Our Battle With Osteosarcoma

[Starkehre]

Hi SC, thank you for Emma's updates.

Just love that beautiful photo of her 7,7,7, birthday cupcake.

Please do your best to trust yourself that you made the right decision and not talk yourself into wondering about any possible doubt or regret. Any negative talk is just that and it will only lead to negative feelings which are unhealthy.

"I made the right decision, I am comfortable with it and so is Emma" :)

I am so glad you and Emma are smelling the roses and treating each day as a special treasured moment together. It is wonderful that she is feeling well, makes me smile.

Please give her a big hug from us and one to you also.

Take care SC.

XX

[bronsonb]

Dear SC,

I totally agree with dyzney's comment. There can be no "should've, would've, could've" thoughts, you must trust that you are doing the best for her (you know in your heart you won't let her suffer) and just enjoy every day for what it is.

Glad she had such a wonderful special day and I am sure there will be a few more special days to share with her.

Just know we are thinking of you and hugs to you both xx

[jezzabel]

Hi, I lost my boy last year to osteosarcoma.

I was told that chemo would not help him and radiation is not useful on bone cancers.

Maybe the advice was wrong but I had 3 opinions as you have.

We went the holistic way, and although it did not save him, he did have excellent quality of life

(for 95 days) except for the last day1/2. We went to the beach on his last morning - that was always the test.

(Did he want to go on ? - or had he had enough ?)

If he came out and danced around when I went to get the car ready then I knew we had more time.

On that last day, we arrived home and he just sat in the car, did not want to come in and soon after fell into

a deep sleep. It was a cool day so I let him rest and went to check on him every 10 min or so.

He woke up later and ate some chicken and had a drink. Back to sleep. The Vet came at lunch time and

he passed soon after.

Make every day a special one.

I am so sorry you are facing this. Sending love and Hugs xx

[Katrinka]

Hi, I am sending all possible good vibes.. :heart: maybe you can delay it a bit...

I lost by beautiful Solly a week ago. Still crying every day. He started limping slightly on front left leg, wich was diagnosed as a strain. That was in May. In the end of June he started couhing up blood, a lot.. we were terrified. 9 x-rays and 3 clinics later it was sonfirmed that he has a tumour on the edge of shoulder blade - very hard to see on x-ray. And lungs full of spots. I did everything possible, cancer diet, herbs, acupuncture (helped a lot!!) Went to beach once, but that's it. Too hard to walk, too hard to breath. He was on Onsior (that helped) and on Palladia. And propolis. Last Tuesday he could not step on the leg and was yelping at every movement even with Tramal. We kissed him last time on Thursday:(

Propolis can slow it significantly, I've read a few good papers on it.

[DerRottweiler]

Hey SC.

How is lovely Emma going?

:)

[grumpette]

Hi SC and Emma

We all hope that things are continuing to go well for you both and that you are enjoying each day to the max.

Sending much love and lots of healing happy thoughts.

[silentchild]

Thank you everyone for the latest well wishes and for sharing all your stories, they are all useful to us and I truly truly appreciate them all. I am so sorry to hear of the terrible things you had to go through with your dogs, Katrinka and Jezzabel. It is a horrible disease, all we can do is make sure they know they are loved and to be strong enough to do right by them even though it is heartbreaking.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, have been quite worried about Emma lately and just haven't had the time.

She has been rather sore and quiet the past week or so, the day before yesterday was the worst I had ever seen her - she wasn't using the leg much and mostly just stayed in bed all day - but then again it could also have been because I had given her some Tramadol that day so she might just have been stoned out of her mind LOL - but it was enough for me to be concerned and to seriously think about the option of euthanasia, I also had a long (and teary) discussion about it at the vets yesterday when I went to get more of her meds. We both decided to wait and see--

Yesterday however she was much better so I was quite heartened by that, and today she has rallied even more and is back to her crazy, bouncy self. I almost had a heart attack when she leapt out of her bed to greet me and then bounded around all over the garden and did zoomies down the hallways despite my best efforts to stop her....... so she is feeling much much better today.

