Osteosarcoma, Bone Cancer

Hi, my name is Trude and I have a wonderful Blue greatdane called Benson, he will be 8yrs old in January 2004, he weighs in at 82kgs, he's from Dutch breeding and large boned, he's just a big softy and everyone loves him. Unfortunately on Thursday, he was diagnosed with bone cancer in his lower leg and I have been told that because of his size, amputation is out of the question, he just started to limp on his left foot, this went on for a few days, I thought this was due to his playing with his girlfriend Porchia who is GreatDane crossed with a Neopolitan Mastiff, she's also a big girl. I took Benson to the vets, who are great and have known him since he was a pup, and they sedated him so that they could X-ray his left foot, but before that, they exercised him to see where the possible problem was, but found that it was his right foot that was causing him problems. We were called in to see the vet and then told gently that Benson had bone cancer, as you can imagine, we were devostated and then to be told that we only had six months with him because he has an aggresive form of cancer and that this would spread to his respatory system was all too much, I still can't take this in and when I look at him I can't really believe it, I thought we would have him into old age. Porchia will be completely lost without him, as she is besoted with him and when he visits the vet for a check-up she cries constantly for him. I'm feeling so lost at the moment and just keep giving him his anti-immflamatory tablets and just keep hoping that this is just a bad dream and he has never been ill before.
Has anyone else had this experience before, if you have please,please let me know how you coped?

Hi Trude

I have a Blue Dane with Cancer, Bruno has had 3 tumours removed so far, they have all been an agressive type, he is 5 yrs old. We have said that when he is actually suffering from the cancer we will have him put to sleep at home in front of the fire. So far the tumours have been removed before they caused any real problem, one was in the left side of his face, one was on his back and the most recent one was in his eyelid, the vet has done an amazing job you can hardly see it was there.
Bruno has also had wobblers for most of his life, he's had a hard life first used as a guard dog and tethered outside, then we got him from Rescue, since then hes been pampered and spoilt and gets everything he wants.

8 yrs is not a bad age really for a large male dane, just look at it as you have given him the best home he can have.

Sully

My 9 year old harlequin bitch Molly was diagnosed with bone cancer in her right front leg yesterday. It too started as a slight limp only a couple of weeks ago.
How have you coped, and is Benson still with you?
It's increadible that such a beautiful dog, who has never had any ilness, should be taken like this. The vet has given her 3 months.
PLease give me a little feedback.
Kind Regards, Andy Marsh

My black dog, George, was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on the right side of his face when he was 5 months old. The first operation to remove the lump was done and the lump sent off the path. lab. for diagnosis. Before we had even had the results back the lump had come back (within 4 days) worse than ever. The vet managed to do radical surgery and remove part of his cheek bone - that was over five years ago and touch wood George is still going strong and better than ever.

The surgery was so well done that George managed to win at several open shows despite a slight indentation on his cheek. When he was a year old he started to limp and we were really worried that the cancer had returned. He had to have an operation on his shoulder as he was diagnosed with OCD. This operation was also successful.

Never give up hope.

Louise

Andy, I'm sorry to hear about Molly. We lost our first two to bone cancer.

The first was our first dane, Sam, who as a pup had had an operation to straighten out the growth plate at his right wrist. This involved cutting a "V" in the bone at the joint; I understand it improved matters considerably although he had a twisted leg when we got him at 2 years. Anyway, he went very slightly lame on Christmas Eve in his sixth year, and 10 days later he was PTS as he was in great pain and could no longer put his foot down. Like Molly, he had never been ill before.

Amputation was not really an option as Sam was a large and very active Dane. Ironically, the attempts to straighten his leg were probably responsible for his ultimate demise: it is not uncommon for dogs who have suffered a break to end up with a tumour on the site.

Chas also had bone cancer, this time in his femur. We had him x-rayed after a fall; the vet was superb and explained the x-rays to us, and then told us he had eight weeks; we got nine. In truth we knew about 5 months before he was officially diagnosed as we could see the thigh muscle wasting away in the affected leg.

With Sam painkillers didn't really seem to help as his cancer was acute; with Chas, however, the painkillers helped a great deal.

I hope you have plenty of quality time with Molly.

Hazel

Thanks for the kind words. We started Molly on Zubrin today, and it seems to have eased the pain a little. She seems brighter, and has started to bark at dogs on TV again!
We moved here to Mallorca, Spain exactly one year ago from the UK, and Molly has loved her year in the sunshine. Rest assured that she will be spoiled beyond belief in the next weeks.
Thanks again.

Molly died at 11pm last night. She stood up to go outside, and collapsed, unable to get up, and in extreme pain. The cancer was obviously much more advanced than we thought.
I called the vet, and she was put to sleep, outside where she fell, under the moon and stars on a beautiful clear spring night, in my wife and my arms.
She was my best friend, and a joy to anyone who knew her.
I will miss her terribly.

Andy

I'm very sorry for your loss. I know that your and your wife's presence must have given Molly a lot of comfort when she died. My thoughts are with you and your family.

Randall

I'm really sorry to hear about Molly.

Hazel

I am really sorry to hear about Molly,

It sounds like she had a good life though.

Paul

My last Great Dane, Max, had bone cancer too. It started as a limp. He was given no more then 6 months to a year. I was never given anti inflammatory meds but pain pills. It grew really big but he could still get up and down, go outside, eat and all of that. he lived 8 months since but has passed on his own.

