be doing housework, but whatever).  Here is what Jack gets:

Morning:

2 Astragalus tablets

2 IP6 and Inositol tablets

1 Shark Cartilage capsule

Evening:

Same as morning except he also gets 2 pau d'arco capsules and a flax oil caplet emptied over his food

ASTRAGALUS: 

In the United States, researchers have investigated astragalus as a possible treatment for people whose immune systems have been compromised by chemotherapy or radiation. In these studies, astragalus supplements have been shown to speed recovery and extend life expectancy. Research on using astragalus for people with AIDS has produced inconclusive results.

IP6 and INOSITOL:

A striking anticancer effect of IP₆ was demonstrated in different experimental models. Inositol is also a natural constituent possessing moderate anticancer activity. The most consistent and best anticancer results were obtained from the combination of IP₆ plus inositol. In addition to reducing cell proliferation, IP₆ increases differentiation of malignant cells, often resulting in a reversion to normal phenotype

PAU d'ARCO:

Pau d'Arco tea or tincture concoctions have had beneficial effects for cancer victims, anywhere from alleviation of chemotherapy symptoms to complete remission of tumors.

SHARK CARTILAGE:

Laboratory and animal studies have looked at whether bovine and shark cartilage products can kill cancer cells, make the immune system more active against cancer, and prevent the body from making the new blood vessels that a tumor needs to grow (see Question 5).

As far as I understand it, it is important for doggies to have a functional immune system.  We had Jack on K9 Immunity and Transfer factor and he had no problems with his blood counts or any side-effects (I do give him the anti-nausea pill the doctor provided as a “just in case” type of thing). K9 Immunity is expensive, though, so we have to find a different option.  Tazzie 1 is on power mushrooms and another supplement for bio-availability (there was a post recently about what she is on, but DARN IT!!!  I can't find it).  I hope I do find it, because I would like to put Jack on those in lieu of K9 Immunity .  Before you start anything, be sure to talk to your vet or oncologist to make sure that the supplements you choose won't have adverse reactions with the chemotherapy.  As far as diet, I think a lot of dogs here are using grain-free foods.  We had Jack on Hill's n/d, but our oncologist said it mainly provides the extra fats that some cancer dogs need, and that if we were giving him Omega oils or flax oil, we did not need the fatty food as well.  Now I'm trying to pick a high-protein low-grain or grain-free food that doesn't make our dog's breath smell like rotten fish (yuck!).  I mix a some dry food with a wet dog food (a little scoop of beneful entrees so I can mix in the powdered supplements) and slice some all-natural meat thing on top cuz Jack loves it (seriously, I took him to PetSmart and while walking through the aisles he actually picked the tube of food up with his mouth…)  Good luck!  There's a lot of stuff out there for you to pick from  

Great update, Bailey.  Keep getting stronger every day, you can do this!