gunnersmom
Hound Nut
GUNNER--the greyhound that started it all
Posts: 1,950
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Post by gunnersmom on Oct 8, 2013 19:14:30 GMT -5
I'm so sorry. I've lost two dogs to OS. May your remaining time with Albert be longer than expected.
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Post by rubylottie14 on Oct 8, 2013 20:27:14 GMT -5
I have also lost a beloved greyhound, Gerry to OS. He was diagnosed at 7 and had been with me just 2 years. The dianosis took 3 months to get so I let him go the very next day - he'd been on high levels of pain relief and been limping all that time.
A word of warning: bone cancer makes the bones very fragile, I know of a greyhound who was diagnosed with OS and 3-4 weeks later the poor dog ran up the garden and up the step into the kitchen, and her hip shattered as a result of the OS. She had to be pts immediately. Far better to let the dog go before the bones deterioate to this extent. X rays/vets might be able to tell you how far the OS has developed so that you can avoid this.
Sending you love.
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Post by angelollie on Oct 8, 2013 21:07:25 GMT -5
I am so sorry to learn about your sweet Albert. I've tried twice to write to you but was/am having difficulty as I just recently lost my 5 year old brindle boy, Frankie, to bone cancer. He passed 5 weeks ago. I understand the disbelief and sadness you must be feeling about this horrible disease striking a pup so young. Albert doesn't deserve this. And I know this is not much of a consolation but this year and a half of having Albert in your life and you his, has been one that has made him a very happy loved pup. Wishing you and Victoria the strength to deal with Albert's illness. Hugs to you all. Know that we're thinking about you.
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Post by lancer on Oct 9, 2013 12:18:35 GMT -5
windsor jem. mine has an osteosarcoma too she was diagnosed in january. we amputated and have been given chemo treatments. go to greytalk.com theres HUGE forums for osteos and sooooo many people willing to lend advice and comforting words. i didnt want to go on thinking it was just going to be a support group and i didnt want to just sit there and cry but i went on and its so much more than that. ohio state university does research with resuce greyhounds and depending on your plan of action and your views on the matter if you send ohio state the scans and your story and your vet information (address ect) they will send you the chemo drugs for free. we have 6 sessions for our girl all paid for and shipped for free form OSU. we have to pay for the vet to administer the drugs and the IV set up but other than that it takes away a huge cost medication wise. my girl is almost a full year past diagnosis and shows no signs of stopping however she also didnt have any visible mets in her lungs ( if that was the case we probably wouldnt have opted for the excessive treatments, only pain drugs) which i know doesnt mean the mets arent there but thats what the chemo is for to help stop progression if the cancer is anywhere else. some dogs dont do so great on the chemo they will be sick like for a couple days and lethargic. but my girl has no problem with them some dogs do really well. she has runny poops for about a day but her diet and energy levels are completely normal. theres a woman on there whose dog "twiggy" is something like 3 years post diagnosis and treatment. please check out the site theres so much information on there for OS doggies. we never like to meet in these circumstances but i dont know what i would have done without this site. their support and knowledge helped me thought this whole process. im sorry about your boy. its not an easy ordeal. hugs to your family from a fellow windsorite.
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windsorjem
Grey Puppy
Victoria and Albert - a Royal Couple!
Posts: 23
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Post by windsorjem on Oct 9, 2013 16:23:26 GMT -5
My thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers for Albert - and your direction and advice.... This article has helped me immensely in terms of my direction and care for Albert .... When Limping Becomes Osteosarcoma I wish I was wrong. After twenty years of caring for greyhounds, it appears that there are few exceptions to the rule. When an adopter calls us or comes to our clinic with a limping greyhound over the age of eight years old, that greyhound is almost always diagnosed with the same. Osteosarcoma. We can walk through the steps of diagnosis, but the outcome is almost always the same. Your seven-year-or-older greyhound is suddenly limping out of nowhere. First you do the obvious - pick up his paw, look at all of the pads and press them for pain, check for cuts in the pad and/or corns and see if you get lucky. If there is something wrong with the foot as opposed to other parts of the leg or shoulder, your greyhound will most likely be fine. Cuts and corns can be treated. Corns can be maintained or removed and although they may be uncomfortable and may return, your greyhound can still live a good life. Second, you take your dog to the veterinarian where the doctor will do a thorough exam to determine the dog’s range of motion in the afflicted limb as well as the other limbs. Then your vet will do one of two things, or both. They will prescribe an nsaid, such as Rimadyl, Previcox, Deramaxx, etc. and wait to see how the dog does, or they may skip right to an x-ray. We received a call from an adopter whose eleven-year-old dog suddenly began limping. They took it too an emergency vet where the doctor immediately did an x-ray and then diagnosed the dog with a bone spur. The vet prescribed a week’s worth of nsaids. Apparently, those drugs did not have much effect and the owners then contacted NGAP. Between the time they called in the morning, until the time I was able to call them back in the afternoon, they had taken their greyhound to see one of our staff vets at her private facility, since we are in the process of relocating our clinic. Our vet told them it was her belief that the dog had osteosarcoma. The emergency facility had called our adopters later that day to say that the radiologist looked at the x-ray and found nothing wrong. Herein lies the problem – more