Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi all -
So glad to have found you. My sweet Border Collie Mix, Jersey, was just diagnosed with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor on his 7th cervical nerve. We did a full work up (MRI, ultra sound, 3 failed attempts at getting spinal fluid). He (Jersey) is 11 yrs old & 80#s.
I'm taking him to a surgeon for a 2nd opinion Friday to see if amputation is a viable option for him - his ultrasound was clear and there's little indication that his cancer has metastasized (yay). My concern is the high recurrence rate for this kind of cancer - I'd hate to put him through an amputation & the recovery if it means more pain and lower quality of life for him.
Has anyone here been through MPNST? His tumor is close to the spine which apparently increases the likelihood of early recurrence.
I'm happy to have been reading the reports here of pain relief following the amputation - Jersey has been extremely painful and twitchy (nerve stuff). I have him on 150mg of tramadol 3x/day & he has to wear a cone else he'd be at risk of self-mutilation trying to get at the nerve pain. While I'm not at all ready to say goodbye to him, I want him to be living a better life than he is now. I am feeling really strongly towards the amputation at this point. I'm overwhelmed and confused and don't want to make a brash decision that will have a negative affect on his quality of life.
thanks for listening.
I'm so sorry Jersey and yourself are having such a tough time right now. Our fingers and paws are crossed that the 2nd opinion will give you reason to be hopeful.
Amputation is a scary thing for us humans. The dogs recover remarkably well, and they adapt quickly. Make your decisions one at a time, and make them based on what is best for Jersey. You'll do fine, and we'll be here for you.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
Sorry to hear about jersey, but thank you for joining the discussion.
Jerry had osteosarcoma so we are not that familiar with MPNST. Consider posting your clinical questions in the Ask A Vet discussion forum, and be sure to use the search feature for specific concerns. I found these search results for nerve sheath tumor which may be helpful. We hope amputation is an option and send best wishes for a complete speedy recovery.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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I'm sorry to hear about your dog as I have a very similar situation going on with Kobi, my 6 yr old Aussie. At the beginning of March after a month of seeing different specialist we ended up at the neurologist who sent us off for an MRI. The MRI showed a 'mass' just off the C7. The Dr. suspected a NST, although there was a chance it could also be Neuritis - but the only way to confrim the diagnosis was a biopsy. Unfortunately due to the location a biospy would entail opening the chest and removing the shoulder blade. Once there the surgeon would extract the tumor and most of the nerve requiring the leg to be amputated.
After a few days of researching NST on the net I went back and asked for a prognosis.
1. Proceed with biospy, remove tumor, amputation: 6 month - 1 year
- because the mass was so close to the spinal column the chances for acheiving clean margins was slim, plus even with clean margins there was a high rate of reoccurrance with this form of soft tissue cancer
2. Partical removal of tumor (for biopsy), no amputation: NST 3 - 6 months
3. No surgery, palliative steroid treatment and pain meds: NST 1 - 3 months NEURITIS cured after steroids treatment
Due to such a poor (IMO) prognosis for NST I opted to treat for Neuritis and hope for the best. Kobi has been on 25gm Prednisone, Tramodol and Gapapentin since March 3rd. His forelimb has lost muscle and is weak but we can walk for a total of 1.5 hr/day no problem and he is pain free. Having just past the 3month mark he shows no signs of progression to his other limbs as expected. We are all caustiously optimistic that we are treating Neuritis. If this is the case the nerve damage will not improve but we can look forward to many years and many miles - slow as they may be.
I wish you LOTS of luck and if you want any more information just ask.
Thanks, everyone, for your good wishes and info. We met with the surgeon today and have scheduled the amputation & laminectomy fr June 18. The surgeon was optimistic about Jersey's prognosis considering we don't have any other evidence of cancer or malignancy (needle aspiration of the tumor came back inconclusive).
My spirits are up - as are Jersey's - looking forward to him being out of pain & back to his goofy self.
Now it's time to get some non-slip floor coverings....
That's great! I know it's scary, but Jersey will just have a few days of pain then be pain free! Does he have pain higher up by his spine? What is a laminectomy?
Jerseydoginsf or Denise M. I suspect that my 11 year old Siberian Husky Dakota has the same (or very similar) issue. The orthopedic surgeon referred to Dakotas possible tumor as a possible “nerve root tumor” I have been researching a lot and it seems to be a type of NST - i am waiting for the MRI on Tuesday 9/29 to confirm. Can you tell me, how have both of you fared? I am where you were and feel quite lost to be honest – just trying to gather the correct information to make the correct decision. I am very thankful that I found this website!
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