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He started pretty well yesterday, then broke way too wide. Finished fourth overall. I'm going to put out some feeler calls to Lester and Casey Alves (strictly informational!)

So sorry for this news. I was really holding out hope for a better outcome.

Thanks for the insight, Dick. Out of sheer curiosity, how does pre-adoption work? Cancun is with Velocity Racing Kennels. Do you typically get in touch with the kennel or the owner?

Wolfie's littermate is still racing at Daytona, so I decided to join the W&W thread. Probably just "watching" because he's currently a D grade, and the other seven pups in the litter of eight washed out early. He probably won't race for very long. Admittedly, I don't know much about greyhound racing and hope to learn something new. He did win his first race on Monday, though! Here's Cancun Heat (Craigie Whistler x Dubai Majesty). He runs in the 11th race this afternoon too, so good jingles are appreciated!

Yep!!! Use it and love it. I know they won't cover me if my dogs get heartworm, but that's what pet insurance is for.

Given that the W/D is already a weight management kibble, I might be concerned that the diet isn't 100% nutritionally balanced. As consumers we complain about it, but that's the main reason why commercial kibbles have so many other ingredients added in- to ensure there's balanced amounts of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, protein, carbs, etc. I know there are people on GT who do homecooked diets for their dogs, and when they say "homecooked," it's much more complicated than boiling a protein and rice or pasta. They're grinding up eggshells and cooking down bones in the crock pot to get the right mineral ratios. I'd probably speak with a professional before taking that leap, just because nutritional deficiencies can cause permanent, irreversable problems (liver, kidneys, behavior, all kinds of crazy stuff).

There is a powder called PlaqueOff. It did absolutely nothing for either of my dogs!

Whatever you decide to do treatment-wise is an entirely personal decision. If you don't want to pursue amputation, for whatever reason, that's your choice to make. I've always said that if cancer hit in my AKC boy (Truman) instead of my other dog, I'm not sure if we would've gone the amp route. He's so sensitive and jumpy. He freaks out if you touch him the wrong way, so as you said, all the repeat chemo appointments, bloodwork, chest x-rays, everything. It would've been a rough road. I agree with the others, though, and echo the idea that you need a new vet. I've never seen a vet allow a dog with a suspected bone tumor to go this long without a definite treatment plan- whether it be amp and chemo or palliative treatment (pain management, bone-strengthening meds, radiation, herbal remedies, and eventually euthanasia). There has to be some type of way to sedate her so that she can be comfortable and you can get a definite diagnosis. I don't think you have been offered enough options by your current vet. If she has a decent policy with pet insurance, my idea would be to find a really good oncologist. As Tracy said, it will probably be on the university level. Ask if they'll do a phone consultation with you. Explain everything and see what they recommend. I certainly wouldn't make any rash decisions until you know something for sure, but on that same token, I also wouldn't let it continue much longer (especially if she's no longer using the leg).

If she's avoiding using that leg altogether, it is safe to say that she is in an incredible amount of pain. All of the research I've done on bone cancer (from reports of adolescents and adults with atypical cases) say that it is by far, the MOST painful type of cancer anyone could expect to have. Bones are the foundation for the body's structure and movement. Because the cancer is weakening them and eating them away from the inside out, it becomes difficult to adequately support the body during routine things. Literally, every step, even the smallest of micro movements can feel like torture. Henry stopped using his leg for about a week, just as you said. He was still running around and acting normally, but carrying the leg as if it were a piece of dead meat. He wouldn't use it at all. In fact, this was a precursor to me making the decision to amputate- he did so well maneuvering on three legs, I knew he'd adapt just fine to being a tripawd. After we did the amputation and got through the initial healing process (two weeks or so), he looked and felt a million times better. The oncologist said you'd be surprised that's how most canine amputees are. They're not traumatized over the missing leg- they're really just happy the pain is gone. Anyway, sorry for going on such a diatribe in the other direction. In a roundabout way, what I would recommend is upping the pain meds and trying to make a decision ASAP on what you want your course of action to be. I tell people in the Osteo Forum all the time that unfortunately, bone cancer isn't one of the types of cancers you can "wait and see" with. Our oncologist gives her clients a weekend to decide- schedule the amp, or schedule the euthanasia. She explained that the reason why she does this is that too many people take the dogs home and try to let them live out the final weeks/months of their lives. Yes, they might get a little bit extra time, but many end up passing suddenly and agonizingly after a catastrophic break. Still thinking about you guys and sending hugs that it's another weird one-off thing and not the dread O-monster.

