Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Bandits leg was amputated today. He will be coming home tomorrow. The vet wants to biopsy the cancer. Seems to me they have already amputated it, why biopsy it? At diagnosis the vet was very sure it was Osteosarcoma. Now is she unsure? I don't know. Maybe she want to be sure the course of treatment if by chance its not Osteosarcoma? Any advice would be greatly appreciated TIA
This is a very common protocol. Doing a biopsy before amp is super painful and can be complicated and not always accurate. Doing it after amp is much easier! This is what Jackson had, too. Doing it after amp confirms the type of cancer which will have implications for how best to treat his cancer. They can determine what kind of cancer and some details about how aggressive it may be. This is a very common, popular move.
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Sassy had 2 biopsies and they couldnt determine that it was 100% Osteo. The only way they could determine was the biopsy after her leg was amputated.
Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013
05/04/2006 - Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19 fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
Very very common. The pathology can tell you much more from margins to grade of tumor, etc.
Hope he is doing well!!!!!!
Jill is a 9-year-old tuxedo kitty. She was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in June 2012 on her toe in her right hind leg. Her leg was amputated on 12/12/12 and she completed four rounds of chemo (2 of Carbo, 2 of Doxy) in April 2013. "Like" Jill's facebook page: https://www.fac.....tty?ref=hl Proud member of the WINTER WARRIORS!!!! Her blog can be read at http://jillsjou.....ipawds.com. xoxo
Thanks everyone. Money is limited. I guess my question is Osteosarcoma is easily diagnosed with x-rays Since my son isn't planning on doing chemo is it worth the extra cost to know more about the cancer? I could understand if there was doubt about the type of cancer. That doesn't seem to be the case.
How about this: have them take the samples and store them safely (probably in ethanol and/or formalin, depending on preference and methods after harvesting). Don't have them send off the samples! Just have them hang onto them. If he knows he's not going to do chemo, then a biopsy isn't medically necessary (ie, it doesn't change anything about the amp procedure or recovery). BUT, if your son wants more info, he can get it from these samples. That may help him sleep at night. Or, it may help inform chemo options later.
Money is always tight. It's unfair! Has he looked into (have you?) the metronomic protocol/therapy? It can be cheaper than IV and can be quite effective. A few parents here are going right from amputation to metronomics and skipping IV chemo. There's a solid group of folks here who have gone the metronomic route. Check it out.
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Thanks fetchon3. I just printed it out to read at work. I am going to discuss it with my son & his vet tomorrow. I'll see how much more I can find out about the spot in Bandit's lung.
I really like Jackson's Mom's idea about keeping the samples!
Just want to add that yes, it's normal protocol to biopsy the leg after amputation in order to determine further course of treatment. If you are sure that you aren't going to do regular IV chemo, talk to your onco and tell him/her why you don't feel it's necessary to biopsy. Be honest about your finances, most vets will understand. Yeah, it stinks that money really plays into this. But don't feel badly that it does, you are doing so much for Bandit, all that matters is he is happy and pain-free.
Metronomics is a great, low-dose therapy but it will not be as effective as IV chemo treatments. However, many oncos will give the go-ahead to do it if you're not doing IV chemo. And many dogs have had great success with it, including me (it bought me an additional 7 months after lung mets were found, and that was sixteen months after my amputation). It's less expensive than chemo (about $100 a month for the meds, plus occasional blood tests) which is a plus.
Good luck with his homecoming tomorrow. Let us know if we can do anything to help.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Good luck with Bandit's homecoming. My Maggie is 1 week post op today and I am still amazed at her recovery. She used her doggy door today for the first time (I lifted the flap for her). I made a sling by splitting a canvas bag down the sides and wrapping a small towel around the middle. It was great support (mainly for me) the first couple of days when she was using the steps but it really seemed more of a hinderance as she would patiently wait for me to position it under her. Finally, I realized she seems to find the best and SMARTEST way of doing things for herself. She goes down the steps one at a time and close to the wall. She BOUNDS up 2 at a time and right in the middle! And those hardwood floors...a piece of cake with a fresh pedicure.
Don't feel bad if you can not afford chemo for you pet because you are already doing more than most are willing or able to do for their pets. Everyone's situation is different and we can never impose our judgements regarding others decisions. Let us know if we can help in any way because this site has been invaluable to me.
Regards,
Mic and Maggie
Thanks everyone. Bandit is home ( our house) He is doing great. I suppose its because he hasn't used that leg in a while. He doesn't seem to be in pain. We also got some bad news. Bandits blood work has given the vet some concern. I don't have the paper work in front of me but some of the numbers weren't good. Vet thinks ha may have 2 types of cancer. Blood work when he diagnosed back in January was good. We did opt to have the cancer biopsied. Hopefully we will have the results by the end of the week. We are also looking into the metronomics. It seems to have helped other dogs and is less expensive than full blown chemo. Thanks everyone for your support & advice. It would be much more difficult if I had to search out all this info on my own. Your experiences & advice are invaluable to me. Thank you!
I'm so glad he's home! There's nothing better for a good recovery.
Try not to worry about the blood tests until you know exactly what you're dealing with. I know I've said this before but if there's anything that cancer teaches you it's to take life one day at a time, just like Bandit.
Keep us posted and let us know if you have any questions at all OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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