Pnerissa said:

We're in the panhandle of Florida. I haven't yet had the chance to look into holistic vets, but I may do some research tonight after I get home from work.

We've got quite a few people coming over this weekend to visit Kodiak. He's made quite an impression with a lot of people, partly because he's a wolf and partly because he's just a really great guy. Even the UPS driver is going to come visit. How do you like that? LOL.

Well, I gotta get back to the salt mine. Thanks for sticking by us. We need it.

Bev, Tigger, & Kodiak

P.S.

That's my favorite pic

Hi Bev, Tigger and Kodiak,

I was sorry to learn about Kodiak's medical issues.  My German Shepherd Dog had hemangiosarcoma and so I did a lot of research on that topic to try to help her.  The vets gave us about two weeks to two months for her to live.  Why the "predictions"?  Because I guess that's what doctors and vets do.  The reality is that no one knows how long a person or a pet is going to live, but they seem to have a need to "predict" it, perhaps in the name of "preparing" the family members or pet owners.  That having been said, just know that each person and each animal is unique and each has its own prognosis and destiny.  I know that "Jerry" was given a certain amount of time and he proved everyone wrong.  So did my Luna, who was born four years ago today.  She was diagnosed at the age of 2 years and died at 3 years, but she did last more than a year from the first exhibition of symptoms. 

I have a lot of information stored on hemangiosarcoma on my computer that I would be pleased to share with you.  You can reach me through "Jerry".  I also know that there are some new drugs available now, that weren't available when Luna was alive.  If you could get me more details about Kodiak's case, especially pathology on the leg, etc., that would be very helpful.  Where is the primary tumor?  Hemangiosarcoma is more often in the spleen, but can present in the bone, and that is what happened with Luna.  I got seven opinions from pathologists, and several of them disagreed with one another on what kind of cancer it was.  I needed to have the right diagnosis, so that we could treat it appropriately.  Treatment was significantly delayed because we had been told she would only live a few weeks, plus we also significantly delayed amputation, because we were told that she would be in the "dying process" by the time she was healing from the amputation.  It was a dreadful prognosis, and so we did nothing (other than making her comfortable).  But, six months later, she was still going strong and we decided that since she had defied all of the grim predicitions, that she deserved another chance at life.  I often wonder if we had amputated and treated immediately at diagnosis, if she would have survived longer, or even have been a "cure". 

What is the life expectancy of a wolf?  I am assuming it is somewhat similar to a dog/German Shepherd?  Your dog's age is a concern, but only you know your dog and his overall health and if you think he might be able to tolerate the operation at his age and overall health.  If he has lived a full life and his health is otherwise good/decent, you might wish to try just chemo, new drugs, or even limited surgery, rather than full amputation.  Luna had part of her right hind leg removed (for biopsy) but still had her leg, but she really couldn't use it anymore, and it basically just hung there, tucked up when she walked or ran.  The majority of the cancerous area had been removed by this surgery, but not all of it, and that part grew back and became very painful, that is when we had to decide whether or not to put her to sleep or to amputate and give her another chance. In her case, especially because she was only two years old, I decided to give her another chance, and took her to the University of Florida in Gainesville to have her leg amputated by Dr. Nick Bacon.  Amputation is not for everyone, and is not appropriate in some cases, it should be regarded in a case by case basis, weighing all factors carefully.  Luna came through the surgery well, and it gave her another quality six months overall, and so, we have no regrets in taking that path. 

There will be many factors to consider with Kodiac, and the more information you can find out about his case, the better decisions you can make for him in the future and what kind of medical care he should get.  My heart goes out to you in this situation.  It is heartbreaking and gut wrenching, however you look at it.  But, Kodiac, like so many dogs on this site, can defy the odds and outlive the predictions.  I'm hoping and praying that will be the case for him.

Feel free to contact me anytime for more information if you'd like to discuss his case in more detail.

Sincerely,

Sandra & "Angel" Luna

Sandra Thomas