Appointment With Oncology Tomorrow...any Questions I Should Ask?

[Guest Dancer]

First of all, I'm so grateful for all the information on grey talk...today would have been much worse, had it been a total surprise.

 

Like many before him...it all started with a GSOD...during the usual morning zoomies. Initially I was thinking pulled muscle...but after reading many grey talk posts realized it may be something more sinister. After describing the symptoms, my vet was ahead of me...I didn't even have to say osteosarcoma. Then the x-rays were not good. There is a shaded oval about the size of a nickel.

 

I have an appointment with oncology tomorrow - any questions I should ask? Any tips? Words of wisdom?

 

I know that amputation and chemo are potentials...but mostly we need to know how far the cancer has progressed. The pain seems to have come upon him so rapidly...the past 4 days have been pretty bad for him. Even though he recently started tramadol - he still is in a lot of pain.

 

He just turned six years old, and has had a previous (2.5 years ago) seizure that resulted in a hyperthermic event with an extremely high temperature - that the e-vet and my vet had never seen or heard of before. Certainly amazing veterinary care that he survived and was pulled back to be with us...and extremely lucky we were within a few minutes of emergency care. This seems more difficult - I can feel through the look in his eyes

[galgrey]

I don't have any advice, but will surround you both with good thoughts during this difficult time.

[Charlies_Dad]

I am so very sorry. As for the Oncologist appt. write everything down before you go as we found that there is a lot to absorb during a very stressful time. We chose amp and Chemo for Charlie as he was young, full of life and healthy otherwise. Also we wanted the pain gone as we cannot handle an animal in pain and unfortunately Osteo is very painful. We were lucky and got another 21 months with our boy and they were great months with no pain and only mild side effects from the Chemo. The big thing about going this path is finances and the health of your pup. Also there are no guarantees no matter the choice you make which makes the decision so much harder. Good thoughts for you and your boy.

[Guest normaandburrell]

Read everything you can on bone cancer and in particular osteosarcoma in greyhounds before going, so you have some background information. NGAP.org has an article on line that helped us when we lost our first grey. So sorry you are going through this., especially with such a young dog.

[Guest IrskasMom]

I don't have any Advice . I do wanted you to know, I will be thinking about you ,praying for your Boy and keeping all my Fingers crossed to have many Memorable Days, Month even Years.

Edited October 1, 2014 by IrskasMom

[mom2four]

Sorry that one of your hounds might have osteo, been there, done that with Jamey.

 

Since you're in Calgary, where are you going for the oncology? Depending on where, I might have some tips for you.

[MP_the4pack]

Good luck.

[Guest Dancer]

We are going to Western

 

Sorry that one of your hounds might have osteo, been there, done that with Jamey.

 

Since you're in Calgary, where are you going for the oncology? Depending on where, I might have some tips for you.

We are going to Western Veterinary - on 10th SW.

[mom2four]

We are going to Western

 

We are going to Western Veterinary - on 10th SW.

 

We went to CARE with Jamey, so I can't help you with how things work at Western Vet.

 

Questions I would ask the vet: Did you X-ray the lungs? If not that might be a step. From there you need to decide what needs to be done. Our Jamey was a good candidate for amputation since his osteo was in the early stages, so we had the amp. He received chemo (donated by Dr. Couto at the time). After that he had regular check ups at CARE. We were very fortunate to have him with us for 27 months.

 

Good luck today. I'll look for any updates.

[Guest sireltonsmom]

So worrisome with Dancer, and I'm sorry you have to go thru this vet visit. I will keep good thoughts for him and you all.

[spottydog]

Very sorry to see this. Recently went through with the whole osteo treatment (but not amputation) at Western with Hailey, our lab cross. We got a 9 month life extension for about $24,000, of which insurance paid $5000. Not sure I would do it again. I have a few other comments if you are interested, but let's PM. An xray of the lungs is a good place to start, to check whether the cancer has established itself somewhere else.

[mom2four]

Very sorry to see this. Recently went through with the whole osteo treatment (but not amputation) at Western with Hailey, our lab cross. We got a 9 month life extension for about $24,000, of which insurance paid $5000. Not sure I would do it again. I have a few other comments if you are interested, but let's PM. An xray of the lungs is a good place to start, to check whether the cancer has established itself somewhere else.

 

These $ numbers were similar to Jamey's plus an amputation.

 

PM me too if needed.

[Guest Dancer]

It all boils down to two options...palliative care or amputation/chemo. He is a good candidate for the amputation/chemo - x-ray of the lungs is clear, he is in good shape and already getting around on 3 legs - limping a lot over the past day or two. What a terrible disease...

[Charlies_Dad]

Very sorry to see this. Recently went through with the whole osteo treatment (but not amputation) at Western with Hailey, our lab cross. We got a 9 month life extension for about $24,000, of which insurance paid $5000. Not sure I would do it again. I have a few other comments if you are interested, but let's PM. An xray of the lungs is a good place to start, to check whether the cancer has established itself somewhere else.

Wow! That is expensive. Our bill for Charlie was $5400 for amputation plus 4.5 days of 24/7 care. It was that high due to leaving at the hospital for so long and the place is the best hospital in Ottawa. After that the chemo is not expensive, it's the blood tests we found. Total was approx. $7-8000 and it was worth every pennie.

Edited October 2, 2014 by Charlies_Dad

[spottydog]

It's Calgary...it's what the market will bear. We had very fancy radiation ($$$$$) chemo and bone rebuilders, which was $1500 a pop...but it probably saved her from breaking her leg as she was still blowing off the deck after squirrels a couple days before she...was released for her next journey...

[Guest Dancer]

Calgary seems to be an expensive market. Dental work (for people) is particularly expensive.

