Osteo Diagnosis - What Do We Do First?

[Guest RaymondsMom]

Please help!

Our sweet Raymond was just diagnosed with osteosarcoma. :v(

Since we adopted him 5 years ago, (he's 9 now) he's always had a rib that sticks out a little, which 3 separate vets confirmed over the years that it was just a floating rib.

 

It suddenly got much bigger. (We thought at first it was just more noticeable because he had lost a little weight after being on antibiotics from slipping on the stairs and losing a nail.) We brought him in to be looked at. X-rays show that his lungs, spine, and hips are clear. But he has a large lump. A biopsy showed that it's osteo. We have a very good vet who referred us to Kim Cronin at New England Veterinary Oncology Group.... we have an appointment on Thursday morning.

 

We are so overwhelmed with what's going to happen...why this happened..how we didn't notice sooner...We don't even know what to do first, or what questions to ask. Can anyone give advice?

 

From doing searches, we saw that many people confer with Dr. Couto at OSU. What's the proper way to do this? Wait til we consult with NEVOG?

 

This is breaking our hearts. Raymond has seen us though so many health problems in our family...we want to make sure we are doing the best that we possibly can for him.

 

Thanks so much for any help you can give us.

[Guest MnMDogs]

Oh I am so sorry about this diagnosis. We just lost our girl to osteo in her leg 2 weeks ago tomorrow. I'm not sure what kind of differences there would be in the rib. But I'm sure someone here can help you.

 

I just searched Guillermo Couto on the internet, and sent him an email asking if he would review her xrays. He is an incredibly nice man, and based on the emails he sent me, I have to wonder if he ever sleeps.

 

In the meantime, please make sure that you are treating his pain and keeping him comfortable.

 

Please email me at clev25 @ gmail.com (no spaces), if you'd like.

 

I'm so sorry.

 

ETA - I really don't even know what kind of pain he would be in if it's in the rib. So take that comment with a grain of salt. It sounds like you will have much better information after the onc consult.

Edited May 13, 2009 by MnMDogs

[Bevd]

I don't have any experience of it being on a rib so I can't advise but I'm very sorry to hear of the diagnosis and am sending good thoughts for Raymond and for you

[Guest vahoundlover]

No advice here other than encouraging you to contact Dr Couto. Just wanted to offer my sympathies and prayers.

 

 

[Houndmommy03]

I'm sorry to hear about your pups dx. We lost our 5 year old grey to OS 2 years ago. You are on the right track with Dr. Couto. You may also want to join the yahoo group called Cirle of Greys. They were very helpful as we navigated the OS dx and tried to figure out what to do.

 

Hugs,

Kim, Silver and Holly

[MandysMom]

No advice, just lots of prayers for Raymond.

[Guest trevdog]

We lost Trevor to OS of the rib almost 6 years ago. I'd consult with OSU as soon as possible, I wish we had known about Dr Couto then, not that it would have helped as it was too advanced by the time he was diagnosed. There are options, but it's very invasive. One option is to remove the rib(s), but it's pretty involved and a long recovery time, but we were told this 6 years ago, things may have changed since then. OS in this area is becoming more common unfortunately and harder to deal with than an amp of a leg I think.

 

Sending lots of prayers, but yes I would contact OSU ASAP. Also maybe join Circle of Grey on yahoo.....

[iluvgreys]

I'm so very sorry. It breaks my heart to hear about another precious houndie with OS. Pain management is crucial for Raymond's quality of life. Suggest you join the Circle of Grey, a yahoo group that deals mainly with OS diagnoses. Holding your baby boy in my prayers...

[Guest Energy11]

WE ares sooo VERY sorry about this diagnosis.

 

I lost Max, 12.5 to Osteo of the leg. I conferred with Dr. Couto along the way. HE is amazing! I would go a head and send him an email with your dog's history, and still see the other vet. couto.1@osu.edu

 

It is a day by day thing with Osteo. The MAIN thing is to keep his pain under control. I used Deramaxx twice a day and Tramadol, three times a day, along with a Pepcid AC for the tummy. I would ask you vet AND Dr. Couto about pain management.

 

Keep us posted, and our prayers are with you!

[sweetdogs]

I'm very sorry about Raymond's diagnosis.

 

Here is a linky to Dr. Couto: email OSU. As already mentioned, they are incredibly approachable & responsive. I believe I waited until I met with the oncologist before I contacted them, but you can certainly do so right away. They will consult with you & your vet & will ask for any test results & xrays that you have.

 

Circle of Grey is a wonderful resource as is searching around greytalk. There is way too much experience with osteo around here but lots to learn to help you & Raymond through this.

 

Bone Cancer Dogs gives a good overview about diagnosis & treatments. There's also a bone cancer dogs group at yahoo if you want still another place to research.

 

Please let us know how everything is going. I'm sending out many good thoughts that you will have lots more time with your Raymond.

