Uggh! What an emotional week. I got a call from the U of M oncologist on Tuesday so that we could schedule a time to come in and have a consultation. She started right off the bat talking as if he had cancer and what our options would be. I told her that our vet had said it might possibly be an infection. Was that really just a false hope? She said, yeah, pretty much. They were quite certain it was cancer, specifically osteosarcoma, which apparently is a very aggressive cancer. We made the appt for Thursday morning and I promptly went online to find out what I could about osteosarcoma. Apparently, once you see the tumor on the leg and see a prounced limp, it has already metastasized (moved) to the lungs. If you decide not to treat it at all, the leg will get continuously worse and way more painful and the dog will succumb to LUNG cancer within 2-4 months! The next option is to amputate the offending limb which is really just a pain relieving option - it doesn't prolong life by more than a couple more months than doing nothing. The third option is to do chemo along with the amputation. 50% of dogs who go this route will live for one more year. Of course each option has its associated costs, all expensive.
Scott and I both went home early that day to hang out with our pup. It was hard to comprehend that this robust, wanting-to-play, beggin for food dog could be so close to death! I was sad beyond belief and started envisioning the next couple of weeks and getting all depressed.
We met with the oncologist this morning and both Scott and I came out feeling way better. I had convinced myself (and Scott too) that Attley was pretty much a goner. I assumed he had very progressed cancer and our only option would be to put him down. It turns out, however that his lungs are clear (no visible tumors but cancer is likely still there microscopically). Additionally, according to the oncologist, his leg tumor has been caught fairly early and he's walking on it way better than most dogs he sees for this condition. He said many dogs aren't even putting any weight on that leg (Attley was running and jumping still). And on the x-rays, Attley still had a lot of intact bone. Many dogs come in with their leg bone almost disintegrated. So given that information (that we apparently caught it fairly early), we've decided to go ahead with the amputation. His leg tumor will only get worse and more painful and send more cancer to his lungs more quickly so the sooner its off, the better. The next decision will be whether to go the next step with chemo which ended up being cheaper than we had initially thought. I never thought I'd go so far as to give him chemo, however we've caught it fairly early so he would likely have a good prognosis. Its equally likely though, that we spend a ton of money and he may still succumb to cancer in a few months. Its a gamble. We'll just have to weigh all the options and come to a decision.
Regardless of which option we go with, he will eventually die of lung cancer (the chances of him being cured with chemo are extremely small). Fortunately for him, lung tumors are not painful. The major complications are difficulty breathing (which can cause extreme anxiety for the animal) and coughing from obstructed airways. A decision will still need to be made as to when to put him down after he reaches that point. Regardless of whether or not we do chemo, I think we've decided on the least painful option and best chance for a continued good quality of life (if not quantity of life).
We're scheduling surgery for early next week. Next time you see him, he'll be gimping around on 3 legs. But he won't be in pain. And we can start treating him a bit more normally again. I'm sure he was a little stressed wondering why I was crying all the time and hugging him tightly every hour or so. A weight has been lifted for me. His death isn't right around the corner as I had originally thought. I wonder if I can every be ready for his death. Is there a way to prepare??
Anyway, thankfully I won't be a mess at my MOPs group tonight. And I won't be such a big downer on my girls' weekend to Chicago. And now, not only will I be rushing home on Sunday to see my girls, I will actually be equally ready to give my big mutt a huge hug, one of the last on 4 legs.
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