My Danny Has Osteo

[Guest greytfulhounds]

My Danny was just diagnosed with osteosarcoma in a leg he injured at the track 7 1/2 years ago. This leg has given him problems off & on for the last 7 1/2 years so when he first started to limp I thought arthritis or something with his toes. However, when the vet examined him his knee was swollen & the x-rays showed osteo. X-rays were also sent to a radiologist who told my vet not to bother with a bone tap as the x-rays show a high probability of osteo. My vet explained that to go ahead with the bone biopsy would be painful to Danny & would also risk fracture of the bone......I agreed.

 

Amputation is not something that I am considering. I am looking for palliative care options or even things that may have been proven to slow down the growth. Danny is still his happy, silly self right now & as long as he is still loving life I want to help him live it as pain free as possible.

 

Right now Dan is being treated with Rimadyl & Tramadol (when needed). He is eating great & coming back for seconds on his treats.

 

My vet talked about a medication she has only read about, but not used, called Pamidronate which would be given intravenously every 28 days. She said it has been shown to stop the break down of the bone & even promote new bone growth. I have only begun to research it online. One of the things that I have read is that it also produces new blood vessels which could cause the cancer to grow.

 

Anything you all have to share would be greatly appreciated by Dan & myself. Thank you.

Edited September 25, 2010 by greytfulhounds

[Charlies_Dad]

I am very sorry to hear about Danny's diagnosis. I suggest you contact Jen (NeylasMom) if you are going the palliative care route as she has had success with Neyla. They just celebrated 4 months post dx which is awesome. I know Jen has been trying several approaches. We chose amp and Chemo for our Charlie so our paths are different however I understand exactly how you are feeling.

 

Give Danny a big hug from me.

[nyGreys]

I am very sorry. Sending many prayers & hugs.

[Guest greytfulhounds]

Thank you! Please give Charlie hugs from Danny & I too.....I will keep you & Charlie in my prayers.

 

I am very sorry. Sending many prayers & hugs.

 

Thank you, we appreciate them all! :-)

[CaliforniaGreys]

Many prayers for Danny.

 

I have little experience with this drug for people, never with dogs. I remember having to closely watch platelets though.

[MandysMom]

I'm sorry to read of Danny's diagnosis. Sending prayers for your boy.

[Guest GryffinSong]

I'm so very, very sorry to hear this. Osteo truly stinks. I did palliative care with Gryffin, and he was on three pain meds toward the end. Tramadol was one of them, as well as the fentanyl patch and another which escapes me at the moment. I'm not familiar with the other you've mentioned. Hugs to you both! :

[teri_d]

oh i am so sorry to hear of the dx -- check out the osteo diagnosis thread on here - 25 or so pages of some wonderful advice and the emotional support you will crave with the coming times -- i agree that jen is so helpful because of her experience with neyla also sutra is maybe at 6 months?? and a good source of help/advice/support -- hugs to you all - teri

[LuvAPuppy]

I'm not incredibly familiar with pamidronate except to know it is the same type of med as the more familiar Fosamax or Boniva, used for osteoporosis or osteogenesis imperfecta

[GeorgeofNE]

I'm so sorry.

 

From what I've learned by reading and from friends who have gone through it, there isn't anything you can do but manage the pain. Just enjoy the time you have left and keep him as comfortable as possible, and spoil him rotten.

[Guest TeddysMom]

I'm so sorry. No advise or experience but lots of prayers and comforting thoughts will be ongoing for Danny and you.

[iluvgreys]

I see that you've already joined Circle of Grey. Such a supportive group and great resource for info. Holding your sweet boy in my prayers for MUCH more quality time with you.

[sabrina]

Sorry to hear that Danny has osteo, hoping the best for you

[4greyhounds]

I am so Very Sorry! Sending many prayers and Good Thoughts....

[carronstar]

I am so sorry to hear this diagnosis. No advice, my girl was far too old to do anything other than pain meds. Sending lots of prayers and good thoughts.

[mychip1]

So sorry to hear. Many prayers.

[joejoesmom]

I am so sorry to hear about your Danny. Like Charlies Dad, I have chosen amputation and chemo for my 7 year old boy. But I do understand the heartbreak.

 

Dr. Couto at OSU is an oncologist specializing in greyhounds. I don't know what advice OSU would give you except the standard palliative care (tramadol, gabapentin, and an NSAID like Deramaxx) but it might be worth a shot. I will put contact info at the end of this message.

 

Neyla's Mom has done a ton of research on alternative treatments. She would be a very good source.

 

Here is info on OSU:

 

Here is info on how to contact Dr. Couto and his team. The email or phone consult is free, however a few people have been told they must sign up for the website ($50) and submit the request that way. Dr. Couto tells me that this is not true. However, if you are a member of their website, please submit your request that way because it will automate things and make record keeping for them easier. Certain chemo drugs are free; you would need to pay to have them administered.

