OT how many others????
Submitted: Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 01:01
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Member - Dunworkin (WA)
We have had a horrendous weekend, we took out dog to the vet as she had been treated for arthritis in her left back leg for over 12 months now however it had got quite bad so were going to take her back but just as we were getting her ready to put in the car she slipped on the floor and broke the leg. We raced her straight to the vet and he exrayed her only to find that the arthritis was actually a bone cancer which had eaten away a small portion of the bone which is why the leg broke. We had two options, (1) to operate and remove the leg or (2) to have her put down (the option the vet said that he would take) however our dog is like one of our children so we opted for the amputation (there was no other option for us) There was no visible signs on the exrays of the cancer having gone further however we will cross that bridge when we get the autopsy results. She comes home tomorrow and we can't wait.
After all that my query is, has anyone else have/had a dog which has had this kind of cancer? if so what road did you take with it????
I was brought up on a farm with sheep dogs and had never heard of it before, my brothers are still on the farm with their sheep dogs and have never had this king of problem with them, it is strange that this one has developed it. Our dog comes off the farm, she is a Kelpie Collie X.
Cheers
D&B
Reply By: Richard Kovac - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 01:43
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 01:43
D&B
feel for you
We only have had Dogs and a cat, no Kids
Last dog got cancer in a hind leg, sadly we went for number 2 We cried
got a new dog Kelpie X (cross with everything) she's now 12 yr old and has more bumps than the missa, maybe 3-5 yr left and i get to cry again
it's hard, but you have to do as much as you can for them
sorry must go now eyes starting to
water up
Regards
Richard & Robyn
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 02:23
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 02:23
Thanks for your thoughts, yes you do cry, we have been doing a lot of that this weekend and we are getting our girl back tomorrow.
Cheers
D&B
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Reply By: PaulnLou - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 02:01
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 02:01
G'day mate,
give me an e-mail. I've not long ago had my 19yo kelpie x red heeler put down. She developed a tumour on a front leg five years ago and had her front leg removed. She had five pretty good years and I can give you some tips on looking after your old three legged dog. I learned a bit !
Seeya
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 02:16
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 02:16
Thanks, we will take any advice that we can get at this stage as we are in uncharted waters.
Our email address is: deannar@iinet.net.au
Cheers
Deanna
FollowupID:
467189
Reply By: Member - Doug T (W.A) - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 02:53
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 02:53
My thoughts are for you people and the one you love, Both me and Dusty hope all goes
well , I think you have made the right decision, and I do hope you have many more years of love from and to your Dog, My little Dusty has gone past 10 yrs , I can assure you I cherrish every day with him,
Good luck
Doug and Dusty
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Reply By: _gmd_pps - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 02:54
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 02:54
Thats the vet problem in the first place .. wrong diagnosis...
and your decision .. only you can make it ..
My daughter is a vet and I share quite a few of such incidents..
and also the knowledge of malpractise amongst vets due to
financial pressure of the uninsured public ..
good luck for your little friend ..
gmd
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 03:09
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 03:09
Thanks for the good wishes, we don't blame the vet as such as (a) we should have requested exrays in the first place when she was first diagnosed with arthritis but having no knowledge of these things thought what the vet said sounded right given the symtoms. (hindsight is a wonderful thing) and (b) the cancer that she is 'suspected' of having is supposed to be a very aggressive cancer in which case she would not have had it when she was originally treated for arthritis. Our main concern at this point is getting her right again. We do feel concern that we have taken the road against the vets advice but in our hearts we still feel it to be the right decision for us and our much loved pet.
Cheers
D&B
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467191
Reply By: Member - Crazy Dog (QLD) - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 03:15
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 03:15
Wonderful creatures.....
Sad - I know - had to put Jess down couple months back...still cry for her - whole family does...faithful to the end... 16 years old....
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Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 05:23
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 05:23
I can feel for you too!
Had to put our girl down 1 month ago. For us there was no No. 1 option.
Her kidneys had failed and she wasn't responding to treatment.
What we chose was the only option for her but we have fond memories of her.
One hour later we were on our way to buy another dog after spotting an advertisement in the paper.
Here he is, the little bugger.
!MPG:19!
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Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Wednesday, Nov 29, 2006 at 05:24
Wednesday, Nov 29, 2006 at 05:24
Thanks, he is beautiful you will have a lot of good times with him
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Reply By: Kev M (NSW) - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 06:33
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 06:33
We had our dog put down after she developed tumors on all four feet. The vet tried for about 6 months to treat her. But her feet were continually open sores and she was in pain.
We ended up having option 2 done, I don't recommend having the whole family there. We made the decision to have her put down on a standard consultation and our Daughter Ashley was with us. SWMBO was pretty upset and we now think that it was this experience that caused Ash to become scared of dogs.
We have now gotten her out of it, from persistant introduction of all types of dogs. Yes she learnt to climb my legs pretty quickly at the start but now she is great mates with the neighbours Collie X.
We have elected not to get another until we move at the end of next year. Can't wait for a new dog.
Cheers Kev
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Reply By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 06:59
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 06:59
D&B,
I am sitting here thinking back to five years ago when we had a similar problem and we had to say goodbye to Tess . She was a rotweiler / ridgeback cross and the kids soccer team mascot - used to wear her own soccer jumper . She had a degenerating backbone problem which got worse and worse until her back legs would not work . It was a terrible family loss .
I think you are doing the right thing with your dog - I have seen plenty of three legged dogs around that lead very full lives .
I have a new ridgeback " lardarse " next to me now - all I have to do is say " lardarse " and the end of her tail starts to vibrate . She doesn't want to move because she is too comfortable , but she wants to let me know she is listening .
