Hi Tripawds…
This is the first time posting here .
My name is Terry and my fiance Allison and I got the most devastating news last week , that our beautiful Alaskan Malamute , “Mya” was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in the shoulder of her right front leg. 5 weeks ago she was running around with “Macleod” our male , like a freight train , they have actually knocked us over if we didn’t see them coming and get out of the way in time. 4 weeks ago she had a hard time getting up off the floor for a treat , and from that day forward it seemed to get worse each day. After a few days of no apparent recovery we took her to our vet, and there was no evident sign of pain by manipulating the joints in that leg so we tried some pain meds and a joint lubrication med as well. This helped somewhat but by the end of that week it seemed to be getting worse. We booked an Xray and discovered she had some signs of arthritis in the elbow joint of the front leg, she was limping but not yet vocalizing her pain. We started her on a more advanced joint medication, and that also seemed to help. We booked another Xray for the following Tuesday, but on Friday July 22 Allison called me at work and told me Mya was having a bad day and crying a lot . I made a call to the vet and she perscribed Tramadol and said if she was still crying by the morning to bring her in on saturday for the Xray, the tramadol settled her down, so we waited for the day that wasn’t so hectic at the vet to minimize Mya’s stress about the whole procedure (Xray req. sedation etc.). The Xray showed a large tumor at the shoulder Joint , so we made an appointment with a specalist referred by our vet and brought Mya in for a consult . They looked at the Xrays we brought with us and did an exam of her other legs and a CT scan as well as blood work. We got the results this morning and she is strong and healthy enough for surgery and there is no visable evidence of spread to heart and lungs. Today we shed tears of joy that we will still have ” Mrs. kisses ” { she cant hold her licker } around for a while longer to bring us smiles and relentless kisses…
One thing I have learned about this whole event is that dogs are very strong and have a high tolerance for pain and if they are hurting , by the time it gets unbearable enough to vocalize their pain it is already bad. Our dogs will muscle through pain that would stop us in our tracks, so if you notice your pet in distress even a little have them looked at by your vet !!! If your dog hates going to the vet , they will get over it likley as soon as you pick them up. Dogs live in the moment … Thats why we have decided to go ahead with the amputation surgery next week. This is the hardest descision we have ever had to make and reading the posts here and talking with others who have had to deal with this has made our choice a lot easier to swallow.
Remember that early detection is the best protection…
I will post again soon.
Terry , Allison, Mya, Macleod.
Mya
Macleod
Mya saying “not a chance buster”
What a beautiful girl! And her brother is a charmer too. I know that this diagnosis and the decision to amputate is really hard, but I have no regrets with Otis. We are almost six months out from his amputation – it just wasn’t time to say goodbye. And on the pain, Otis didn’t show any until he went outside and his leg fractured. In fact, at his check-up a couple of months before, I remember talking with the vet about how great he was doing – full of energy! This is a great community for support, and we are all with you and Mya as you go through this journey.
Comment by otisandtess — July 29, 2016 @ 8:31 pm
otisandtess, Thank you, this will be our hardest decision , and hearing from you about your story has helped us to re affirm that we too are doing the right thing.
We also had no idea , one night, just over a month ago, she had a hard time getting up and hasn’t put weight on it since. Tuesday morning we are booked for surgery.
Comment by ourtwomalamutes — August 1, 2016 @ 12:15 am
We are thru the surgery our Rottie Ike had monday his right rear keg removed. He has been doing well but today was his best day so far. He jumped up to greet me at tge door when I got home today. My husband has been home with him every day and we are amazed at his energy at he seems so happy!!! We are very pleased and know we made the best decision for Ike
Comment by rosebud7 — July 29, 2016 @ 10:06 pm
rosebud7, Thats so awesome Ike is doing well. I know his energy and happiness will lift some of the weight you have had to carry. Reading your post has lifted my spirit.
Comment by ourtwomalamutes — July 31, 2016 @ 11:52 pm
This is my first time posting here also. Our Doberman, Bentley was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with osteosarcoma of his right front leg, near the bottom joint. We are devestated. He will be 8 years old Sept. 2 Last week we had bloodwork, chest xrays and bone core biopies done to confirm the diagnosis. Chest xrays came back clear, thankfully and blood work also looked normal. Waiting on the biopsy results were agonizing just hoping for good news but that’s not what we got. Bentley is scheduled for amputation tomorrow morning, the vet is getting him in asap, i believe in hopes of getting a better all around outcome. I am stressing over whether we are doing the right thing. i just need some reassurance that we are….. :/ What makes it even harder is watching Bentley out running the yard tonight, he was in heaven!! I love this guy!!
Comment by krnpena — August 1, 2016 @ 3:25 am
krnpena, Good to hear the test results came back clear for Bentley. All of us had/have the same feelings of doubt in the begining, but the more I go back through it all I keep comimg back to the same conclusion, we are doing the best thing for or best friend. Mya just turned 8 in March. The last few days have been good to her. We too are scheduled for surgery tomorrow. Possative thoughts for Bentley and his family 🙂
Comment by ourtwomalamutes — August 1, 2016 @ 11:25 pm