I took him to 3 vets. Because of his age....9 years...I refused to put him under so the vet lifted his leg up on the xray table and got an xray. One vet said they can use 3 legs and adjust to it. My other vet said due to his age, it wouldn't be feasible cause in natural years he wouldn't live long afterwards and he would have to endure chemo as well as recovery from the surgery. He told me to just keep him comfortable.

We built a ramp so he could easily get up and down. Towards the end he would use the deck. then at the very end he was on diapers...which he wouldn't like and move off of them. I believe the pain meds did him in since their intestines can only take so much of it so the last night of his life he started bleeding and it was just a matter of hours after that he passed on.

I question myself if I should of put him down instead but he never showed any pain and if I would mention he wasn't moving or getting up and it maybe time, he would get up and move as I was telling someone else that. As if he was telling me not to. He ate good even till the last day and never wanted for nothing. The only thing different was he couldn't follow me around the house the last couple of weeks.

I also would switch his pain meds and give his body a break from them. Towards the end you really can't do that cause they can feel the pain so much more. Keep the food moist also. I used the packets of shredded beef and cheese mixed with 2 cans of canned food. Its easier on their stomachs. I also gave him chicken noodle soup if he had sick days. They also have rolls of some type of sausage rolls at petsmart. You cut it like lunchmeat and he loved it. If you don't put them down you have to work with the food to get them to want to eat.

Its a sad feeling watching them. He meant so much to me. He went everywhere with me...that 190 lb harlequin. He is now in a pet cemetary so I can see him.

Well, it's two months to the day that Molly died. The pain of her loss is still terrible.
We're very lucky, in that our house here in Spain has a big garden, and we were able to give her a great grave. She has an orange tree to mark her, surrounded by a small forest of sunflowers, two of which are already over 6 feet high.
We will eventually have more Danes, but it would be wrong to try and replace her ....how can you replace the irreplacable.
I still have moments of self hate.....should I have tried something else, amputation, radiation, morphine....but ultimately, my best friend was in agony, and I did what a best friend should do.
Always remember that dogs have need dignity too, and never drag out the suffering for your own ends, no matter how painful. Our friends don't deserve that.

Thanks again for all the kind words you gave at the time.
Andy Marsh.

Andy

Read your post today and can understand your feelings. You can never replace Molly but each Dane have different and you love them just as much. Hope you do feel that it is time to get another Dane soon because you have so much love to give one but you must do what is right for you.

By getting the vet to come and put Molly out of her misery you did the right thing for her but having been there so many times realise how difficult it was for you. The last thing we can do to show how much we love our four legged friends is to ensure that they are not suffering.

Take care
Sharon

Our Bruno is on his last legs,

He is constantly on painkillers and cant get up unless i help him, he falls over all the time now, i know it hurts him sometimes because he cries trying to get up sometimes, its his hip displaysia that is causing the real probs.
I dont know how long to let it go on, i dont want him to suffer but also dont want him to miss anything.

Paul

Paul

So sorry to hear about Bruno. Can't the dose of painkillers be increased?

It is so hard to know when to make the final decision. A lot depends on the dogs quality of life. We all keep our dogs for as long as we can the decision is so hard to make. If you have a good relationship with your vet they can advise. When Darwin was diagnosed with hip displasia three weeks ago I told my vet that should Darwin be suffering at anytime if I couldnot or did not want to admit it I wanted him to tell me.

Will be thinking of you and Bruno but whatever or whenever you make the decision you know that since you have had him he has been thoroughly spoilt and loved which is all our dogs deserve.

Thinking of you all

Sharon and Darwin

You can tell when a dog is ready to go, Paul; it's in the eyes. The light and sparkle goes out of them - literally.

Teko isn't too good either; he struggles to get up, can't walk far and falls over a lot. He has deteriorated a lot this year. That said, he's keen to go out on his walks and loves a car ride! He went to the large breed agility at the weekend and had a great time. As long as he is still clearly enjoying life we'll do our best to keep him comfortable and as active as he can be.

Certainly with PLTs, the vet said a Dane can have up to six a day.

Pats to Bruno.

Hazel

Trude

I really sympathise with you, and so sorry for you. If you read previous postings, we lost our harlequin Molly in April to bone cancer in her leg. She was diagnosed on the Tuesday, given 3 months maximum, but passed away only two days later. My only advice is to let him go as soon as the pain becomes obvious. It's horrible, the worst thing I've ever had to do in my life, but he's your friend, and you must do whats right for him. Cherish every second you have left with him.....if he wants KFC, give him KFC , but most importantly, be strong in front of him, they're very good at reading emotions! I wish you every strength, and our thoughts are with you.

Dear Andy, so sorry to hear about Molly, I know its been a while in replying but I had to have Benson put to sleep just 4 days before his 8th Birthday, l9th January, God this is so hard, I miss him so much, I had him cremated and I have his ashes in a very large beautiful urn, I still can say hello to him every morning, the decision to have him put to sleep was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but he was my dog and despite the huge dose of tablets he was taking, it just couldn't control the rate of the growth of the cancer. he was so brave, he left behind a huge empty gap despite the fact that I have another large breed, great dane x neopolitan bitch, who also went through a very long mourning period, we thought we were going to loose her also as she pined and refused to eat, and was constantly looking for Benson, she made the situation even more difficult as she had been with him since she was 7wks old and she's now coming up for her 7th birthday. She has now come to terms with the fact that he's not around but I still miss him and people constantly ask 'where's horse' that was his nickname. I hope that the pain will ease soon.

Trude

So sorry to hear about Benson. My thoughts are with you and Porchia

Sharon