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| The page was last modified: Thursday, 04-Nov-04 17:44:53 PST |
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| Colorado State University Animal Cancer Center: Where to Begin? |
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| What Do I Do Now? |
| Your heart is thumping loudly and you feel numb all over. You have thoughts in your mind of burying your dog and saying goodbye quickly. You have just heard the news that your dog has bone cancer. You feel helpless and hopeless. You feel so alone. You don't know what to think or where to turn. You have just been thrown into a journey that will forever shape your being and make you look differently at the world. You and your dog, who you already have a bond with, will trod down a path that will be the epitome of unconditional love. All those years of your dog being there for you, tables are now turned and now you will be there for him or her. Only you know your dog best. All their idiocyncracies and quirks, all their funny and laugh-out-loud antics, all their love. As you start this journey, know that you are NOT alone and you have to fight as hard as you can. There will be a time when your dog will tell you it's time to stop fighting. Hopefully that will be a long time to come. No matter what time you and your dog have left together on this earth, you will quickly learn two things. First, that every day is a gift and should be lived as if it's the last. And secondly, that the bonds of love are very deep and will last for all eternity. A good friend once told me that she always thought of her dog "dying" of cancer. Until she realized one day that if she thought of it as her dog "living" with cancer, that the fight became clearer. If there is one thing that you get across in this message, it's to do what is best for you and your dog. Don't beat yourself up for not being able to do certain treatments because of financial reasons, other pre-existing health problems with your dog, etc. Follow your heart and you will be at peace with it. Don't be too quick to bury your dog in your mind. Like I said before, each day is a precious gift. Enjoy that gift to the fullest. You will be forever grateful that you did. To help you through this journey, here are some tips that hopefully will be helpful to you, to help lessen the feelings of hopelessness and feeling helpless. If you have any tips that you'd like to share, please feel free to e-mail me. If you find these tips useful, please share with others who might be starting this unfortunate journey. Suggested Checklist |
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| ONCOLOGIST: Seek advice from an oncologist (if you have any vet teaching schools in your area, check them out). Most vets do not deal daily with osteosarcoma. Oncologists do. They can help determine which way is best for you and your dog to go. They may opt to do a bone biopsy or needle aspirate to determine if what your dog has is actually osteosarcoma. There are other type of diseases that act like OS, such as fungal bone infections and other types of cancers. Also, remember that oncologists deal in statistics. Each dog median survival time is different. Some dogs on the CBC list have gone into remission for 3-4 years after diagnosis and treatment. Not the norm, but it gives us all hope that OUR dog could become the next "wonder dog". Write down your questions and take a notebook with you to write down the answers and anything else your oncologist discusses with you. It's sometimes helpful to bring a supportive friend who can listen along with you. Sometimes you can become overwhelmed and not hear everything that is being said. It helps to have some back up ears. Also ask around to see if there are any studies , clinical trials or grants your dog might qualify for. It might allow you an opportunity to get procedures done less expensively for participating. It never hurts to ask. |
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| LUNG RADIOGRAPHS: Get lung x-rays to see if the OS has metastisized to the lungs. This will be an important step in making your decision on treatment. |
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| HISTORY OF YOUR DOG: Does your dog have any pre-existing condition(s) that would prevent treatment such as health concerns, vet anxiety, etc. |
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| RESEARCH: Research all you can about this disease. The more you learn, the more you will know what to ask when you see your vet or oncologist. |
| TREATMENT OPTIONS: The various treatment options to consider are pain management only, radiation therapy, amputation only, amputation with chemo, limb sparing and holistic and/or homeopathic treatments. Learn all you can of each option so you can ask your oncologist about them and hopefully make it a little easier to decide which option is right for you and your dog. |
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| BONE BIOPSY/NEEDLE ASPIRATE: Most people choose to do either a bone biopsy or needle aspirate to determine if the tumor is OS before they choose their treatment method such as amputation and/or chemo or radiation. Sometimes bone biopsies can come back inconclusive. Bone biopsies can sometimes be very painful and leave the dog more lame than they were before the procedure. It consists of a small scoop needle being inserted into the tumor and bone and slices of bone and cells extracted to be viewed under the microscope to determine the content of the tumor. A needle aspirate is where they inject a needle into the tumor and extract cells to be viewed under the microscope. Needle aspirates obviously are not as conclusive as biopsies (although as already stated, sometimes biopsies can be inconclusive), but is less invasive to the dog. It's a personal choise as to which method you choose. |
| INITIAL RADIOGRAPHS: The way to initially determine if the tumor might be OS is to do a radiograph of the tumor site. Sometimes OS will show up as a sunburst type pattern where it has deteriorated the bone. However sometimes it will show just gray areas. Your vet should be able to make an initial diagnosis based on x-rays. Usually by the time you see the tumor, OS has probably already been present for some time. |
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| SUPPORT GROUPS: Find a support group. There are several internet e-mail support groups such as BoneCancerDogs, CanineCancer, and Canine Amputees. The wonderful and caring folks on these lists have walked in your shoes before you and can be so helpful in providing insight, suggestions, experience, tips and most of all support. Because they've been there. There is nothing in the world quite like talking to someone who KNOWS what you are going through and the feelings you are experiencing. There is also a support group for those using a chinese herb called Artemisinin (Arte for short) called Artemisinin and Cancer. |
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| INFORMATION WEBSITES: These websites have everything you want to know about cancer and how to proceed. |
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| SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK: Pain Management What type of medications are effective for pain management? What are the side effects of the medications? What should I expect as the disease progresses? Radiation Therapy What will radiation do for your dog? What is involved in radiation? How often is it done? What are the side effects of radiation? Amputation Only Is my dog a good candidate for amputation? What is involved with amputation? Will my dog stay at the clinic/hospital and how long? Are their complications involved in amputation? What pain meds will I be given to help my dog with the pain after surgery?? What can I expect when I bring my dog home? What is the recuperation period after surgery? How much time will amputation buy my dog? Will my dog be able to use a doggie wheelchair or cart? (usually in rear leg amputations) Will my dog be a good candidate for a prothesis? Limb-Sparing Procedure Is my dog a good candidate for limb-sparing procedure? What all is involved in limb-spare? What are the risks and complications? What is the recovery period after the procedure? How much time will limb spare buy my dog? Chemotherapy What types of chemotherapy agents are available? Which are most effective? What are the risks of each chemo agent? How often are the chemo agents administered? What are the side effects of each chemo agent? How much time will the chemo agents buy my dog? Other treatments What are some of the anti-angiogenic protocols (Metronomic Protocol, Navy Protocol) What are some of the holistic or homeopathic treatments available (supplements, Artemisinin) Is there an Anti-Cancer Diet I should put my dog on? What supplements are good to help fight the cancer? What are the nutritional needs of my dog? If my dog get lung mets, what can I do? Surgery? More Chemo? |
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| Gulf Coast Vet Specialists: Answers to Questions About Cancer, Clinical Trials, Terminology |
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| Marvista Vet Website: Answers in a nutshell about Canine Osteosarcoma |
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