[BootsyCollins]

I'm so sorry about Raymond. I lost my Argos to osteo of the shoulder in November. He was diagnosed in October. We chose to do nothing invasive and just kept him comfortable as long as we could. In his case, it was a month.

 

The most important thing is pain management. Don't be afraid to insist on aggressive pain treatment.

 

[carronstar]

I can't add anything better than what you have already been told. Adding my prayers and good thoughts for Raymond and for you.

[Guest TBSFlame]

Please help!

Our sweet Raymond was just diagnosed with osteosarcoma. :v(

Since we adopted him 5 years ago, (he's 9 now) he's always had a rib that sticks out a little, which 3 separate vets confirmed over the years that it was just a floating rib.

 

It suddenly got much bigger. (We thought at first it was just more noticeable because he had lost a little weight after being on antibiotics from slipping on the stairs and losing a nail.) We brought him in to be looked at. X-rays show that his lungs, spine, and hips are clear. But he has a large lump. A biopsy showed that it's osteo. We have a very good vet who referred us to Kim Cronin at New England Veterinary Oncology Group.... we have an appointment on Thursday morning.

 

We are so overwhelmed with what's going to happen...why this happened..how we didn't notice sooner...We don't even know what to do first, or what questions to ask. Can anyone give advice?

 

From doing searches, we saw that many people confer with Dr. Couto at OSU. What's the proper way to do this? Wait til we consult with NEVOG?

 

This is breaking our hearts. Raymond has seen us though so many health problems in our family...we want to make sure we are doing the best that we possibly can for him.

 

Thanks so much for any help you can give us.

 

I am glad you have an oncology appointment. They will know all the latest options and there are some. Beecher has OS on the rib and IMO he did better than my first grey who had it in his leg. Beecher had good pain control until the end and did well. We got 5 extra months. Because Beecher did not like to leave home we choose not to do treatment. The tumor grew very fast and became large but he would lay on it and it didn't seem to bother him. He was not a very active grey. Circle of Greys is a good place to be during this time. Lots of support there as well as here. I am so sorry and keep strong.

 

There are options, but it's very invasive. One option is to remove the rib(s), but it's pretty involved and a long recovery time, but we were told this 6 years ago, things may have changed since then. OS in this area is becoming more common unfortunately and harder to deal with than an amp of a leg I think.

 

Sending lots of prayers, but yes I would contact OSU ASAP. Also maybe join Circle of Grey on yahoo.....

 

This is true. It is more difficult to deal with than the leg.

[mom2four]

Hello, we are in the diagnosis stage of OSA also with our Jamey, although it is in his leg. Please do contact Dr. Couto at OSU, they are a GREYT bunch of people. I've been emailing with them for the last week, they are willing to help you in any way you need.

Thinking of Raymond and your family.

 

Tin and the zoo here.

 

[Guest IrskasMom]

I'm so sorry about Raymond. I lost my Argos to osteo of the shoulder in November. He was diagnosed in October. We chose to do nothing invasive and just kept him comfortable as long as we could. In his case, it was a month.

 

The most important thing is pain management. Don't be afraid to insist on aggressive pain treatment.

 

 

ditto to that . The most Important thing is to stay ahead of the Pain and do Quality Time with your Pup. give him some Hugs

from me .

Edited May 13, 2009 by IrskasMom

[fsugrad]

I don't have any advice. Just sending hugs and a for Raymond.

[Guest eaglflyt]

I'm so very sorry to hear this. Bless all your hearts. I'm keeping each of you in my prayers.

[MoGreyMom]

I'm so sorry to hear of Raymond's diagnosis. We are dealing with the same thing. Our sweet boy Charlie (seven years old and otherwise healthy) was diagnosed with osteo in the right upper humerus about 3 weeks ago. He had a chest xray and labs and does not appear to have evidence of metastases. At first we opted to just treat him for pain with Deramaxx and Tramadol, and he was able to continue abbreviated walks with me and seemed fairly happy. In the past 3 days his limp has gotten much worse to the point where he can hardly bear weight on the leg. I had another discussion with the vet today about surgery and chemo, and am strongly considering to go ahead with this treatment. I hope we are making the right decision - if he has 12-18 months of good quality life left with us, I think it will have been the right one.

 

Best of luck - it's a highly individual decision.

 

p.s. - just read your post in more detail - I'm sorry you're dealing with a more complicated case. Give Raymond all the love you can. I've been kissing my boy Charlie all day every day since his diagnosis...

Edited May 13, 2009 by MoGreyMom

[MerlinsMum]

I don't have any advice either, as I haven't been through this. I just wanted to say how sorry I am about Raymond's diagnosis.

 

Sending lots of good thoughts and hugs your way... :goodluck

[Guest Fasave]

Oh no! Not Raymond, Avalanche's & Quiet Man's obedience buddy??? Avalanche has been at NEVOG in the last year for soft tissue sarcoma which luckily they got with surgery, at least for now. They are very good there and the wait for the appointment is the worst thing. Is the osteo in his rib? If they recommend surgery, Dr. Benson at Vetcision just down the road from NEVOG did Ave's surgery and got clean margins when everyone else thought it was impossible. I would highly recommend him. I also consulted with Dr. Couto. His team is great. They will want to see all his test results and I would do it before your appointment so that you have another perspective going in there.

