Anyone ever have a dog with ostiosarcoma?

[Hound]

Have you visited Danesonline? You will find a lot of people who have been through this and would be good to talk to.

 

[busybeelee]

Thank you all so much for your kind words and advice. My husband and I have discussed it and we do not feel that amputation is an option because it is not a cure. This has been a very rough weekend. On Friday, we did a biopsy. I gave her pain medication as prescribed. Friday evening she began to get very restlesss. She would not sit down she was panting and her heart was racing. I called the emergency vet and they said to give her another half dose of the pain medication and call back in two hours. Two hours later she was lethargic, shaking, moaning and groaning so I took her in.

They indicated that she could be having a reaction to the medication or the pain was just so intense it was causing her that much discomfort. He felt it was the later so, he placed a Fentynol (sp) patch and gave me additional medications for pain and sedation. It did calm her down some but the shaking did not stop. I was up all night sitting with her and called her vet on Saturday. Let me just say this, I asked the vet if it was ok to give so many medications to her at one time and if one of the possible issues she was having was a reaction to that medication. I offended them and was told by the vet tech 'that he was the doctor and did know what he was doing". My doctor said it sounded like the medication and that I should no longer give her the one that she was first on and that additionally, the Fentynol was so powerful it may be too much for her and I had the option of stopping this also (leaving her with no pain medication). By last night she could not stand up, we had been giving her water by using a medicine dispenser. It was aweful. I removed the patch.

By this morning she has come around but she is really having trouble with the leg. I am holding out hope that it is a fungal infection but I am realistic in knowing the the likelihood is cancer. If this is the case we wil let our lovely 'little' girl go on Tuesday. I can't bear to see her suffer. I love her too much.

Thank you all for your support.

 

[Redyre Rotties]

I am so very sorry. It is very good that you love her enough to be strong for her.

Talk to your vet about prednisone. It really helped my dog's pain and general attitude. I also used the fentanyl patch on her in the beginning and then went to the pred.

If you are on facebook, there is a group called Bone Cancer Dogs. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leeds-Point-NJ/BoneCancerDogs-Inc/183564542602

Other links:

http://www.bonecancerdogs.org/

 

[Qi Chicken]

Our 5 year old lab had osteosarcoma. It was in his nose. Obviously we couldn't amputate his head. He had the tumor removed but it grew back larger than before within 2 weeks. We had him put down when he started having terrible nose bleeds. It was awful. We now have a tree out front that we planted for him where we buried his bowl (split in two) and a toy or two. Gus's tree. We decorate it for every holiday. We just put the Christmas lights on it tonight. So sad. I'm sorry you are going through this.

 

[thebritt]

Was the pain med called "Tramadol"? The 3 dogs I've given that to had the exact same reaction - restlessness, shaking, etc. Even my husband said he wouldn't take it in the evening, because it kept him up, though it did help with his back and knee pain. The patch can have a very drowsy effect. When I was an administrator at a care home, we had a client on the patch, and he spent a lot of time sleeping - to the point he became incontinent on it because he couldn't wake up to use the bathroom. We've had better luck with valium (diazepam) for pain mgt. So sorry you've had such a rough weekend. I hope you are both able to get some relief and rest.

 

[erinreid]

I am so sorry -
I lost my Rott last year to the same cancer.
I made the decision to not do invasive treatments with her. Once we had to the diagnoses confirmed, the X-rays told us the extent of the spread and location - then I kept her home with me and the family at the farm.
I worked on pain management - acupuncture treatments to help with the pain and special foods that would be easier for her to process. The acupuncture worked for a long time. When it was not able to keep the pain at bay - we went to pain cocktails, using meds that wouldn't cause her stomach discomfort. Since I work with older thoroughbreds’ and hunters (horses) I know about pain management with a large dog. I started using some of the treatments I use on them (Bute) and at the end I injected D-phenylalanine, L-isoleucine, D-leucine (used for greyhounds and horses from tracks). I am very lucky that I have large animal, performance vets in my area.
She passed very quietly in the middle of the party we through at the farm so everyone could say goodbye to her.
Good luck - keep the faith.
Erin

 

[busybeelee]

Quote:
That's the stuff. We lowered her dose and she seems to be tolerating it well. She is on metacam as well. The tissue biopsy was inconclusive so the next step is the blood test for valley fever. If that is negative we know it is Osteo. We are just trying to keep her comfy and give her as much love as we can.

Thanks again to everyone for the support and sharing your experiences. The information has been very helpful.

 

[erinreid]

My Rott was not able to handle Tramodal, made her sick to her stomach and then she refused to eat. I used other cocktails of pain meds including Medicam.
I also went to a narcotic - simular to Morphine - for the last weeks.
Hang in there, once you find a good pain reliever it will make all the difference.

 

[sourland]

Been through the same thing with a beloved golden retriever. I concur with the general opinion of keeping your dog as comfortable as is possible, and when there is no longer a good quality of life making the decision we are frequently faced with. By the time our dog was diagnosed, the cancer had metastasized throughout her body. We still got a good six months by treating her symptomatically. At the end when I was carrying her in and out of the house our vet said ENOUGH. She now resides in a side flower bed beneath a brass plaque that says "Beloved Friend."