often than not they just don’t see it. If the clinical signs are there and your dog is in pain, the diagnosis is most likely osteosarcoma, regardless of how the x-ray reads. Our vet prescribed Rimadyl and Tramadol, two drugs that always spell ‘terminal’ to me because that’s what we use on almost all of our terminal dogs. Sometimes it can help for up to a month, but all during that period of time your greyhound runs the risk of spontaneous bone fracture. You are just buying time - and for who? You, or your greyhound? When there is no light at the end of the tunnel, there is no reason to have your dog go through hell, which is what will slowly happen. Each day your greyhound will get a little worse and be in more pain and that little voice in the back of your mind will keep reminding you that your greyhound runs the risk of a spontaneous fracture at any time. When your dog’s leg is dangling, you will feel so much worse about waiting. Of course, there is always amputation. I myself am not a big believer that you will get satisfactory long term results from amputation and/or chemotherapy - especially when your dog is already limping and in pain. The combined cost can be upwards of $15,000. Will it buy you satisfaction? Probably not. Will it buy you a long period of time? Probably not. You can most likely count on a few short months, none of which will be easy for you or your greyhound. A rare few may last longer, but they are truly the exceptions. No one should have a guilty conscience putting their dog to sleep before it is in excruciating pain. You have given your greyhound a great gift! No one should feel badly because they did not amputate their dogs leg or treat their dog with chemo. Ultimately, you should probe your vet for the hard answers. Veterinarians are programmed to make the process longer and more expensive. Come to a compassionate decision swiftly putting your greyhound first and your feelings second. David Wolf Director National Greyhound Adoption Program www.ngap.org/greyhound-health-limping-osteo-y448.html
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Post by angelollie on Oct 9, 2013 16:40:36 GMT -5
winsdsorjam ... lancer has given you some good information worth looking into. Does your specialist feel that Albert's OS is in the early stages. With my Frankie, amputation wasn't an option nor was chemo as his cancer was advanced by time it was discovered. I too had Frankie's digital xrays sent to Dr Couto as it doesn't hurt to get a 2nd opinion, plus Dr. Couto has researched cancer in greyhounds for years. He reads your xrays and gets back to your vet either the same day or the following. Here is his website: Email: greyosu@osu.edu, 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. They have several OS experts working with Dr. Couto. It was also explained to me that if Frankie's cancer had been in the early stages, they could have done chemo which would have helped slow down the cancerous growth thereby lengthening his life. My remaining option for Frankie was to keep him comfortable with a concoction of Tramadol and Gabapentin. There is also a holistic diet that can be given to Albert, it's similar to one a human would use in the same situation. I can forward that to you if you are interested. Here is the greytalk web site: you don't have to join but there is a heap of info pertaining to greyhound that have OS. forum.greytalk.com/index.php/forum/10-health-and-medical-discussion/ Hugs to Albert!!
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windsorjem
Grey Puppy
Victoria and Albert - a Royal Couple!
Posts: 23
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Post by windsorjem on Oct 9, 2013 16:54:05 GMT -5
The oncologist at OVRS in Bloomfield Hills MI compared Albert's x-ray's from 1 month ago (when I was told locally that it was not OS) to his x-rays taken this week. She indicated that it was an extremely aggressive OS, that the mass had tripled in size and became hardened, and that it most likely has already spread elsewhere. She offered me many different options to confirm this - but was confident further x-rays(chest), etc. would only serve to confirm her findings. In the end, she advised me that if Albert was her dog, she would make him as comfortable as possible until the end. Respectfully, I trust her judgement... I want only for ALbert to leave here with as little pain and discomfort as possible, and with the full greyhound dignity and magnificence that he so embodies...
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moncheri
Grey Addicted
Broodies are the best!
Posts: 2,843
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Post by moncheri on Oct 9, 2013 20:29:02 GMT -5
Winsorjem the article you posted hits home for me - I thank you for posting it during this difficult time for you. May you find the strength to reach the best decision for your beloved Albert.
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Post by GreyPoopon on Oct 9, 2013 20:36:02 GMT -5
Just FYI, while the greyhound program at OSU continues, Dr. Couto has retired. New contact information was recently posted on GreyTalk in this thread: forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/301799-dr-couto-is-available-for-consults/?hl=coutoThe first post in that thread is as follows: Posted 30 September 2013 - 01:34 PM I wanted to let everyone know that Dr. Couto is available for e-mail, phone, and video consults. coutovetconsultants@gmail.com 614-664-9177 The consult fee is US$120, payable via PayPal, and includes up to 3 follow ups via email; telephone or video conference. Jane edited to add that a portion of the consult fee will be donated to Scooby to help the galgos.
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Post by micnmike on Oct 9, 2013 22:57:46 GMT -5
Mere words can not express how devistated I was to read your post! I lost my Big Beautiful Boy to OS at the end of January of this year. I remember the news and how long it took to sink in. Only you can decide what is best for your baby. We can't do much, but we can be here for you to offer a shoulder, share our experiences and promice loads of support. I wish that I could say something that would ease your pain, but I know too well that this is out of our hands. You are most definately in our prayers. sending hugs and support your way!
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