I hope she will be just as good tomorrow, and even better in the days to come, although deep in my heart I know that today is probably just one of her 'good days' - at the end of the day I will have to see how many good days she has compared to bad days, and if the bad days outnumber the good days I will probably have to call the shots.... so far her good days are still a majority, it is only during the last week she has been rather quiet and sore, so maybe it was also just the cold and that, I hope the bad days stay as little as possible for as long as possible. She is still on her naturopathic herbs and also Meloxicam and Tramadol for the pain - I haven't had to give her any Tramadol today so that's a good sign.

A herb that I haven't been able to get my hands on is Tylophera, both the vet and I can't find it anywhere - if anybody knows where I can buy this herb please pass the information along, I will really appreciate it.

I gave Emma some fresh whole sardines for the first time in her life last Thursday, she normally only gets the canned variety. She looked at this fresh fish like it was blasphemy to give to her and after a few licks, turned her nose up in disgust and absolutely REFUSED to eat it with a ten-foot pole. I had to chop it up into delectable bite size pieces and place it into her food bowl for Her Royal Highness, and then she very appreciatively and daintily ate it all. What a princess!!!

For those of you who feed your dogs fresh whole sardines, do you normally clean out the guts? I just left the guts in for her and she ate it with no problem, but my human mind just finds it a little gross lol.. aren't we supposed to clean out the guts of fish?

She only gets the fish once a week and on the other days she gets fish oil, do you think it's too much fish? I am so clueless hahaha.

She is starting to look a little porky, I think the good food is starting to take effect haha so will have to watch her food amount now. It's very sad tho, the cancerous leg has barely any muscle on it anymore and you can just see that the shoulder is flat and sunken in - whereas her good leg looks strong and muscly and healthy.

The good news is that the lump on her shoulder doesn't seem to have been growing in size - touch wood - so we must be doing something right.

Thanks again to all your well wishes, I really appreciate it and I'm sure Emma would too. :)

Edited August 16, 2012 by silentchild

[grumpette]

Thank you so much for the update. It seems that Emma is enjoying life and doing well. Enjoy each day to the max with her. And take care of yourself as well.

[Starkehre]

Hi SC.

Thank you for Emma's update. Give her a hug for me please

Her bad day must have thrown you around a bit. And yes, it is worrying to know that it is likely there will be more of these to come and time goes on. The good days are gold. I am so glad you know how to cherish each of them and see them for exactly what they are.

It is amazing how much these journeys in life help us to grow, learn to live more consciously and "wake up and smell the roses". I do "hear" this in each and every one of your posts. SC, you are like a whole new person, have you seen this in yourself.

And whilst it is so sad to know you are going through something so overwhelmingly gut wrenching, it is also such a beautiful thing (yet bitter/sweet) to see this side of you awakened. I admire your inner strength and hope you are taking pride in the person you are.

I am not surprised Emma is putting on a bit of weight. I know I wouldn't be able to help giving her extra special goodies if it was me :D It must be such a tricky juggling act for you.

Sorry, I don't feed fresh sardines, just tinned ones, but I doubt I would gut them if I did.

You are doing an amazing job SC. And though we enjoy and appreciate the updates, don't even feel under any pressure to post.

:)

Edited August 19, 2012 by dyzney

[Mr R & NR]

Hi SC, bit hard to follow Dyzney's eloquent post as I cough the lump out of my throat.

Just make sure the sardines are nice and fresh. If I get fresh sardines I only buy a few and give them to the dogs the same day. I don't gut them and as I mentioned to you Nellie gets them head first like as seal, she loves them. Or if I don't need amusement they just go in her bowl and sometime she has a little trouble catching the slippery little suckers. Another form of amusement for me.

Hugs and scritches to Emma and one (hug) for you SC

[silentchild]

Hi SC, bit hard to follow Dyzney's eloquent post as I cough the lump out of my throat.

Same here, Dyzney's posts always turn me into a wreck. Dyzney what are you doing to us!

You are right Dyz, her bad day really did throw me, it was the worst I'd seen her she would occasionally be panting from the pain it was that bad. Can't have been panting from the heat as it's bloody freezing this winter!

