Question:
hi there,

i have a 10 year old yellow lab named Dillon.
I noticed a hard lump over her ankle a couple of weeks ago.
brought her into the vet, the vet did x-rays thinking it was arthritis, came back saying that it is bone cancer.
he then gave us two options, we could amputate Dillon's leg, and proceed with chemo...this would give us up to 8 more months with her, or we could simply keep her comfortable, put her on Metacam....gives us 2-3 months.

Because of her age, and her personality, we opted to keep her comfortable.
She is not fond of change, and i think at 10 years old, taking off her leg would be extremely traumatic for her.

everything i read about this disease says how painful it is, and how the dog will begin to limp and show lameness in the affected area.
well dillon hasn't shown this.
we walk her everyday, and she seems happy.

do you think we should get a second opinion?if she does in fact have osteocarcoma, is metacam the right pain medication for her?

any/all help is greatly appreciated.

thanks

jen

Answer:
I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. Osteosarcoma is my worst nightmare. From what I've heard, it's one of the leading causes of death in bigger doggies.

I can't tell you what to do, but I will say that pretending the diagnosis is wrong just because your dog isn't limping isn't the way to go though... Get a second opinion if you don't believe your vet, but don't wait. You really want to get the diagnosis over with while you still have options.



Answer:
I am sorry this is happening to your sweet Lab Dillon, for you and him. My older Golden Jamie has cancer, she has metacam and prednisone to help her and she has a special diet.

Please take good care of each other while you are dealing with this.

Answer:
does your pup have the same cancer?
how long has she/he been on metacam, did you opt to not amputate?
any info on your situation is greatly appreciated.

thanks very much

Answer:
Hi Jen,

I am sorry for Dillon's problem. But, there is still some hope. Although osteosarcoma can affect any part of the bone, it usually occurs "away from the elbow and toward the knee". In other words, in the front leg, it is usually seen in the upper humerus (upper arm bone) near the shoulder and in the radius/ulna near the wrist. In the rear leg, it is usually in the lower femur (thigh bone) near the knee or in the upper tibia near the knee. So, although it can occur just above the ankle as you describe, it is not as common as the other sites above.

The definitive diagnosis comes from a bone biopsy. Most vets can do this but if yours doesn't, I would seek another opinion from someone who does. It may be something other than a primary bone tumor or a different kind of bone tumor and one that could be treated differently or at least carry a better prognosis following amputation if that is deemed necessary. On the other hand, it could be a metastatic tumor from somewhere else in the body. I hope not. One of the other things to do right away are chest and abdominal Xrays to check for a possible source as well as look for spread of what may be a primary bone tumor. You should have chest X rays taken before the bone biopsy.

In general, dogs do very well with amputation provided they are not suffering from other limiting orthopedic problems or medical issues that weaken them.

I hope this helps,
John

Answer: