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I hear you. Truman had an injury in the same spot, and it was IMPOSSIBLE to keep bandaged. We went back to the vet and had it surgically glued. I just left it uncovered after that. Poor Lydia... I can't wait for this winter garbage to end!

Poor guy. Continued good thoughts for Aston, glad it wasn't osteo-related.

HA! Look at them being good spokes-doggies! I have no idea if Sanos is "one and done" or if it requires a maintenance product. I'm taking the Meezer to the vet later, so I'm going to ask some more questions about the Sanos.

I suppose I could give him a few Valium, then go to town with the scaler. I got one of these handy little things.

So sorry for your loss. Poor guy.

Right. Henry's original x-rays showed a tumor on his tibia, which had pretty much eaten through the bone itself. There were lesions all through it- the bone was not strong enough to be salvaged. They did a fine needle aspirate of the tumor, which showed malignant cancer cells. All signs pointed to osteosarcoma. We (the oncologist, surgeons, and myself) made the decision to amputate based on everything we knew about osteo and greyhounds. After the amputation, they send sections of the tumor out for biopsy, and at that point, we got the specific pathology results back. We were surprised to learn that Henry actually had a very rare form of soft tissue cancer called "spindle cell." So basically, instead of the having actual "bone cancer," Henry's cancer affected the soft tissue cells surrounding the bone. We've had to follow the same protocol as dogs with osteo (amputation and chemotherapy) but Henry's prognosis is a good deal better since spindle cell doesn't often metastasize to other areas of the body. It's less likely that the cancer will spread to the lungs or other limbs. We're hoping it's just a "one and done" thing.

Whoa! She really does look good (and I'm not just saying that). Henry was much more bruised and swollen when he first came home. By the way, Hen also had horrible, watery diarrhea for a few days. I think it was from a combination of anesthesia, pain meds, and eating a different type of dog food. I was wiping his bum with baby wipes until it cleared up. I am so glad to hear that Nell is home and eating! Very good news indeed.

That's fabulous news! Yay!

I've always taught 'down' by putting treats in my closed fist, then lowering my hand to the floor. Show him the treats, let him sniff, but but keep the fist closed. It also helps if you're working on his bed, where he's more inclined to lie down naturally. If he's too interested in the treats and doesn't understand what you're asking him to do, sometimes it's easier to wait the dog out until he lies down on his own. Pair it with your verbal cue, then click and treat.

Truman is my AKC pup, going on 3-years-old. His teeth all look fine, except his canines, which have a mild degree of tartar at the top. I could probably scale them myself, but he won't hold still that long. We do a water additive in addition to bones, CET treats, Petzlife, etc. It's just those two teeth that show signs of tartar. Frustrating! (although owners of retired racers can rest assured that you're not the only ones struggling with this issue- Truman never raced a day in his life). Anyway, we may be looking at getting him a dental sometime in the next year since the cost is pretty reasonable. The vet was telling us about Sanos. It's a type of sealant that goes on after the dental is complete. It's supposed to seal in the hard to reach places in order to stave off bacteria and tartar formation. It's also supposed to cut down on the need for repeated dental procedures. Looks pretty legit. Just wondering if anyone has tried this, and if you had good results? If so, I may pursue this in the future.

Go Biggie! I love seeing updates like this.

Sounds like a touch of arthritis, possibly from a gait issue or an old injury. If it doesn't seem to bother her, there's not a whole lot you need to do at this point. I'd keep her on a good joint supplement- Cosequin, Dasequin, or similar.

AWESOME! Nina has such an expressive face.

Keep us updated.

One of my guys is the same way, which presents a problem when we bring the dogs on vacation. I clip two 6' leashes together, then just turn away and ignore him until he goes. The more I try to coax him, the more anxious he gets, so I'll usually just stand or sit there and look away. When he goes, praise enthusiastically and treat.

Oh definitely. I'm sure he'll be ready for the Speed Run. I'm thinking about also taking him to Sandy Paws at the end of March to celebrate (money and chemo permitting).

Agree with Batmom.

Five total. If all goes as planned, March 22 will be his last one.

Glad to see she's been more comfortable. Those first few days for Henry were the worst too. Keeping my fingers crossed that she comes home soon.

Poor thing. Continued thoughts and prayers for your girl.

I hate when vets make observations like this, because as we all know, every case is different. My boy limped on and off for awhile prior to being diagnosed. Sometimes it was barely noticeable. At first, I was told the same thing... "Oh, there's no way it could be cancer, he'd be in more pain than this." And lo and behold, he DID have cancer. So while I do agree that any cancer affecting the bone is extremely painful, using "pain" as a basis for diagnosis is extremely unreliable. I'd recommend getting a second opinion, either with a specialty clinic that is equipped with an oncology department or with Dr. Couto himself (who is now at Metzgar Animal Hospital near State College, PA). Dr. Couto does consultations by phone and email. Do you know what type of biopsy was done? I'm trying to remember how everything played out for us at the time of diagnosis... I believe the e-vet did a FNA (fine needle aspirate) for Henry, and they confirmed the presence of a generic, malignant tumor. However, the exact pathology wasn't determined until the amputation surgery when the tumor was sent out to the lab. That's when we found out his cancer was spindle cell sarcoma, not osteosarcoma. Anyway, I would also be skeptical at this point too, purely based on your girl's symptoms and the high prevalence of osteo in greyhounds (especially in the wrist area). Even though rare, it could be infection or another type of cancer (which is exactly what happened to us). But I believe the initial biopsy would have at least shown malignant vs. benign cells... someone correct me if I'm wrong on this. As for the osteo vaccine at Penn, I looked into it for Henry, and there are a lot of requirements. The dog has to first be diagnosed with a specific type of osteosarcoma (HER2-NEU) to be eligible. They won't do anything until they get slides from the lab of the biopsy that confirms osteosarcoma. If you do get confirmation of osteo, your next step would be to contact Dr. Nicola Mason for further instructions. Keeping my fingers crossed for your girl and hoping you get some definitive answers soon.

Henry had Round 3 of Doxo today. Getting closer to the finish line! Anybody planning on doing Greys Rock Fredericksburg this year?

No advice, just wanted to comment on how adorable Iker is!

Yes, this was our experience too. The surgeons wouldn't let me visit Henry the day after his surgery. They told me point blank, "You don't want to see him this way." If finances allow, it's best that she stay in the hospital for these first few days. Thanks for keeping all of us updated! Love the B&W photo, absolutely beautiful.

Henry gets it prior to chemo appointments. Sometimes they run 6+ hours, and he gets restless being there for so long. The Trazadone seems to help a lot. He's not slow or doped up acting like he is on Xanax., just calm. No complaints here.