5 year old whippet - so worried about osteosarcoma

[Mistletoeandwine85]

Our 5 year old beautiful whippet started to limp and lose weight in November last year.

The vet wasn't worried about the limp (couldn't feel any joint issues) so gave him a month of anti-inflammatories and pain relief and said to give him an extra meal each day and bring him back in a month. The pain relief helped him as when he had it in his system, he hardly limped..

He'd dropped another kg when I took him back a month later. She referred him to a specialist vet re. the weight loss who did lots of testing and diagnosed him as B12 deficient and needing a hypoallergenic diet. She also wasn't worried about limp and wanted to treat the weight loss first and for us to come back in 6-8 weeks when

A month later and he's not gained any weight (but not anymore weight loss) but his limp is now so bad he can't weight bear on it and he's hopping on 3 legs. He's not really up for playing with our other whippet, but he's still eating and has a good appetite.

I'm so scared he's got oesteosarcoma. I'm also feeling frustrated that he's been seen 4 times now, at a huge cost, and they've all basically ignored his leg.

Does this sound like it could be? He's got an x-Ray (finally) tomorrow morning

I'm amazed you are a month in and only just being advised to xray. I hope you get some answers soon.

3 months in!
All the vets have been concerned about has been his weight loss. They've seen his limp as unimportant...until he can't weight bear 😢

Wow! I am gobsmacked that they have not wanted to get to the bottom of the limp.

I have two whippets, aged 6 and 5, our eldest one limps on and off all year long normally after lots of flat out running but then after a few days will be okay again. Vet is not interested in looking further as the limp always goes away in a day or two then she is back to belting around like a loony again so she is not overly concerned its nothing serious. However she did say that if the limp persisted after a week or two then to bring her back to have tests/X-ray as it will be obvious at that point that something else was causing the limping. I am just amazed that you have not been offered further exploration way before now!!

Whippets are prone to arthritis and joint pain, or so I have been told by our vet but also injure easily because of their gangly legs. I am keeping everything crossed for you that its not bad news tomorrow but please try and stay positive. There are lots of other things it could be other than the worst case scenario.

Good Luck and keep us posted!

Thank you so much. The fact your whippet limps on and off is slightly reassuring to me. Sorry to your whippet too though, I hope she's not in pain!
The trouble is, there instinct to run is so high that they often seem.to.forget they're in pain for those moments 🙈

What's worrying me most is his limp has just progressed and pain relief isn't helping at all now 😢 Also the weight loss, I'm so scared it is related now. He's gone from 12kg to 10kg. He's a small built boy anyway, but is now very underweight.

I will update tomorrow.

Here is a picture of him ❤️

This is really sad. If a dog is limping it's always a sign of pain/discomfort and I'd be worried too if pain meds are no longer working.
Even if you don't get answers from the xray it should at least allow you to rule some things out before further investigations.
Is your dog better or worse after periods of rest? They say if it improves with exercise it's more likely to be muscular as they loosen up on the move. Very much like people.

Honestly she is always limping. We can go a good few weeks and then suddenly she will be belting along the beach and pull up. A few days on loxicom and she is back to normal, hence the vet not being overly concerned. A friend of ours has a slightly older whippet who is 8 and has arthritis and limps on and off when it flares up. He has had it for a couple of years. Its manageable though, with meds, and he leads a fairly normal whippet life.

Your boy is gorgeous. He is very similar in colour and markings to my girl!! 😍

Keeping everything crossed for you. x

Will he drink warmed goats milk?

We have always given this to any dogs that have been unwell and need to put weight on or keep weight on. It's very nourishing.

Fingers crossed for you tomorrow with the x-ray. Can you feel any swelling in his joints at all? My lovely girl had osteosarcoma and the first sign was a limp...she was VERY hairy (Bernese MD) and it was difficult at first to work out what was causing the limp (I thought she'd hurt her paw, so was looking there!)

Eventually felt a BLOODY HUGE swelling right at the top of her leg/hip joint. After 3 months treatment/pain relief, we said goodbye to her 🐾 🌈 🐾 💔

Sending all good thoughts your way OP 💐

If X-rays ok then check pads for corns, very common in pointy dogs and can make them quite lame

Handsome lad 😍Perhaps if deficient in B12 and eating more food there maybe a nutrient absorption issue.

It's always a worry in back of your mind about sighthounds and osteosarcoma but it may also be that the pain relief helped the injury feel better and has now overdone it.

My lurcher had osteosarcoma in her shoulder joint but didn't appear to lose any weight and still had a good appetite on the day I had her PTS. Unfortunately my dog already limped on the leg after an injury to the carpal the year before. It was picked up when saw an orthopedic vet for further treatment for her arthritis and they re-xrayed and had typical moth eaten look. My vet had taken an x-ray of the shoulder and carpal a few months earlier which looked ok but it wasn't as clear picture as specialists to really zoom in compare the 2 after the event.

Does your whippet limp more on the road/uneven surfaces - are they ok walking on carpet? They may have a corn.

Thanks so so much everyone 😊
Will reply properly to you all once we are back.
Not long to go now (8.30am).

He's so thin it's awful to see. I can't see anything that looks like a corn on his foot but I'll mention it to the vet

Does he walk ok on soft surfaces? If so it’s very likely to be a corn. There’s a very good Facebook group that can help with solutions - many vets are not aware of corns on sighthounds.

My poor boy 😢

Oh my gosh! He really is pretty thin. I mean whippets are skinny dogs but this is pretty underweight even by their standards.

Please push to get this sorted because he really needs to gain weight and have that limp sorted.

Best of luck for today. I have been thinking about you.

xx

Oh no- This is awful.
I sincerely hope it’s not osteosarcoma- We has a Lurcher who had it and opted for home euthanasia- she was almost 12 .

Her loss is still painful, many years later.

The vets suspected osteosarcoma immediately because of her breed type and age.
( a slight limp that wouldn’t respond to rest or anti inflammatory drugs)

Have you had a blood test done specifically for this?

It’s very poor that they haven’t done an ex ray.

I’m NOT a vet but followed osteosarcoma groups after our Lurcher had it.

Is there a swelling around her wrist?
(Or where the pain is?)

Osteosarcoma swells - I hope it isn’t this .

Edit: Lurcher didn’t lose weight.

My Lurcher ( osteosarcoma) didn’t lose any weight either.
When vet came to perform last rites at home, vet said “ She looks well!”
zero anorexia.

@Mistletoeandwine85 A Whippet son knows lost weight fast but it was a meat allergy
Chicken and beef allergy- she’s ok now.

I would actually be reporting this- to a professional body.

It’s very negligent- Sighthounds are at risk of osteosarcoma and that should have been at the forefront of their minds.

I can see from the pic he’s not weight bearing on his right foreleg.

I don't have anything useful to add because I've never had a sight hound but just wanted to say how sorry I am - it's a horrible thing to go through. Really hope you can find some answers and help your beautiful dog recover. ❤

@Mistletoeandwine85
Been thinking about your little lad today, how did you get on at the vets?

Me too. He has been on my mind all day. Hoping that the X-ray went well.

Omg so thin, Can you ask for appetite stimulants - my whippet needed these when he was in heart failure.

@Mistletoeandwine85 how is your boy? Have been thinking about you all week and hope that he is okay.

This. You can brush toothpaste on the pads to show a corn up better