After the initial shock had worn off, we got to work. What is bone cancer, is it a death sentence? Can we fight it or is this the end? What the hell is a Tripawd…oh I get it, that’s cute. WAIT, WHAT, cut off her leg, are you freaking kidding me!?!
As most of you know, these are the things that you wrestle with once you come out of the fog of a cancer diagnosis. We are still gathering information, but we know a heck of lot more than we did, and as they say – knowledge is power. Problem is, knowledge also means you start to understand that you will have to make choices and answer soul searching questions. Not easy everyday choices and questions, but like, really mind-bendingly hard ones.
Choices and questions like;
- Should we accept that this is the end after 13.5 years and just manage her pain until she can’t bear it any more, or should we fight this damn thing with everything we’ve got?
- Does amputation of a 13 year old 75lb dog even make sense or is it just plain stupid?
- Would this be the best thing for our baby girl, or are we doing this for us?
- What if her one good back leg isn’t strong enough?
- Holy crap, how much $$ is that?
Like it or not, this is the new reality. The reality where you get to essentially play god and decide the fate of your beloved companion’s life trajectory.
Here is what we know.
- The tumor is on the non weight bearing portion of her pelvis on her right side. It’s malignant and has done a lot of damage to the bone.
- The blood work and lung x-rays are clean, no visible metastasis
- Even though she is 13, Osa is in amazing shape, and doesn’t appear to have any arthritis in her other joints
- She still has a sparkle in her eye, and the appetite of a lab. This girl aint ready to quit.
- The radiologist and oncologist think it’s very likely chondrosarcoma, not osteosarcoma (on a side note rant, OSA is the acronym for Osteo? Seriously, wtf…not in THIS house!)
- The surgeon thinks it’s doable (based on the incomplete data set that x-rays provide), but a hemipelvectomy on a large breed 13 year old dog scares the crap out of me!
- We need to do a CT Scan and Biopsy if we decide to go after that sucker
That’s all for now.
I feel your pain. The best advice I can give you is do your research and find a vet that is supportive. As someone said to me in this journey no dog comes with a time stamp on their butt. Make the best decision out of love for your dog and you can’t go wrong.
As horrible as this part of the journey is, you have a refreshingly delightful attitude that belies a lot of strength!!
Gonna make a suggestion. Post this under a thread in the forums for more feedback from others who have dealt with this particular situation.
And in this case..Osa stands for ONE STRONG ANIMAL who has no intention of going anywhere anytime son!!!
You may want to post it under Ask A Vet as a starting point.
Hopefully a path will become more and more clear to you as you continue to put more and more pieces of the puzzle together.
Hang in there! Whatever decision you make will be one out of love…and that is always the right decision!!
Hugs to all!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle too
No matter what direction you go it will be the right one for Osa. It’s obviously you are clearly thinking this through. I wish you and Osa peace and comfort as you move forward with your decision.
Kerren and Tripawd Mona
You ask such awesome and insightful questions, thank you so much for sharing them with us. And you are SO right…knowledge means, no more ignorance is bliss, you have to do something if your pup is in pain, so what do you do?
Your situation is more challenging than most, but it does sound to me like Osa has a lot on her side. I think if you have a heart-to-heart with her you’ll find your answer.
Whatever you need just holler, we are here for you.
Keep us posted OK? And do share some photos, we love pics!