It's certainly a hard decision to make, especially if you have no conclusory evidence of cancer, other than a "strong likelihood" from x-rays. Typically, they would do a biopsy or FNA (fine needle aspirate) to get cells from the mass. That will at least be able to tell you if the mass is benign or malignant. It does sound somewhat abnormal for another "mass" to be appearing on the outside, but what you could be seeing is all the residual fluid build-up from swelling. Or, it could be a type of cancer like fibrosarcoma, that starts off in the soft tissue and cartilage, then eventually work their way into the bone. Even though I'm sure your vet is perfectly competent, my advice would be to seek a specialty clinic with an oncology department. As I'm sure you already know, OSA is extremely painful, and isn't really the type of cancer that you can "wait and see" with. Best of luck to you and Pal. Keeping my fingers crossed for a good update.

Agree with everything that has been said... five cups still seems like a lot, though. Truman is my AKC gargantuan boy (33 inches at the chest). When I take him to greyhound events, people remark that he's the biggest greyhound they've ever seen. He only gets four cups.

Definitely agree with Krissy about the joint supplement. Cosequin, or even something like Fresh Factors joint formula might give her a noticeable improvement. Whenever Henry lost his leg, another GT'er (tripawd Maggie Mae's dad) told me, "The one thing we wish we'd done was start her early on a joint supplement." Even though she beat the cancer, she struggled all her life with arthritis. Even a small, seemingly insignificant injury can be aggravated by arthritis, especially during certain times of the year.

Wow, can't believe it's been a year. She was one of the good ones. Love that picture of her and Seamie.

I used Cholodin as a supplement for my seizure dog, Henry. His seizures were always well-controlled, but I like to think the combination of the meds and the Cholodin contributed to that. If you're going through CCD or any other type of cognitive decline with your grey, this is definitely in the "can't hurt, might help" category.

No worries at all, Nancy. We just had to cast a wider net, but we did find the right one. He's been here for three weeks and seems strangely easy (knock on wood) compared to my other two. He's doing very well with the kitties now- barely looks at them. Meezer brought in a half dead rat today, and he left that alone too. *clap for the Wolfman*

As expected, he turned up positive for hooks. They wanted to give me Panacur, but I asked for Strongid. Good call, guys!

The item you trade needs to be higher value than the one he has. Lunchmeat, cheese, rotisserie chicken. Something with a really strong smell. Also, it's good practice to always give the original item back at the end of the training exercise (unless it's one of those occasions where you're walking down the street and he gets ahold of something dangerous or inappropriate). This is what I'd do. Start with daily trading up sessions, and practice 5 or so times per session. Rotate with different rewards everyday. He's sitting down chomping on the bone, you offer the "better" reward, and right as he takes it, you pull away the bone. Give him a second to eat the treat and process what happened. Then in a happy, upbeat voice, "Good boy!" Here's your bone!" and give the bone back. Eventually his brain starts to learn that you taking away the bone is NBD because one, he gets an awesome treat, and two, he always gets it back. Once you've got a solid handle on this, you can transition to "leave it" and "drop it," as they're essentially a more advanced version of "trading up" with some self-control peppered in.

Wolfie have been with us almost three weeks. He goes to the vet on Friday for his first wellness check up (yes, that sounds like a long time, but I wanted to make sure he was staying and didn't eat the cats before we did all the official stuff). Due to some poop-related stuff and tummy gurgles, I have the sneaking suspicion that he has some type of parasite. The kennel he came from said not to be surprised if he came up positive for hooks, as many greyhound tracks are dealing with them. Also, he came from Daytona, which would make sense. If that's the case, is Drontal Plus still A1 in terms of hookworm dewormer? What is the timeline for treating and re-treating? We do monthly heartworm preventative, which should cover hooks. Do Truman and/or the cats need to be treated too? I want to be as aggressive as possible in getting rid of these stupid things.

For many years, I've adored Spriet from across the oceans. So very sorry for your loss. Thinking of you during this sad time.

I once had a cat that came to me with coccidia. She was living near a dumpster outside a bar and eating garbage. Once she got Albon, she got better and it never came back. I wouldn't worry too much.

Agree! I know it might not change anything, but I'm still holding out hope for you. Feel free to join the osteo thread in H&M for more resources too. Just to give you some food for thought, my Henry got diagnosed at age 5 with what his vet was almost certain was osteosarcoma. We opted to amp the leg, sent the tumor out for pathology, and a week later, it came back NOT osteo. We were stunned. It turned out to be a less aggressive type called spindle cell sarcoma. Nothing really changed concerning the treatment, because it was still cancer, and the bone was still ruined. But the type of cancer was much less aggressive. He got almost two amazing years after that. He eventually passed away from still another type of cancerous mass (not in a bone). Don't lose hope just yet.

In my completely non-professional opinion, you're right back to where you started. There is definitely "something" on that left tibia.

Making progress with cats. As long as they're not moving, we're gold.

Sounds like it. My Truman licks his lips involuntarily when you scratch his butt.

Exactly. IMHO, considering this is your first grey, and because you have two small dogs, I'd stick to the greys that they're calling "cat safe."