MP_the4pack

Another test would be the liver function test. That's not part of the normal chemistries. My Topaz had normal liver enzymes, but had almost no liver left whatsoever. Her liver function tests were off the charts.

Just like kids, greys can get a virus at the same time. Usually happens in my pack. One gets it, they all get it. The grey could have picked up something at the clinic during the dental, and brought it home to the whippet.

If there is no improvement, you may want to consider an ultrasound. Cancer doesn't show up in general blood tests. (hate to say that word!)

Any news?

Can your vet come to your house? Mine did for Pearl. (we were at the vets getting Diamond xray'd. So since she was diagnosed there I let her go there) Also, I got tired of driving home an hour alone after losing my first two babies. I found a friend that was with me for Pearl at home. Unfortunately, I was alone with Diamond at the vets. Where do you live?

I recently lost two dogs that needed extra care. My Pearl had heart disease and hypertension, ended up with cancer. Dima became a tripod from cancer. They were a lot of work and very expensive. My heart is shattered and I don't know what to do with myself now that I don't have special girls to take care of. I have three at home now. Easy. Plop food in bowls, walk away. Very little meds. My old lady of 14 eats laying down. I just put her food bowl on her bed. I keep looking around for something to do. That I'm missing something. But I'm not. I do remember thinking "I'll never have to cook liver again when Pearl's gone". Well, I'll trade cooking tons of liver if I could only get her back. It's a hard decision. And it's hard taking care of them. Good luck.

tell me about it.........it's been a rough YEAR!

Not normal. Both my 12 yr olds were very active just weeks before they passed. My 14.5 yr old, while she does sleep a lot more, has a very good appetite and still goes outside and trots the perimeter and tosses stuffies and looks forward to her walks with enthusiasm.

Thinking of you and Whitey today.

This is EXACTLY what Onyx did. She started at about 8 yrs old. I finally decided to get an MRI done. I know I couldn't do anything if it was a brain cancer, but I still wanted to know. We saw a neurologist. Well, for two years after that MRI (where she was put under anesthesia, she didn't have another episode. They started up again. And I had something different done. (don't remember, but she was under anesthesia). Again the episodes stopped. She's 14.5 now. we haven't had an episode in a long time. But the MRI showed nothing but "an old brain" as the doctor called it. We do think the anesthesia did have something do to with it as valium is given to some seisure dogs.

She looks really good. (deja vu for me. She looks just like my Diamond. Black and same leg)

When Diamond was diagnosed, because it was in a spot that most cancer is in for greys, I did a CT scan to check for mets. Then went straight to amp. She made it 6 months. And they were a very high quality six months. (she went to the Bridge Monday. The cancer returned to her hind leg)

Another thing. If bloodwork comes back normal and there's no diagnosis, the liver enzyme tests which are part of standard chemistries, does not pick up all liver disease. Ask for a liver function test. I wish I had the year before when I was first concerned about my Topaz. If everything is still normal........do an ultrasound.

My littermate sisters died 2 months apart from cancer. One had Fibrosarcoma, the other OS.

See a vet. Unfortunately I had that once before with my 5 year old Topaz. She never made it to 6. She had liver disese. I hope it's nothing. But only a vet can tell you that.

Unfortunately, you'll know before a couple of months as hemangio is aggressive. I pray it is benign.

Pearl spiked some fevers that did respond to anti-inflamatories. She had cancer. If the TBD's come back clean, maybe an ultrasound is in order.

I am so glad she came thru clean. That should be a worry off your back.

Gigi, I can definitely feel your pain. {{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}} (I lost my 2nd in two months Monday)

I just found these two photos that I felt I needed to add. With most of her teeth gone, her tongue had a mind of it's own. Many times placing food in places other than her mouth. Like, on top of her head. God I'm gonna miss that quiet clown.

I sent Diamond, my beautiful precious Diamond to the Bridge yesterday. She made it 6 months as a cancer survivor. And they were good quality months. She wasn't feeling well on Friday. Not eating. For her, that's a major sign. The vets felt she had an ulcer. Sent us home with meds. But Saturday she was having a lot of difficulty with her left hind leg. She couldn't get up without me helping and she needed her sling to go up and down her ramp and to squat to do her business. But her appetite improved. So I thought she just overdid using that one leg. She had a terrific dinner on Sunday night. (I made her something special as I already feared the worst and wanted to at least give her a final meal). She snarfed down that and her ice cream. That girl LOVED ice cream. But yesterday, she didn't eat her breakfast. A favorite of liver and eggs. I took her back to the vets and she had two problems going on. She was starting renal failure. If that was her problem we could have worked on her diet and add some meds and kept her around for a while. But it wasn't. We xrayed her leg. The OS was back. I might have been able to have her a few more weeks with pain meds if that were the only problem. But with her kidneys in failure, she couldn't take the strong meds needed to stop the pain. I sent her to the Bridge on the xray table. She is reunited with her sister Pearl. I was so hoping to have a little more time to heal from that loss. Here she is enjoying her last Dewey, still whole. (her leg was amputated the weekend of Dewey the following year). Refusing to give into her sister, when Pearl wanted the sofa. She was the only one who would stand up to her. When she first came to me I almost called her Tarmac, Delta, Airport, etc because when she arrived at Newark from Fla, her crate broke and she got loose. Of course I was sitting there waiting, wondering why they hadn't brought up my dog yet. Delta Airlines arrives at Terminal B at Newark. She was found at Terminal C! In her escape, she degloved her left hind foot, you can see it still wrapped in the photo. So her first trip as a future 4-pack was to the vets on a sunday. She had the funniest sit. She sat way back on her hipbones. She always came to me at 9:30 at night. Like clockwork. Asking for ice cream. When she was still able to do stairs, she would join her sister in our game of Yoo-Hoo. (a hide and seek game we played in the basement). She slept in the corner bed. That was her bed. Now, still with three others, no one is in the bedroom at night anymore. As a tripod, she knew her limitations. When she got stuck, unable to move or get up, she would whimper lightly. It was her call to me for help. Even if her butt slid off the bed, she'd whimper asking me to pull it back on. She was the quiet one. But still had a sense of humor. She was also proud. No ramp for her to get into my car. She jumped up even as a tripod. My sisters. My Beautiful Gems. Gone. Diamonds are a girls best friend

My sister's are Onie Jones relatives. Pearl is gone. Fibrosarcoma, and Dima has OS. In fact all 7 of mine have Onie Jones in the bloodline, 3 have/had cancer. One had liver disease, and only one is alive at 14 yrs old. (the other two are 4 and 6)

I had 4 at home, 2 more at the Bridge. (neither of which died of OS). I did the same thing, just waited for my turn. And in Oct of this year, My turn came. Dima got it.

There are TOO MANY EFFIN OSTEOS on this board!!

Oh Kristin, I'm so sorry to hear the news. I do want to let you know I have a 12 yr old tripod. She had arthritis in her good leg and lower back. But she is now 6 months post op and doing great. She tends to stay on her bed more, but so does my 14 yr old. And she is pain free. Pretty much her post surgical healing was 2 weeks. She was pretty much back to feeling normal at that 2 week mark. She had very little trouble learning how to do 3 legs. The doctors all said she would probably have a longer recovery, but she was discharged very early. She surprised them all. I just wanted to let you know 12 yr olds are out there. Whatever decision you make is the right one. Because you do it out of love.