Lewis

[fourofem]

For those of you who don't know about Lewis, he's my boy recently diagnosed with OS. I've decided not to amputate and keep him as comfortable as I can for as long as I can with pain meds. He's doing very, very well. If you didn't know, you wouldn't think there was a thing wrong. Christmas day, he took off around the yard like he was back at the track with the other three hot on his heels. I freaked trying to stop them. They all pulled up, went in for some water and sacked out for a couple of hours. Lewis was fine...I thought he might be a little gimpy Friday morning but not a bit. As bad as he was feeling last weekend, I wasn't sure what to expect with his OS, but I really didn't think I'd see him run like that again. I want to keep his life as normal as possible but what about exercise? It's not often that they all take off like that but he does like to play with Hitch...not a lot of running but play bowing, nipping and prancing. Is that too much? Should I keep it to walks? I'm sorry for all my questions....I just never thought I'd be dealing with this. Thank you.

[RobinM]

The good news is that he was/is feeling good enough to do that, but the bad news is that it increases the chance of him fracturing that leg by doing something or nothing. Polli fractured her leg by a simple mis-step going up the steps. A healhly leg would not have fractured.

 

So, you have got to make a decision you can live with. Me? If amputation was not in the stars for one of my dogs, I wouldn't let them run like that because of the increased chance of a fracture. But that's me.

 

I've been thinking about you and Lewis this week- however, i have had my hands full with Beau being sick.

 

 

[Batmom]

Haven't had an osteo pup. Batman had a different cancer -- mass that squished his lung/heart/stomach. I was terrified that he would overexert himself and die of a heart attack or asphyxiation or a burst god-knows-what. But it gave him pleasure to act like a lunatic, so I let him do it.

 

Guess what I'm trying to say is, you have to weigh the pleasure against the risk.

 

I don't envy you. Sending lots and lots of hugs.

[Bevd]

When Maddison had bone cancer (fibrosarcoma) amputation wasn't an option due to the location of the tumour. We let him do what he wanted to do. It is, as has been said, a case of balancing the risk against the pleasure they get and as Maddison was a four year old, otherwise 'healthy' boy, we knew it would be wrong (for him) to limit what he did so we let him run and we held our breath. Ironically, on the final night, he hurt his leg just by changing position on the settee.

 

Best wishes to you and to Lewis

[Guest EmbersDad]

i agree with robin. oseto eats the bone away and the increase for a fracture is great. i would prob leash walk only.