Hello all,

Our wonderful dog 7 years 9 mo old blue tick coonhound Bo was diagnosed with low grade (grade I) soft tissue sarcoma on his right front leg 4/2012. He had surgery x 2 and then a full course of radiation. They quoted me 90% success rate with the radiation but the tumor was growing back only 6 months later. We had since moved to Hawaii where there were no oncologists on our island. It was removed again 4/2013, again low grade, mitotic index 2. We worked with a holistic vet with chinese herbs but it continued to grow. So August 2013 he started metronomic chemo with Cytoxan and Piroxicam. He has tolerated those very well and they slowed down the growth on his leg. It is still only 3 cm and it has been 8 months. However, we just took him to Oahu where they have an oncologist now, who did a chest xray and there is tumor throughout his lungs. She have him 6 months. We are devasted. I never thought this would happen. We were told less than 10% chance of metastasis. The first oncologist told us we didn't have to amputate the leg if it wasn't bothering him so we didn't, and now it's too late. At least he is not symptomatic but it just breaks my heart, because we love him so much.

So, the new oncologist offered either IV Doxorubicin or oral Palladia although didn't sound too optimisitic about either. I am seeing our holistic vet Thursday to get started on accupunture and intensify the hernbal treatment. 

Has anyone dealt with this before? We don't know how long the lung mets have been there since he hasn't had an xray in over a year. I'm so scared of making him worse with treatments. I don't know if the lung mets willl grow slowly like the leg mass or if they will be different.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Aloha,

Jenn