She hasn't been bad since though and the days since my last update has really been a blessing as she is happy and back to normal, still in some pain but nothing as severe as that. She has a bit of trouble getting up after lying down for a long time and will sometimes cry if she tries to move the wrong way, my poor baby. Mostly she just sleeps nowadays but then she has always been a lazy bum and slept a lot even when she was a young, healthy dog so I am not concerned about that. She still finds ways to give me her usual daily dosage of heart attacks so she is fine for now, LOL.

It's so nice and sunny out today I may let her out into the yard to potter around and graze on the grass if she likes, though by the looks of it now she seems to much rather be sleeping LOL

Thanks for the advice re sardines, Dyz and MrR&NR, I tried giving them to her seal-style like you did with NellieRose, but she just looked at me with absolute DISGUST - I should've filmed it, it was hilarious. Chucking them whole into her bowl yielded the same effect. I was this close to just stuffing them down her throat with my fist she was that obstinate hahaha. So poor me having to smush it all up and giving the kitchen an absolutely wonderful fragrance of eau de fish which is sure to delight all my visitors.

She did the same with kidneys and offal, but instead of just leaving it she very kindly took to removing them from her bowl and arranging them neatly on the floorboards for me to step on. Thanks Emma!

So straight into the food processor they will all have to go to be mixed in with her mince next time.

Thank you so much again to all for all the kind words and support, it means more than you realize. :) Lost of wags from Emma to all of you.

[DerRottweiler]

Glad to hear that Emma is doing well.

She sounds very naughty though lol...and extremely fussy.

[W Sibs]

Sardines.. yeah, I give it to the dog whole and yes it really grosses me out too that they love it.

So happy to hear that she is doing well.

[Mr R & NR]

:laugh: SC, I can just see them lined up on the floor boards, lucky you didn't slip on them. I guess if she doesn't like fresh sardines or offal, don't feed them to her, really does it matter that much?:)

Mr Royce will not eat fresh sardines or liver or kidney, don't blame him really. And I am sure he is none the worse for it. Loves tinned sardines and mackrel though and of course dried liver.

[silentchild]

It probably doesn't matter that much but I just figure while she's still around I want her to have the best nutrition I can give her, to give her the best chance really I guess. I'm surprised she is still in such good condition I half expected her to be gone by now so I hope it's her good diet that is helping somewhat.

Oh she loves the fresh sardines and just devours them... but just not in whole fish form LOL. I don't know why, she's just being a princess and insists on them being bite size pieces. She loves the heads too, chomp chomp.

Same with the offal really, once I've sliced them up she licks the bowl clean..... next I will have to get her a cravat and a monocle so she can sip tea solemnly with her dew claw extended.

[Mr R & NR]

Ah SC, sorry didn't realise she liked them but only if the maid chops them up for her. You know your place then :D

I am sure she is doing so well because of the good care you are giving her and all the years of love. I admire the way you are coping.

[Stolzseinrotts]

Thank you for the updates SC.

Hugs to you and Emma.

Oh and I feed the sardines whole..

I hope you are both enjoying the sunshine and warmer weather we are having.

[BJean]

SC I have lost a dog to osteosarcorma and TBH can never read the palliative care forum

because it takes me back to the times where I have had to carry about the ultimate duty of a dog owner.

Just wanted to say that I wish you and Emma the best

and I admire your courage to write about you and Emma's emotional journey.

Sincerely best wishes and many sardines to Emma

Edited August 23, 2012 by lilli

[Starkehre]

Just popping by to let you know I am thinking of you and Emma, SC.

Edited August 29, 2012 by dyzney

[Pockets]

I second this entirely, I lost my 2 year old to this disease in Feb this tear.

Your story is close to my heart and I send all my love, thoughts and prayers to you and Emma xxxx

SC I have lost a dog to osteosarcorma and TBH can never read the palliative care forum

because it takes me back to the times where I have had to carry about the ultimate duty of a dog owner.

Just wanted to say that I wish you and Emma the best

and I admire your courage to write about you and Emma's emotional journey.

Sincerely best wishes and many sardines to Emma