|
Bill,
I am sorry to hear about the diagnosis for Samson. I hope you have noticed the symptoms early enough and there is sufficient care close by at the University. I will keep my fingers crossed for the best news.
I hope Samson's outcome is better than our experience last August, which I had posted about at the time.
Our Saint Bernard began limping on one of her front legs all of a sudden, and we noticed swelling just above the wrist joint. I figured worst case was a stress fracture or ligament damage as the swelling was literally not there one day and there the next... nope - the worst case was Osteosarcoma - bone cancer. Very aggressive, and once diagnosed is already in the bloodstream and spreading. The only treatment would have been amputation of her front leg, followed by radiation. She was just about to turn 8yrs, which is the bottom end of the average lifespan for a Saint.
We decided that we did not want to proceed with surgery (how does a 150lbs dog with most of the body weight carried on the front legs compensated for that?) and kept her comfortable and pain free with meds as long as we could. That was about three weeks...
There will be options and you and your wife will know what is best for you and for Samson. You'll be in my thoughts... please post when you know more.
-Dean
|