Any experience with bone cancer in dogs?

[Debi]

My dog took a fall down the steps about 6 weeks ago, and when we initially took him to the vet, he was treated for a sprain in his paw. Denny was given some pain medication, and the vet told us that his paw would heal in 3-4 weeks. When it didn't get any better (it was actually getting worse - Denny wasn't putting any weight on it at all), we took him back to the vet.

After the vet took x-rays, he's "90% confident" that Denny has cancer in his bones. There is something in the joint of his paw that is eating away at the bone, and the vet thinks it's either cancer (very likely) or an infection (very unlikely). We're taking Denny to a specialist on March 15, and we'll know for sure if this is cancer or not. Does anyone have any experience with bone cancer in dogs? The vet doesn't think this is the most severe form of cancer, but he does feel it is malignant. Help! Denny's my baby, and naturally I'm stressing about this.

Some background on Denny: He's a black lab/husky mix. He's a little over 100 lbs., so he's a big dog. Denny just turned 11, so if he makes it through this, he might only have another 2-3 years left (life expectency in big dogs is 12-13). He's only putting a little bit of weight on his front left paw, and does not want to stand for more than about 30 seconds at a time. The joint just above his paw is definately swollen, and the vet did show us on the x-ray that the top part of the bone 'disappears' just above his joint. Any comments/suggestions?

 

[BedKnobbery2]

I have no experience or advice here, but just wanted to offer you a . I hope it all turns out well for your family. Come to think of it, give Denny an extra pat from me today; sounds like he may need one.

 

[Debi]

Thanks, BedKnobbery2! Denny is my baby, so it's hard to see him in pain. He says thank you for the extra pat!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Not really familiar with bone cancer, Debi, but wishing both Denny and you (mom too) the best. We have Doc here with his cancer and know it is tough. Our Huskies both acquired cancer, though not bone, later in their lives, years ago. Always tough to see our furry family hurting.

Dan

 

[joats]

I had a cat with cancer in the bone of her leg...it actually broke the bone. I think she was 13 or so at the time. The cancer was not anyplace else so we removed her leg. She lived for at least 3-4 more years without problems until her last year when cancer returned and spread quickly.

It's funny, no one who saw her ever noticed her missing leg. She did very well accomodating for it. Could climb stairs, jump up on things the same as she had with 4 legs. She recooperated quickly and was nonethewiser.

So sad to hear about your dog. I know what a difficult time it can be when our pets are sick. Sending good wishes your way.

 

[Kallison]

So sorry about your baby. At age 11 I don't think I would go to a lot of extreme measures. Just make him comfortable and give him lots of love. AGain, sorry. I hope it is not bone cancer.

 

[nativetxn]

I'm sorry to hear this, Debi. I have no experience with this but I sure hope it isn't cancer. Poor Denny

{{{HUGS}}}

 

[janette]

I did some reading on this a couple of years ago. There are some great sites. The treatment of bone cancer in dogs is used to help treat bone cancer in humans. My nephew had one of the type of cancers that has benefited from the results of the treatments given to dogs with it. The good news from that is that it is a treatable cancer. If it hasn't spread out of the leg his chances are good. They may need to amputate but most dogs recover from that very well.

 

[Catzeyes]

Our five year old Black Lab had bone cancer. He showed no signs of anything being wrong. We kenneled him while on our 2 week trip to Disney in 98. When we picked him up they mentioned to us that he might have sprained his back leg from all the hopping around his kennel that he did.
My ex took him to the vet the next day and the gave us some meds and treated him for a sprain, when it was not better in 2 weeks we took him back. They did xrays and found the bone cancer had basically eaten away alot of his hip. They did a bioposy and said it was a very bad type of bone cancer and they were surprised he was still walking at all.
We took him to the vet school at the Univeristy of Madison in WI and after running more tests we all decided it was best to put him down. I did not want him to be in anymore pain. Good luck with your dog, I'm glad to hear at least it is not the worst type.

 

[Debi]

I've been doing some research on-line about bone cancer in dogs, and the one thing that really gave me hope is the treatment options. According to the website I was reading, if the cancer is low enough in the leg (it's in the joint just above Denny's paw), a bone graft might be an option. Assuming it hasn't spread to any other parts of his body, the vet will be able to remove the cancerous part of the bone and replace it with a healthy piece of bone.

The only down side to the bone graft is that Denny would be in the animal hospital for 3 days, and the recovery time for this is 2-3 months. If it will give Denny another 2-3 healthy years of life, it might be worth doing. We'll see come 3/15!

 

[Tinkbell]

My dog had bone cancer in her "knee" joint (not sure what it is called on dogs) when she was 11 too. We first noticed that she had a limp. Vet took x-rays and discovered the tumor that was growing. The Vet told us she would only last a few more months so cancer treatment would not be an option. We decided to use pain medication which really made a difference. She was walking in her normal stride immediately. She lasted for 2 years after diagnosis. Then her tumor started to grow rapidly and it was much harder for her to get around. We did not want her to be in pain so we put her down.

((Hugs)) to you. I know how hard it is to deal with.