More Drama... dog related

[unclebilly]

Our 9-10 year old rescue dog, Roxy has had a sore leg for the past 10 or say days and her knee? is quite swollen. I had been giving her a shot of metacam every couple days and it seemed to help with the pain. We tried a compression bandage but this made he foot swell up.

Yesterday my wife and kids took her to our vet...the x-ray revealed bone cancer.

The bone cancer will eventually spread into her lungs.

Normally, an option would be to amputate the leg however Roxy's hind legs are already pretty weak having been hit by a car before we adopted her. The vet felt that this isn't a good option for Roxy because the additional strain on her rear legs and one good front leg are really showing already.

Our plan is to keep up the metacam every day and give her codeine until her quality of life diminishes to the point that she isn't happy. Then we will put her down. She has maybe a month.

It sucks when dogs get old. The meds allowed her to walk almost a mile this morning as we were dealing with some bad cows that escaped last night...

[KFC911]

Wow UB .... this sux on top of everything else you are dealing with

I would do just like you are planning .... do what ya can, for as long as you can, and then the instant it becomes "time", and you will know... then do the "right thing" ... and it will truly suck.

But it's what we do .... we owe them that.

Be well....

[Zeke]

This is tough and I'm sorry. However, if you know the outcome and a month is all that is left, why not plan now and do this before the suffering 'tells' you that it is time?

I know that is a hard thing to do. But we have done it and in retrospect did not feel any guilt. We felt it was best for the animal, not us.

[oldE]

Doesn't it suck that everything seems to happen at once?
Your plan sounds about what Joy and I have done/ would do.
I keep telling myself I don't like dogs but my heart doesn't believe the lie.
Tell her,"Good dog!" for me.

Best
Les

[911 Rod]

Sorry to hear this Unc. Sounds like you can't catch a break these days.

[matthewb0051]

Dang, that sucks. Sorry to hear it.

[Skytrooper]

Oh man, I am so sorry UB

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by Zeke

This is tough and I'm sorry. However, if you know the outcome and a month is all that is left, why not plan now and do this before the suffering 'tells' you that it is time?

I know that is a hard thing to do. But we have done it and in retrospect did not feel any guilt. We felt it was best for the animal, not us.

The vet would have done it yesterday but my family wasn't ready yet.

I will dig a grave and get ready over the next week and we will have the vet come here to do the procedure as we have done in the past.

[Zeke]

Sounds good. I thought our cat was about done a month ago. He rebounded and I'm confounded.

I too will dig a grave. But now I don't know when.

[908/930]

Not sure about bone cancer but possibly ask your vet if Prednisone is an option.

[flatbutt]

Damn Billy. You sure could use a break. Take care brother.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

....

I will dig a grave and get ready over the next week and we will have the vet come here to do the procedure as we have done in the past.

Yep .... I've done that before too. Take 'em to the bridge and they'll let you know when they're ready to cross ....

I've got something in my eye now.... memories.

[Chocaholic]

Be aware that the Osteosarcoma tumor replaces bone and is not as strong. I know you’ll monitor closely as you don’t want Roxy to endure a break. We went through the exact process with our 5 year old mastiff. Absolutely heartbreaking. Thoughts and prayers are with you and your family…and Roxy.

[LWJ]

My Lab Truman had a nasty tumor behind his heart. The doc gave him “days to weeks” to live. I bought him a premium hamburger as we left. It was his last real meal.

This is heartbreaking. Break all the rules. Give him a month of glory.

[JavaBrewer]

We are knocking on the same exit door with our little man Scout. We will be traumatized on that day but honestly we owe it to our best fur friends to give love and grace on their final days.

Thank you for sharing and know you have an entire community here who will share your experience and pain.

[deanp]

We've lost two Saint Bernards to osteosarcoma. Both originated in a front leg wrist with the first symptom being a slight limp. Our first time through it with Chloe we opted for pain meds to control the pain and keep her comfortable until we knew it was time to let go. Front leg amputation on a 140lb dog wasn't something we'd consider, and from the research we had done osteosarcoma metastasizes very quickly and cells have already very likely spread once it is diagnosed. Chloe lasted about a month from diagnosis to saying goodbye.

Our second go-round was with Abby. She had been out playing in the yard with our younger pup and came in with a limp. I gave it a day and felt the wrist, it was warm to the touch, so hoped for a sprain or soft tissue damage, but went to the vet to check as we had already been down this road. An X-ray showed the smallest shadow spot. A needle biopsy was sent out and was confirmed as osteosarcoma. Our new vet had just graduated from a highly regarded local veterinary school and knew the Drs that ran their oncology department. They said she was a candidate for targeted radiation, and explained that dogs handle it well. Abby went for, I think, 6 radiation sessions. Walked in and out of that place like a boss, they treated her like royalty, and we got to have a six-month farewell tour taking her to all of her favorite places. You'd never know she was getting radiation treatment, except for a shaved spot on her front leg that was pink like a slight sunburn. Those treatments got her past her 10th birthday. In the end, her appetite waned, and when she developed a cough and refused Mcdonald's hamburgers we knew it was time.

It is tough, as it comes on quickly, spreads quickly, and their minds and personalities are the same right to the end. It sucks, and I'm sorry that you have to go through this along with the stress of getting your Dad settled in his new place.

[MBAtarga]

[vash]

Excuse me. I just got dust in my eyes.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

The vet would have done it yesterday but my family wasn't ready yet.

I will dig a grave and get ready over the next week and we will have the vet come here to do the procedure as we have done in the past.

I'm sorry to hear about this Billy. Farmers deal with death, intentional or otherwise, on a regular basis. You would think we would be used to it, but it's still hard to let go of a dog. My thoughts are with you.

I considered asking the vet to come to our house when it was Maddie's time. We thought it would be less traumatic for her. But all three dogs go nuts when someone comes on the property, so on second thought we realized that all the commotion would be stressful too. We called the vet ahead of time and talked about it. They ushered us straight into Room 4 through the back door, bypassing the waiting room. It was calm and quiet event.

[wildthing]

Damn ninjas cutting onions around here.