Hi, we are the Huzyk’s (Kyle & Jessica) and we are the proud parents of Bodie, a rotti-mix from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. One week ago today we were given the most difficult news that Bodie has bone cancer in his front left lower leg. We first noticed a small lump on his leg on Friday November 27^th. We initially thought he had slipped on some ice outside and sprained his foot. We took him in the next day to the vet and as we waited thinking it would be a routine check-up, leaving with some pain medication and icing instructions, we were told the lump was a tumor (bone cancer) most likely osteosarcoma. We were in utter disbelief. They kept Bodie to do radiograph x-rays on his chest. Our vet then walked us through what the disease was all about and that amputation was the best way to proceed. We let the news sink over the next 48 hours. It was even more difficult to explain to our young children why their parents were so upset and what was wrong with Bodie. On Monday November 30^th we got a call from the vet indicating the x-rays did not show the cancer had spread yet to the lungs but there is still the chance it has gone undetected at this point. We further discussed our options and he confirmed Bodie was a prime candidate for amputation. Bodie just celebrated his 9^th birthday this past October and had a clean bill of health at that time, so the cancer diagnosis 6 weeks later was blindsiding to say the least. He is incredibly healthy (minus the cancer), a lean 95 lbs, and strong as a bull, hence why the vet suggests the surgery. Our first reaction to the amputation was how could we do that to him? It seems terrible. Bodie loves being outside, running and going on long walks every day, we couldn’t imagine taking that way from him. We took the next few days to further process, do more research, which lead us to this site (which has been a world of information). We went back and forth and had further consults with our vet and made the decision to schedule him in for surgery next Wednesday December 9^th. We are hoping we are making the right decision. It still seems so surreal; Bodie hasn’t shown any discomfort or symptoms that we can see at this point. He hasn’t been lethargic and walks easily on the leg, however, in a week the tumor has grown significantly.  I know we have him scheduled for surgery Wednesday and we trust his vet as he has taken care of Bodie his whole life, but is there a chance this could be misdiagnosed? Or are we clinging to desperation?

We also discussed chemo options after the surgery and we are on the fence. Bodie does have an autoimmune disease which scares us even more. A quick background - we adopted Bodie from a rescue shelter 9 years ago, he was found wandering in a ditch on the side of a road, left on his own. When we first met him, we knew it was meant to be. His puppy years were amazing and he brought so much joy to our hearts. Then when he was 2 and half years old he woke up one day and was not himself. He wouldn’t eat, drink or go to the bathroom. We took him to the vet we had at the time and they had no idea, they put him on an IV and he was there for a few days but kept digressing. We were not happy with the vet so we found another one (his current vet) who stepped in and immediately found Bodie had a battle going on inside, his immune system was shutting down and basically killing itself. First it was the white blood cells, then it migrated to the platelets, this went on for weeks, he dropped so much weight, and had one paw in the ground. We thought it was his time. But we stood by his side and never gave up, and after months of different medications and steroids he miraculously pulled through. Ever since, Bodie has had CBC’s done every 6 months to monitor his blood. In the back of our heads we were always terrified it would come back, but for over 6 years it never did and he has lived his best life. But now we have a new battle on our hands, with cancer.

The vet suggested chemo, but we feel it could affect his immune system so are leaning towards going the natural route. We currently have him on Reishi spores and have added Turmeric to his diet. We are also researching CBD oil as we have heard great things.

We are defiantly glad we found this site and have read some incredible stories. We are hoping for some feedback and welcome all suggestions pre and post-surgery. Thanks for listening Tripawed Community!