Cheers ,
Willie .
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Reply By: Al & Mrs Al (Vic) - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 07:30
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 07:30
Deanna,
I can't comment about either having a dog with cancer nor losing a limb, however, we used to own Irish Wolfhounds - wonderful big gentle dogs, and we belonged to the Irish Wolfhound Club of Victoria, there was a dog in the club who was called Conan, he did very
well in Obedience trials a rare thing for Wolfies, Conan was hit by a car and his owners had the same choice as you, his leg was damaged and they thought it was tendons, but it was found out later that he had a bad blood supply to his leg, and so his leg was amputated. It's not unusual for dogs to have this done, however, seeing a dog that weighs somewhere between 70 - 90KG is unusual and many people were skeptical, however, Conan coped and so did his owners, they never regretted their decision and I"m sure you won't either.
As an aside, my brother has Labradors and one his dogs developed a type of cancer, he opted for treatment rather than having her put down, she is now happy and healthy 8 years later, I'm sure he's never regretted his decision either.
Hope all goes
well.
Lyn
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Reply By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 08:59
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 08:59
Seems bone cancer is not all that rare by the replies.
We lost our dog to it about 5 years ago.
Was in the upper joint and the Vet said he couldn't do anything about it.
We asked the usual questions about pain for the dog, and when would be the best time to end his life if we had to.
The vet said we would know. Wise statement. As the cancer took hold, a healthy dog became a shadow of his previous self. Hardly wanted to get out of his box. After 12 months we knew it was the right time, so we had the vet come around and inject him at home with the family around. In some ways we were glad to see him go because we knew the dog was not enjoying life, but we didn't want to do it because we would miss him so much. Had to decide on not being so selfish and do the best for the dog.
He is now buried in the front yard, and we still give him a cheer as we go past.
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Reply By: GU-Nissan - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 11:15
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 11:15
D&B
I feel for you both, as Kirby (my 12 year old Doberman cross) and I
have just this minute returned from a visit to the vet to check on a
lump on his lower jaw. The bad news is that it is a tumour that is
inoperable and aggressive, probably related to an existing osteo
sarcoma present on his left shoulder blade diagnosed back in June, just
after recovering from a badly broken right hind leg which involved
major surgery to repair. So all in all, he has had a rough year this
year. Still, I'm sure that you will know as I will that quality of
life becomes the most important consideration for such wonderful
companion animals as these, and will know in your heart when it becomes
time to make a difficult decision.
Wishing you both have some wonderful times with your girl before this
occurs.
Ross.
P.S. Reading this again before I post it, I didn't mean to hijack your
thread, but it just struck such a chord with me.
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Reply By: Member - John L G - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 12:32
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 12:32
D&B
Don't stress on having a tripod for a dog as our kelpie lost her rear leg in a car accident when she was a pup. Didn't slow her down at all and was a lovely companion living to 16 years before suffering a stroke.
The poor old vet probably feels just as bad as you do about the missed diagnosis but until all our pets insured, clinical diagnosis is mostly a valued professional judgement and some things can be missed.
If it was you or I, the medical profession in which I am involved, would probably invest in diagnostic tests to establish a cause with costs in the $1k region the norm. How a Vet confronts his customer with those sorts of figures would take some diplomacy methinks and of course there are owners and owners.
Hope your Best Friend has a speedy recovery and she will probably be wondering what all the fuss is about anyway.
John G
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Reply By: Steve63 - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 12:47
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 12:47
My sisters
Gordon Setter had bone cancer and had a leg amputated. I reckon it lasted a good 4-5 years after that. It took it a bit to get the hang of three legs but in the end it was out and about as usual. Hope it turns out
well. I would think this is quite common, the same as in people. It is probably just not reported widely.
Steve
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Reply By: Member - Alastair D (NSW) - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 13:54
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 13:54
Dunworkin,
I sympathise fully. Have had to eventually put a few dogs down over many years - old age, spine problems, snake bite. Each one has been part of the family and missed greatly. We have them all buried around the property and talk to them as we wander around. Will be a real wrench when we have to sell up and leave because of our own old age.
Had a kelpie that was hit by a hoon in a car. Lost 1 leg but after a couple of months could get around really
well. Lived to 16 the last 10 on 3 legs.
Hope it goes
well for you.
alastair
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Reply By: tuck 01 - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 17:05
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 17:05
Ya buggers, you've started my eyes leaking again.
Our little black & white mate (border collie) came home from the vet yesterday after 4 days of knocking on deaths door.
We shed so many tears over those 4 days as she showed signs of improvement, then slipped backwards again. I even had the hole partly dug on her favourite spot overlooking the dam.
She went in suspected of being snakebitten or poisoned. Turns out it was something to do with toxic
water of some description. She'd been out wandering a bit lately so we haven't been able to pin down any source.
Appears she will have some lasting kidney damage, but nothing that should cause too much hassle.
We are committed to hitting the road in about 15 months, and want our mate to do the first couple of years with us at least.
The vets and staff at Bannockburn Vet Clinic (near
Geelong, Vic), were absolutely fantastic while she was crook. They welcomed us over any time we felt the need to visit, left us alone when we wanted to be alone etc.
Good luck with your mate D&B. Hope she comes through with flying colours, and as others have said, she will adapt to the 3 legged caper no worries.
Cheers
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Reply By: Bilbo - Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 17:39
Tuesday, Nov 28, 2006 at 17:39
All I can say is that if it happened to my little mate, a Silky Terrier, in all four legs, I'd CARRY the little bugger around in a back pack and take him for a kerrapp!!
God knows what's gonna happen when he passes on.
Good luck with your little mate.
Bilbo
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