 

 

We've been quoted $8,000 for the amputation and chemo - so unless there are complications, it shouldn't be as expensive as the radiation treatment.

 

Lucky they are able to get him in today...phew. Can hardly wait to get him home.

[MP_the4pack]

Best of luck. I chose the amp route on a 12 yr old. It was the right decision, she had a terrific 6 months before OS hit another leg. It was $3000 for me, I drove to OSU from NJ to see Dr Couto.

 

 

If you go that route, be prepared, the first 2 weeks are the absolute worse. They are anxious, in a fog, and you will wonder if you did the right thing. Try to make it past that 2 week mark and suddenly they seem to do so much better. Then they act as if they've always had three legs and you start chasing them down to keep them from running full speed.

 

Remember, whatever decision you make, pallative or amp............it's the right decision. Because you make it out of love.

[spottydog]

How is he doing?

[mom2four]

 

Lucky they are able to get him in today...phew. Can hardly wait to get him home.

 

How is he doing? They should keep him a day or two and then as Mary Pat (MP_the4pack) said, the first two weeks will be the worst. We put up an ex-pen in the corner of the living room so he could be with us and the other dogs could not bother him. I bought two cheap quilts at walmart that he could lay on and the blood that oozed did not matter. My husband slept in the living room with Jamey for the first two weeks (I'd take over on the weekends when I was home form work). We were surprised at how well he could hop on 3 legs so quickly.

 

Get as much sleep as you can beforehand, you'll have some nights with interrupted sleep.

 

Spoiler picture of his first day home- graphic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest Dancer]

So relieved the pain is reduced and looking forward to bringing him home on Saturday...and having him with us for a bit longer. He really got the royal treatment today - while he was waiting for his surgery, he didn't have to wait in 'the back' with the regular dogs...he got to hang out in the nurse's office with extra blankets. He is such a charmer

 

How is he doing? They should keep him a day or two and then as Mary Pat (MP_the4pack) said, the first two weeks will be the worst. We put up an ex-pen in the corner of the living room so he could be with us and the other dogs could not bother him. I bought two cheap quilts at walmart that he could lay on and the blood that oozed did not matter. My husband slept in the living room with Jamey for the first two weeks (I'd take over on the weekends when I was home form work). We were surprised at how well he could hop on 3 legs so quickly.

 

Get as much sleep as you can beforehand, you'll have some nights with interrupted sleep.

 

Spoiler picture of his first day home- graphic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the warning...I'll have to set up a 'base camp' in the living room as we have many, many stairs in our home.

 

Did you find he needed any assistance getting around? Would it help to get a harness to help support the weight as he trys to get around at first?

[mom2four]

You'll be surprised how well he'll be able to get around (not counting the stairs, as we don't have any). Jamey got up and hopped outside 6 hours after his surgery to go pee. You have to adjust to their speed, they will be faster than just walking. Michael just reminded me that he had made a ramp for Jamey so he could get up the 3 stairs to get onto our deck- Jamey did not use it at all, he jumped up the 3 steps in one bound.

 

A harness might be handy for outside in the winter though for slipping, so getting one might not be a bad idea.

[MP_the4pack]

My Diamond jumped off the deck onto the cement patio which is 6 steps the first day back. She beat me to the steps before I could stop her. I thought for sure she broke her one front leg. She did turn out to be fine. But I closed off those steps and built a ramp off to the side. When I had to do steps into the garage, I held her harness and forced her to do them helping her down the whole time (just 4 steps).

 

When she first became a tripod, I did use a harness to help her but after 2 weeks she was on her own. She went out the dog door, used her ramp, and ran around the back yard. Since they hop, I used a harness and put the ID tags there because otherwise she was constantly hitting herself with the tags or leash clip on her collar.

 

I don't know if she would ever have gotten her stamina up to the point of doing our normal walks again if she had more than 6 months, but it takes a lot more energy to hop on 3 legs than 4. And in 6 months we were never able to quite do the full walk. Tripods do tire out faster. You may never do your full walking routine again. But Diamond was happy and she could still run and chase critters.

 

One more thing. I was all prepared to see her without a leg, but I wasn't prepared for her look of shock at suddenly being without a leg. She adjusted to being a tripod within a day, but I was mortified at her facial expression when she first realized her leg was gone. That hurts. Yet now knowing that, I still know I did the right thing.

Edited October 3, 2014 by MP_the4pack

[Guest Dancer]

I went to vist Stolie a couple times today...overall okay, but he does seem anxious. There certainly is some pain even with the drugs...my thoughts are that the anxiety of all the weirdness around him is a big influence in his mindset.

 

I suspect he feels he has been abducted by aliens...all sorts of 'beings' poking and prodding him, no control over his body and in a really strange environment. (okay, maybe I've seen one too many Sci-fi movies....)

 

He has eaten, but not confident enough yet to want to try stand on his own or move around. That said, he did let us 'escort' him outside to do his business.

 

Best ever was that as soon as he saw me approach him, he started whining. I love that boy

[Charlies_Dad]

I'm glad everything went well. We had a harness provided to us by another GT'er and it helped for the first week. As Mary Pat and Tin stated you'll be surprised how quick they adapt and move around. A sling also works well and often the hospital provides one or you can make one yourself. Also have carpet or area rugs/runners is very important as it will help him gain his confidence if he knows he has traction. We have a lot of these left over from Charlie and some are still in use. Managing his pain from the op is key and you should know what dosages you can increase if necessary. Have a talk with your vet

in this and ensure they prescribe Gabapentin if it has not already been mentioned, it can really help.

[Neighsayer]

Speak to the vet about pain meds. Some make dogs quite anxious. If he has taken them in the past with no problem, just disregard this note. Just wanted to throw it out there, since I had a dog with serious pain med reactions. Thanks for keeping us updated. Good luck. Get some rest before he comes home.