o_rooly Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 Another update in Post 1. Quote every day a tiny adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claudiav Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 noooo...... I can't believe this.... he can't catch a break, this pup.... I am thinking of you two... I don't think it 3 days for OSU to respond... I got the same message in April, when Remy was diagnosed with OS and consulted with them... Dr. Kellog responded that same day... I don't know how things have changed since, or how Dr. Cuoto handles consults at his new place.... Praying for you.... so sad... Quote Image removed, not within Signature Guidelines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MnMDogs Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Just catching up. What a roller coaster for you and your very handsome guy. I'm keeping you both in my thoughts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carronstar Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Keeping Aston and his humans in my thoughts and prayers. Just for the LA girl in me, which is your neighborhood park? If I know it, I can hold a picture in my head of Aston playing there. I know when I did the consult a year ago with OSU they responded within 2 hours. Not sure what the response time is now. Maybe Dr. Couto is faster since he is now doing things on his own schedule and presumably not quite as busy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetdogs Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Aw geez. I would contact Dr. Couto at his new address. I'm not sure who responds at OSU now. Quote Deirdre with Conor (Daring Pocobueno), Keeva (Kiowa Mimi Mona), & kittehs Gemma & robthomas. Our beloved angels Faolin & Liath, & kittehs Mona & Caesar. Remembering Bobby, Doc McCoy, & Chip McGrath. "He feeds you, pets you, adores you, collects your poop in a bag. There's only one explanation: you are a hairy little god." Nick Galifinakis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MP_the4pack Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 With both Kellog and Couto gone, I don't know what the turnaround would be. I'd go with Couto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Is amputation of the toe possible?? I believe Dr Couto is still in Spain lecturing so his response may be slightly delayed a day or two (time zone differences). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
o_rooly Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 (edited) It sounds like amputation of the originally-affected toe is not an option -- an x-ray performed on Sunday, October 6th revealed that the next toe over (the "other" middle toe) has a bone spur and severe arthritis, presumably from supporting the weight shifted from the bad toe all these years, so removing the corn-toe could exacerbate pain/issues in that toe, perhaps? Also -- the spindle-cell sarcoma is really present just proximal to the metatarsal-phalangeal joint(s), if I'm seeing it properly -- here's a photo of the lump from which the punch came:And here is the xray of the affected foot... the corn-toe is second from the right:Thank you so much, everyone. Keeping Aston and his humans in my thoughts and prayers. Just for the LA girl in me, which is your neighborhood park? If I know it, I can hold a picture in my head of Aston playing there. I know when I did the consult a year ago with OSU they responded within 2 hours. Not sure what the response time is now. Maybe Dr. Couto is faster since he is now doing things on his own schedule and presumably not quite as busy. Ours is a small park in the San Gabriel Valley. Edited October 17, 2013 by o_rooly Quote every day a tiny adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesiRayMom Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Maybe Jane (joejoesmom) would know what's up with OSU GHWP now. She's always been close with them. I'm so sorry Aston is going through this, but at least he's happy NOW. Quote Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
45MPHK9 Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I'm so sorry for all that you and Aston are going through. Quote Tricia with Kyle, our senior mutt dog Always missing Murray Maldives, Bee Wiseman, River, Hopper, Kaia, and Holly Oaks Holly“You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.“ -Bob Dylan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 You might want to e-mail the image and a quick synopsis to Dr Dyce at Ohio State--he knows gh toes :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarabz Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 So sorry to hear this but glad that Aston seems to be in good spirits and happy! Quote Dave (GLS DeviousDavid) - 6/27/18 Gracie (AMF Saying Grace) - 10/21/12 Bella (KT Britta) - 4/29/05 to 2/13/20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4My2Greys Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Aston looks like such a happy boy. It makes me want to smile just looking at his picture. I'm going to keep thinking very positive thoughts for your boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTRAWLD Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Following the story....you guys are in my thoughts! Quote Proudly owned by:10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 201012.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiggysMom Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 What a happy, lovely boy your Aston is! I am so sorry he and you are dealing with so many difficult issues. I don't have any advice, but wanted to send my best wishes out to you all Quote Wendy with Twiggy, fosterless while Twiggy's fighting the good fight, and Donnie & Aiden the kitties Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieProf Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Well, just to say that Beth has arthritis and a bone spur in her remaining toe now two years after a weight-bearing toe amputation BUT doesn't limp on it at all. It's quite enlarged/deformed but she runs and all with no problem. Quote With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
