Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi there,
my name is Alec and my fur baby is Bourbon. I adopted him at 4 months old when I was 20 and he’s my soul dog rescue. He’s turning 8 on July 26.
Two weeks ago he was playing in the backyard with his brother and his left hung leg slid below. I rushed him to the ER, thinking it was an ACL tear but after X-rays it revealed a break in his mid tibia. His er vet also said cancer and if it was osteosarcoma and he’d have about two months to live. His chest X-ray luckily showed no masses.
we sent his X-rays to a specialist that night and two hours later said it probably wasn’t osteosarcoma but a fungal disease or other sarcoma. The next day he was admitted to CSU Oncology in Fort Collins, Colorado where they said he’d need amputation regardless. They couldn’t fix his break and it wouldn’t heal on its own. They did an ultrasound and found no other tumors.
He’s been home for two weeks, pretty much off the pain meds and figuring out his new way of life. He got his stitches out yesterday and they said he’s healing so well and cleared for stairs and walks.
here’s the confusing part- we are waiting on his additional biopsy still. The vet said he has a sarcoma. Either fibro or osteo but they don’t know which and she said they most likely will not receive a conclusive answer after this second biopsy. His study is super hard.
We can start chemo and over treat him or not do chemo and under treat him. (Need it for osteo but not fibro). If we started chemo he’d do 6 doses every 3 weeks then just be monitored. CSU is one of the top vets in the country and it aches my heart that they can’t tell me which cancer it is and to do chemo or not.
Has anyone had to be in the over treat/under treat situation?
He’s young and he’s strong but I’m so on edge with over treating him :/
Alec and Bourbon, welcome! I'm sorry you both had to join our club. It's a stressful situation to find out that way. Amputation is not what any of us want to go through but there are lots of ways you can learn from Bourbon's strength and resilience, so be prepared for him to amaze you!
You're right, it sucks when an inconclusive biopsy comes back. We are huge CSU fans (check out our interviews), yes they are the best! We are based in Fort Collins ourselves during summer, and know for sure that you are in great hands with their team. If there's a chance that a diagnosis can be reached, they will get it figured out. And if they cannot (it may happen) I know that whatever their amazing onco vets recommend will likely be helpful for Bourbon's ability to fight cancer, and they will keep his quality of life as the #1 priority.
So when they say "over treat" it's not a matter of blasting his body with too much chemotherapy than it can handle. Rather, over treating is just that he may be getting a little more chemo than is typically recommended for whatever type of cancer they think he has. If it's too much, they will dial it down. Or, you can stop altogether if you want. There is no rule that says chemo is mandatory. Statistically it can help, but it still doesn't guarantee longevity. Many people throw chemotherapy at an inconclusive diagnosis just to be on the safe side. The "inconclusive" biopsy situation happens here all the time, unfortunately.
So, you have to do what's in your heart, and what you think Bourbon wants. He will tell you in his own way.
Thank you ❤️ this really means a lot. And finding Tripawds has been so helpful. It’s so incredibly hard making decisions for our dogs when we can’t communicate with them or talk about their pain.
I’m waiting to hear back from CSU (foco is stunning I hope you enjoy your summer). Your confidence in them really helps and to me, 8 years old is still young, especially for a mutt. To be determined, and I do so appreciate your response.
Aww you are so welcome.
Please keep us posted on how things are going OK? It will be interesting to find out what they recommend if a diagnosis can't be reached. It happens sometimes. So frustrating, I totally get it.
Finally heard back from CSU, “I just received the results back from the deeper sections of Bourbon's biopsy. They are still not completely sure whether this is an osteosarcoma vs fibrosarcoma bone tumor. My recommendation would be to follow through with chemotherapy for him as if this is osteosarcoma it can be quite aggressive, and the prognosis is much more favorable with chemotherapy (9-12 months on average vs 4-6 months with amputation alone).”
I am so torn on chemo. I understand it extends his life, but over treatment just doesn’t sit right with me. CSU’s oncologist team is amazing, has anyone not done chemo post amputation?
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