Bone tumour

[SquidgyMaltLoaf]

My lovely dog has a bone tumour. The vet said there's a very small chance it's arthritis (lump on her ankle) but she has most likely got 1-2 months left. I'm absolutely devastated. We got her as a rescue two years ago and I just love her to bits. I've never been through this before and I don't know what to do with myself!

What a horrible shock for you. I hope you are able to enjoy whatever time your ddog has left. It brings our own frailty into sharp relief, and it's really hard. Big MN hugs. Once you have screamed and cried and recovered from the shock of the dianosis, you will be able to piece back your life. Losing a dog is never easy. I hope you have time to make some plans, and make the best of your time together. (All the things we should be doing anyway!)

Thanks. She's only 7 - I thought we'd at least have a couple more years. She's been so good with the baby too after all my worrying.

if you have insurance, it might be worth getting a referral to a specialist to see if the prognosis is quite so bleak? Dogs deal well with amputation, and chemo can be given as well

We cancelled the insurance recently as it was too expensive . Having said that the vet doesn't think amputation is an option - large, heavy breeds don't cope well with it and she already has rubbish back legs and hips due to dysplasia and arthritis. She wouldn't cope well with chemo and the vet thinks it wouldn't do much anyway.

(There should have been some sort of 'ironic' face after my insurance comment...)

Hello there, I'm so sorry this is happening to you.

About 8 weeks ago my wife's mastiff cross was diagnosed with a tumour on his shoulder. He too had a history of arthritus and had already been through several ops and had replacement joints. He was fantastically and expensively insured and our vet talked us through the options. Chemo, amputation etc. There is nothing we wouldn't have done for that dog and had any of the options given him any quality of life, we would have gone for them.

Our vet was very straight with my wife about the fact that if it was his dog, then he would have him pts. The second vet at their sister surgery where he went for a scan to confirm his tumour said the same. He would have maybe had another 6-9 months but his quality of life would not be good and it would be 6-9 months of treatment and illness with some good days.

Also, and I really hate to say this, but I think I should, we were advised that if the tumour was growing through the bone then there was the possibility of a traumatic break at any time. His initial diagnosis was on the Monday, on the Tuesday he went for a scan, a tumour was diagnosed straight away and my wife decided that he shouldn't be brought round and be pts while still under anaesthetic. His quality of life would have been, for him, too compromised. He died peacefully and gently.

She was and still is utterly devastated. And he was also only seven. Unfortunately this is something that apparently is common in large breed dogs and she'd been through cancer with her previous large breed dog so knew what treatment looks like.

I'm sorry I can't give you more hope. I can only tell you our story and tell you that she and I feel strongly she made the right decision. He didn't suffer, he didnt undergo months of pain and while we weren't ready for him to go and it was very sudden, we did the best thing for him.

Again, I'm so sorry you're going through this.

X

I am so, so sorry to hear this news. We have greyhounds and it's what every greyhound owner dreads, as the breed is particularly prone to them.

Your dog is very lucky at the moment, as they are not in pain, but a couple of points. Bone cancer can be incredibly painful so make sure you have access to good painkillers for your dog at all times, and sadly the tumour can make sudden, catastrophic breaks more likely - again, putting your dog through agony. Because of this, please be prepared and think very hard about when the right time is to let your darling go. This really is one of those horrible illnesses when it's better to let them go sooner rather than later.

Have a discussion with your vet and your family about the vet coming out to your home and letting your dog go gently, on the sofa with you nearby. It's peaceful, quiet and dignified and is the best way to go.

I wish I could write an easier post for you to read, but this is one of those horrible things where if you really love your dog, you sometimes have to make very hard, difficult choices which are for their benefit, rather than yours.

Wishing you all the best.

Thank you for your kind words. I didn't realise vets could do that Scuttlebutter. That does sound better than her going in the surgery where she gets scared. She seems so normal at the moment - still bounding about, though on the vet's advice we're not walking her. I'm holding out for the antibs working and it turning out to be something else but I'm also preparing myself. Or trying to at least.

So sorry you're facing this. I lost my beloved girl to osteosarcoma 18 months ago. She was 11, and I'd thought I'd still have plenty of good years with her, but then the diagnosis came and people were saying that once diagnosed you probably have about 4 weeks.

I let her go pretty much 4 weeks to the day after the vet confirmed it was a tumour. We'd had a family dog before, but she was my first dog who was my own, and it really broke me to have to choose to let her go, even though I knew it was the best thing for her.

After her diagnosis she was on tramadol for the pain and an anti-inflammatory, and that seemed to help, although she was lame for her last 3 weeks. I was lifting her in and out of the car to guard against fracturing the leg, and was sleeping on the sofa to keep her from climbing the stairs, but otherwise she seemed her normal self, if a little slower, and only using 3 legs.

The only good thing was that I knew it would be horrid for her if I left it too late. These tumours often spread to the chest, and as someone said previously, can cause nasty fractures in the leg. So I knew when the time had come and the vets were ready for me to make the call.

Hugs to your lovely dog, and much and for you. This is the worst part about being a dog owner; knowing what is the best thing to do.