o_rooly Posted October 18, 2013 Author Share Posted October 18, 2013 Well, just to say that Beth has arthritis and a bone spur in her remaining toe now two years after a weight-bearing toe amputation BUT doesn't limp on it at all. It's quite enlarged/deformed but she runs and all with no problem. This is very encouraging -- thank you!! Aston's all ears. Quote every day a tiny adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Both nerve sheath tumors and spindle cell sarcomas are in the 'soft tissue sarcoma' category, and local treatment with 5FU injections may be an option to consider. Dr. Couto has had a lot of experience and excellent results with this treatment, but unfortunately nothing is published so most oncologists aren't familiar with it. Not sure if the oncologist(s) at OSU now would be familiar with this treatment option. Dr. Couto consulted with my local oncologist to provide the details of the protocol when we used it for my whippet a few months ago. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 This is not a tumor or cancer unique to Greyhounds. My last dog died of this same thing (but he was 12, the tumor was huge, and I did not have it removed because it was just too large). I don't think every malady requires a Greyhound specialist. Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Agreed GeorgeofNE BUT-Dr Couto will be able to provide the protocol of the 5FU injections ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carronstar Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Thank you so much, everyone. Ours is a small park in the San Gabriel Valley. Got it. Have to admit that as a Westside girl, I am more familiar (if at all anymore) with the SF Valley parks. Still, I'm holding a playing in the park picture in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Yikes, what a nightmare. You may have already said this, but have you done a nerve block of the affected toe? If not, doing one might give you an idea of how he'd do without the toe to figure out if amputation is a good option since you're concerned about the arthritis in the next toe over. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RMarie Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Good luck to you and Aston! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
o_rooly Posted October 19, 2013 Author Share Posted October 19, 2013 (edited) This morning, I took Aston in for his scheduled bandage/suture check + a blood chemistry recheck to see if his liver values are still elevated. The vet was very happy to see how the incision from the foot biopsy was healing:She even said that based on how good it looked, she was starting to second-guess the spindle-cell sarcoma diagnosis. His chest incision looks good, too: Also, in regard to liver values -- his ALT is back to well within normal range, and ALP is only slightly elevated. Yay for Denamarin!! I emailed Dr. Couto at ~9pm last night with the pathology & blood culture reports, along with the x-rays and a rundown of what's led up to this point during the past few weeks.He responded at about 4am confirming that he's in Spain at a Congress, but would try to get me some preliminary data by "tonight" (Spain local time). He emailed again this afternoon saying that he needed more information: a CBC, urinalysis and could my vet please call the pathologist to make sure that the foot mass isn't actually graduation tissue? and that sarcomas usually don't appear overnight.We only ran blood chemistry this morning at the vet, so I sent him the CBC from Sunday, October 6th, and took Aston back to the vet this afternoon for a urine sample for urinalysis. I asked my vet about calling the pathologist, but she wasn't sure what graduation tissue is, so I asked Dr. Couto to provide some background. Waiting for his response... but in the meantime, things are tentatively looking better, again. In light of the potentially inconclusive results from the pathology test on the foot mass, my vet also requested that the original corn that was removed on September 23 be sent for testing as well. I picked it up (sitting pretty, dried-out in a test tube) from that vet office and transferred it to my vet for sendout. I was hoping that the basic pathological testing would entail investigating to see what the tissue consists of in general (i.e., whether viral pathogens are present, etc.), but the vet said that the basic test would only look for cancerous material. oh well. I'd love to run a bunch of tests on the corn to see what it's actually made of, but insurance isn't covering anything related to the corn, its removal or the infectious complications thereof (since the corn is a preexisting condition -- we just signed up for Aston's current policy in January). Maybe when I win the Lottery... Otherwise, Aston did well today, was in good spirits -- tried to goose every.single.person who walked through the waiting room at the vet, and tried to nose everything off of my desk when I snuck him into work between vet visits:who, me?We'll see what tomorrow brings. Tonight, Aston's getting a well-deserved nap. Also -- is it odd that I'm not going through a local oncologist? I figured I would send the test results/etc. to Dr. Couto for consult, and thus far I'm just requesting stuff through the same vet who's been treating Aston since October 6. When she called to tell me about the biopsy path results, she recommended that I consult an oncologist for the spindle-cell sarcoma, at which point I just blurted out "I'm going to send all findings to Ohio State!" GT reflex? I figure that if Dr. Couto concludes that cancer is indeed in the picture, then I'll get a referral or find an oncologist locally to run treatment? or should I be getting my "first opinion" locally? My brain is fried. Edited October 19, 2013 by o_rooly Quote every day a tiny adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remolacha Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 I am a little lost with all the changes so I will just say I hope everything turns out well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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