Well, when Murphy was diagnosed, he had been limping already for a few months.  He was taking pain medications and weight-bearing on the affected leg.  When the orthopedic specialist examined him, he really stretched out that leg, pulled, bent, felt every part of the leg.  Murphy never once made a sound - he laid there and allowed him to do everything he wanted.  And then he did the x-rays and saw the tumor.  That day he had a biopsy (which came back inconclusive).  A month later we repeated the x-rays and you could see where the tumor was actually eating away at the bone, there was a part of it missing!  But Murphy was still walking on that leg.  It was just a matter of time before the bone would have broken.  So - how much pain does your vet need Luna to be in before he considers it painful?  To me. that is a ridiculous statement (I really hope I don't hurt your feelings saying that, but that's how I feel).  Your dog has to be in horrible pain before it's enough??  Bone cancer is very painful, and dogs are stoic because in the wild it's dangerous to show that they are vulnerable. 

What does the orthopedic doctor say?

Donna

I wanted to say a little more, actually.  Sorry for my long-windedness.  You asked about "end of days" care...

I agonized for a good week over what to do with Daisy.  There could not have been a worse time, financially, for something like this to hit.  In the end, I realized I simply could not put her down, and that's what my options were at that point.  Amputate or euthanize.  The only other time I remember being in such mental stress about an animal was with my horse. I had moved heaven and earth as a teenager to convince my parents to buy him for me, I'd owned him for 20 years.  And he had a bone break in his foot.  The equine surgeon knows me well and told me initially, "If he were 7 or 8...maybe..."  My horse was 28.  The surgeon had given me bad reports before, and I was always very stoic.  When he said "7 or 8..." I lost it on him.  Full-on bawling.  To the point he started doing more tests and evals, and finally stepped back and said, "I am going through everything I can possibly think of to help him out, but I cannot find a single option that would not be inhumane.  I'd have to take off 3/4 of his foot."  So there it was... terminal.  Not only that, but on that particular day he wasn't sore.  I would have to put this horse down, who still had fight in his eyes, with no real visible justification for doing so.  And we started talking options there... ultimately, it wasn't something I could do that day.  I took him back home and filled my regular vet in on what the diagnosis was, and I put off doing anything a few more days.  I waited until his sun-naps got a bit longer, and he had more trouble getting up.  At that point I called my regular vet and set a date a couple days out.  The next few days, we spent more time with him than usual.  We scrapped his diet in favor of anything he wanted to eat.  I gave him a big ole' pain shot and broke all the rules of owning a horse, because really, he had days. On the morning of, we groomed him--one of his favorite things--brought him out an entire bag of carrots and fed it all to him.  Took pictures.  And then we said goodbye quietly and peacefully.

My point in sharing this... you are in control of the quality of time you have not the quantity.  There's no need to agonize or second-guess whether you've made the "right" decision.  If your heart is in the right place, you have done no wrong.  And if you're really on the end of days path, then make the most of it.  Do everything Luna loves the most.  Be vigilant in the changes and be aware so you can have her happiest memories intact, not the most painful.  Talk with your vet and work out a plan for that inevitable day.  Will your vet come to your house, or will you need to take her in?  Those sorts of things.  Then once you have the details figured out, just live every day to the most. Will it hurt when the time comes?  Of course.  And that's okay too.  But when you reflect you'll be doing so on happy days, not bad.

Hi, I am sorry I am late to this conversation and sorry your consult at U of MN ruled out the trial and revealed lung mets.

We are also being treated at U of MN so if you want to chat some more on services there, feel free to PM me. (Pofi has a different cancer, but metastasis to lungs is a concern for him, too)

You have gotten great advice - forgive me if I repeat anything.  The amputation is ultimately about about quality of Luna's life - removing the pain.  Yes, if there were not metastasis already, it would also be hoped that could be avoided or at least delayed, but that is all an odds game.

So you consulted with onco at U of MN, but did you also see an ortho surgeon?  I have to say I think the surgery for Pofi (a complex one due to size, type and location of his tumor) was executed beautifully and the post surgical care was top notch.  Points to understand: he was already not using the leg at all (for a few weeks prior to surgery), so that was an advantage, but he is also a large dog (not Newfie and Saint sized, but Malamute or large Greyhound sized) and he just turned 12 (!) and has done very well without the leg.  At once his fur grew back, people often ask me if he was born without it as he manages so well.  They are stunned to hear how recent the amp was.

That being said, this is so individual to the dog and the family - no single option is right for all dogs and their families.  We are here for you however you decide it is best to proceed with Luna.  

Did you discuss Palladia or other oral chemo to try to slow advancement of mets?  (Pofi is taking Palladia and Cyclophosphamide to try to prevent onset of mets, or slow down if they are there and still to small to detect)

Sending you a lot of love. And gentle pats on the head to the very beautiful Luna.