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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Any one have any experience of their dog having spinal osteocarcoma?

19 replies

fledtoscotland · 15/02/2011 20:09

We are off to vet school next week as the consultant has "found" an osteocarcoma in L5 vertebrae

Totally floored us as we went to the vets with a diagnosis of arthritis and now find out my 6yr old collie cross girl has terminal cancer. There is no treatment apparently but he wants to specialist to see her to stage the cancer and give up some idea of the amount of time she has left

Has anyone else got an experience of this cancer?

TIA

OP posts:
Vallhala · 15/02/2011 20:19

I haven't but don't want your post going unanswered. I just wanted to say I'm terribly sorry and that I feel for you.

I hope that you will have as long as possible with your girl and that fate will be kinder to you from now on.

Val x

Original poster
fledtoscotland · 15/02/2011 20:25

Thanks val. Loads of tears all round. Our vet who is v experienced with 35yrs practice has never seen this particular tumour hence the referral to the vet school. Her pain is now controlled with tramadol & diazepam but she's fading in front of me.

Our vet is talking about weeks/couple of months at best before the tumour severs her spinal cord.

Will be needing your advice later on as my other collie cross (they were both rescues from different centres) is devoted to her. Rocky & Tallie are joined at the hip and I don't know how he will cope without her. She's been in to the hospital for extensive investigations over the last 4 months and he pines for her whilst she's away.

I know some people just say that shes a dog but shes another baby

x

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chickchickchicken · 15/02/2011 21:08

i totally understand when you say shes another baby. i am the same with my dogs.

i am very sorry to hear your news. also sorry i cannot help with info on the cancer as i do not have any experience of it

Vallhala · 15/02/2011 21:20

Anything I can do, anything at all, just shout.

Laska · 16/02/2011 08:16

I'm so sorry to hear your news Sad

You might want to post here as there's a poster (BevD) whose deerhound had osteo and underwent an amputation. I believe that Bev is in touch with other owners whose pets have experienced osteo, so she might have some good info / links she could pass on.

bedlambeast · 16/02/2011 16:16

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bedlambeast · 17/02/2011 15:48

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Original poster
fledtoscotland · 17/02/2011 16:20

No I'm glad u said that the fracture. I had read it already but now me & DH have got an action plan for if/when it happens. Posted of the link Laska gave but no replies. Seeing the specialist on Monday so will know more then but in the meantime she's sleeping more and her muzzle is almost White - was black 6 wks ago :(

I have decided that I don't want an MRI cos it isn't going to change the outcome and j don't want her as a guinea pig for students. They can have her when it's over & not before.

Thanks to everyone for your support. RL is tough as FIL is ill as well

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bedlambeast · 19/02/2011 11:21

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Original poster
fledtoscotland · 20/02/2011 09:32

Thanks. Will post tomorrow when we know more. Thankfully FIL is on the mend x

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Original poster
fledtoscotland · 27/02/2011 21:00

Update:

we went to vet school last monday and met with consultant. Very thorough exam of tallie revealed little apart from a slightly enlarge lymph node at her back L leg. She said that Tallie was too well to have osterocarcoma and that her bloods weren't indicative of a very sick dog. she wanted to MRI her since she wasn't convinced that it wasn't disc disease which is operable.

anyway, they did the MRI and spinal fluid analysis on tuesday. There is a tumour at L4 (I must have misheard L5) but its a slow growing one that isnt impacting on her spinal cord and is probably caused by an old injury. Technically she is still palliative care as its inoperable/incurable but the consultant says that she is no reason why she cant live for another few years with tramadol to help the acute flareups when she overdoes it.

they want to review her & repeat the MRI in 3 months to confirm that it is slow-growing but otherwise we can stop diazepam Grin which has given her more energy and exercise her as normal. am trying to keep grounded as although we aren't about to loose her now, she will never make an old dog and will die prematurely but at least for now I have my beautiful girl.

If you are still reading this Blush I am going to put a pic of her on my profile so you can see how stunning she is.

OP posts:
Vallhala · 27/02/2011 21:23

Oh fled she is so beautiful - the image of my neighbour's dog too.

You went to the vet expecting to hear the worst and the result, although not the most you could have hoped for, must be a great relief at the moment.

I hope updates on Tallie continue to be far less upsetting and worrying than you anticipate. Please give her a big hug from me, she's stunning and a lucky girl too, to have you fighting for her.

chickchickchicken · 27/02/2011 21:28

awww she is gorgeous. her eyes are beautiful

so glad Grin you had better news than expected

Original poster
fledtoscotland · 27/02/2011 21:43

Val - drawing on your extensive knowledge, do you think the diazepam our vet prescribed could have mimicked the symptoms of a progressive disease? with hindsight I feel that her pain was only properly controlled by the tramadol yet we continued the diazepam because of its relaxant properties. Although she still looks older than she did a few months ago, she seems livelier and energetic. Her muzzle remains grey but her eyes are somehow more alive.

She's managed to gain half a kilo in the last two week as we've been pushing protein in addition to her normal biscuit. Don't get me wrong, she still looks unwell in the sense her coat isnt as glossy and she's skinny round her hips but I'm hoping a higher protein diet and the summer's exercise will bring her back to her normal self - she's never been one for the cold!

thanks again for all the continued support

Fled x

OP posts:
Vallhala · 27/02/2011 21:58

I honestly wouldn't know fled and would be misleading if I were even to hazard a guess. I can save 'em from the pound or otherwise being put to sleep, I can sometimes train 'em a bit and I can sometimes work out their way of thinking but I'm not a vet so anything nedical I leave to the experts.

If you put out a call for JooleyJools or LizCat they'll be able to advise though. :)

MotherJack · 27/02/2011 23:46

Fled - I know this is a different thing, but my old boy was written off at 5 years old. He became crippled with something or other of his spine and I fought and researched everthing. They gave him steroids and this and that and they said as he wasn't insured they were not able to give a thorough diagnosis. I bought him an MRI from a canine osteo specialist who recommended a certain drug and also said he had heard that acupuncture could help and got my vet to refer him to another vet who did acupuncture. I'm not sure what the acupuncture actually did (but he loved it and leapt up on to the table of the vet that gave him it), but my dog ended up with a vet that understood his condition and when I finally switched his care to him, gave him the drug that changed his life. He died last September, aged nearly 12 and very happy.

I suppose my message to you is that vets are wonderful and far more knowledgeable than any other of us, but if it isn't working, google and switch vets if appropriate. I gave my vet (who sorted his pain) the answer to his sensitivity to his pain meds (he agreed), and he went on, generally happy as larry, for another 4 years.

Joolyjoolyjoo · 27/02/2011 23:53

Glad you got a more positive outcome to this. Osteosarcs are often very painful and debilitating, so the fact that your girl is happy and tramadol is dealing with any pain would lead me to believe that it is indeed a more benign tumour- good news Smile

I would carry on as you are unless she seems to be having problems, then deal with it as and if it happens. All the best!

bedlambeast · 28/02/2011 14:20

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Lizcat · 28/02/2011 16:43

I'm here, but too late to offer anything more useful apart from I find Diazepam makes them really lethargic and inco-ordinated. However, it is a great muscle relaxant and can help with muscle spasm.
As always in your situation my advice is take every drop of pleasure from her you can.

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