 

You guys have been through so much. I'm will be keeping you in my thoughts. If you would like to talk, let me know. I think I have your phone number in the GA database. Hugs to sweet Raymond.

[Guest Fasave]

Just checking in to see how you are doing. I hope all is well. Please let us know.

[Guest VirginiaGreys]

going through Osteo too....my thoughts and prayers are with you!

[Guest RaymondsMom]

Thank you to everyone for your advice and all your kind words! We are so sorry to hear about the loved ones you have lost to osteo, and appreciate your sharing your stories to help us.

 

We did join Circle of Greys and are receiving lots of information there. We discussed pain management with the doctor and got 2 different types of medications.

And we emailed Dr. Couto a few days ago, but still haven't heard back yet. Wondering if we should try again. How long does it usually take to get a response?

 

We talked to the doctor at NEVOG about consulting with OSU. She said she knew someone other than Dr. Couto there if we wanted her to email them.

 

At NEVOG, we got a LOT of information. We're feeling a little overwhelmed by all of it. It was a lot to take in and felt like we couldn't quite process it all at once. If I understood correctly, radiation is not an option for shrinking the tumor on a rib. We were hoping there would be something other than surgery to help.

 

The good thing is that they took him in immediately for more x-rays and an ultrasound.

 

We got the results today...his lungs are clear in the x-rays. But the ultrasound showed that the lump is probably pushing a little on his kidney and spleen. The next step is a CT scan (on Monday). I guess that will determine if he's a good candidate for surgery, if the other organs aren't involved and there won't be lots of complications. She said if he has the surgery, it will take 10-14 days to recover. We just want to get this tumor out of him! It looks like it's gotten so much bigger in just the last few days, although maybe just swollen from the biopsy?

 

There was a lot of other stuff, that I can't even bring myself to say right now because it didn't give us much hope..about the cancer being in his system even if we couldn't see it on x-rays. :v(

 

It's amazing how everything has changed in just this past week. Before we took him in last week to get the biopsy, he seemed to be doing fine (it didn't seem to bother him, other than he started to sit a little differently). When they had him in the cage at the vet, he somehow lost another nail! So he's been dealing with the pain of the biopsy, plus the lost nail. (We've had him on Rimadyl for the pain.) We're hoping that once he heals from that, he'll feel a little better. It seems like it's uncomfortable for him to get into position to lie down or get up because of where the incision is. And he hasn't quite been himself...not sure if that's from the pain medication. When I came home from work today though, he was up and wagging his tail to greet me, so that felt good.

 

We were worried about him getting in and out of the car to go to his appt yesterday, in case it hurt to jump up. So I ran out and bought a ramp for him. He looked at it like it was a torture device and wouldn't go near the thing! He seemed to be fine jumping in and out of the car after that, but when we came home, he didn't want to get out. (His toe started bleeding again yesterday from when he got the X-rays/ultrasound.)

 

We put on quite a show for our neighbors while we were coming up with solutions to make it easy to get out of the car! At one point, we had all the cushions from our couch on the front lawn, thinking he could just step down on them. Going back to Petco tomorrow to see if we can get some portable stairs that won't be too scary. If anyone has any recommendations, that would be great.

 

Hi Fasave...yes...Raymond is Avalanche and Quiet Man's obedience school buddy! Didn't realize that Avalanche was going through this type of thing too. Please give him hugs from us. The osteo is at the end of and surrounding Raymond's floating rib. Thanks for the Dr. Benson recommendation...we will ask for him when we talk about the surgery.

We want Raymond to be well enough so he can join everyone again at Greyhound Adventures.

 

Thank you so much for everyone's support.

We're still reeling from getting such bad news...and having an incredibly hard time accepting that we may only have a short time left. Afraid to hear what the doctor will say next. Does this kind of thing ever go into remission??

 

Doctor said there sometimes are miracles. Raymond saw my husband through a miracle (he had a heart transplant recently)...we're praying for one now for Raymond.

[Batmom]

For the ramp, I taught the dogs to use it by first setting it up in the house. First flat on the floor, then with one end up on the couch or bed. Once that got to be fun and easy (anything is fun if there's food involved!) we tried it with the car. We mostly use homemade portable stairs but the ramp is my fall-back position.

 

Sending prayers for Raymond.

[Neighsayer]

Sorry to hear your news.

Don't give up on the ramp yet. Set it up by your couchwith no cushions... to make it lower. Put a favorite treat (hot dogs here) at the top. Lots of praise and more treats if he goes up. Don't let him get the treats from the side. This has worked with several dogs here but there was one who still refused to touch the ramp. Worth a shot. Good luck!