 

Greyhound Health and Wellness Program

Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine

601 Vernon Tharp Street

Columbus, Ohio 43210

Phone: (614) 247-6757 or (614) 247-8490

Email: greyosu@osu.edu

Website: http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/GHWP.htm (registration and fee now required to get full access to this site)

 

This email goes to the team. If Dr. Couto is traveling, you may get a quicker answer from one of his team members. Drs. Marin and Zaldivar typically respond to greyhound owners. The consult is free but if you can afford to support the program please do so. You can sign up for full access to the website ($99 per calendar year) or donate through the giving page on the website. If you decide to donate, you can double your money by giving through the Greyhound Project. Just go to this website and scroll down to the appropriate donation button: http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/donate.shtml. They will match the funds that you donate.

 

The Team:

 

Dr. Couto, Department Head, Greyhound Medicine, Oncology and Hematology

Dr. Lili Marin, Greyhound Health and Oncology

Dr. Sara Zaldivar, Greyhound Health and Oncology

Dr. William Kisselberth, Oncology

Dr. Cheryl London, Oncology

Dr. Cristina Iazbik, Blood Bank Director and Hematologist

Dr. Bridget Urie, Oncology Resident

Dr. Matt Sherger, Oncology Resident

Dr. Joelle Fenger, Oncology Resident

Dr. Roberta Portela, Oncology Resident

Dawn Hudson, Vet Tech

Ashley DeFelice, Vet Tech

Stacey Gallant, Vet Tech

 

Drs Marin and Zaldivar are originally from Spanish speaking countries. If you have trouble understanding them over the phone, you might ask for one of the other vets or vet techs to “translate”.

 

Dr. Couto's direct email is:

couto.1@osu.edu

His phone number is also 614-247-6757. If he is in town, he typically returns emails in the early hours of the morning.

 

You should know that (in my humble opinion) they need more staff. Unfortunately finances do not permit it at this time. They do 20 to 30 greyhound consults a day along with all of their "in canine" patients. Depending on their workload there may be a wait for the consultation. If you are contacting them on an emergency basis, please let them know.

If you want to make an appointment to be seen in person/canine, you can call the main number to set up a date/time. The main number for the veterinary hospital is 614-292-3551.

 

If you decide to visit OSU please contact me. I may be able to put you up in a local home, provide moral support, or just help with logistics:

 

Finewhipador-drool@yahoo.com

 

I do know that Dr. Couto is out until October 5 but someone on his team could help you.

 

Jane

[BootsyCollins]

I'm very sorry to hear your news. I lost a hound to osteo two years ago - he lasted for 3 weeks after diagnosis.

 

I strongly recommend that you get in touch with both Neylasmom and Krissn333. Both had dogs diagnosed around the same time and both are having great success with two different treatments. Kristin is using pamindronate, so she may be a great resource for you. I am not sure what Jen is doing, but it's worth getting in touch with her.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. We're all here for you when / if you need us.

[fsugrad]

I am so sorry for this awful news.

Sending hugs to you and lots of prayers going out to your Danny.

:hope

[fourofem]

I'm sorry to hear about your boy....it's an all too familiar story. I chose palliative care for Lewis and had several months of good time with him. I did a combo of Tramadol (low dose for a while and picked it up later when he needed it more) and Metacam and totally changed his diet. Later, we switched the Metacam for something that I can't remember the name of right this second...I know it started with a P (Peroxicam?). I hope whatever you do gives you plenty of good time with Danny.

 

 

[GreyPoopon]

I'm sorry. I hope your boy has a lot of comfortable days ahead.

 

With Cora, we found out too late, and could do nothing for her. With Tally, we used an NSAID (Metacam) and Tramadol, gradually increasing the Tramadol over time. She lasted exactly 16 weeks. She could have hobbled on a bit longer, but after watching what Cora went through, I couldn't let her try.

[Guest greytfulhounds]

Thank you all for the thoughts, prayers, advice & information........Danny & I appreciate it all!

[Guest vahoundlover]

Thinking about you two. I hope you both had a good day today and many many more to come.

 

Did Danny get his burger, fries AND strawberry ice cream?

[MP_the4pack]

I see you're from NJ too.

 

I can't help you with your specific request. I wanted to let you know that I took the trip out to OSU from NJ and based on Dr. Couto's advice, I went the amp route with Dima a year ago. She turned 12 two weeks after surgery and she had a very good 6 months.

 

Hugs to you. This is such a horrid disease.

[Guest Smiley]

I am so very sorry to hear your news. We have been through this twice this year unfortunately . We did choose palliative care with Peanut once we finally got a firm diagnosis and when all was said and done, we got 2 1/2 pretty good months with her following the start of her limp. We had her on Deramaxx (I think this was not very helpful, but the vet prescribed it initially), tramadol and then gababpentin her last two days while we said our goodbyes. One thing we did do that I'm very happy we did in retrospect was to keep her on leash most of that time. We had thought she had a soft tissue injury (the x-rays were clean so that was the initial diagnosis) and were keeping her quiet and rested. I think had we let her run, she may have incurred a fracture at some point early on (she did eventually incur a small fracture and that was when we said goodbye).

 

It's such a tough time and please know that we are all here for you!