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Canine Osteosarcoma
and the Irish Setter
by Jan Ziech

Continued from page three...

Cruiser's Story

In September of 1999, Cruiser had been limping more than usual. I thought he had probably twisted or pulled something, as he was a pretty active dog. He had limped on and off most of his life, having torn knee and hip ligaments as a 5-month-old puppy. At 5 years of age, he bloated and had a gastropexy and splenectomy. At 6 and a half, he had severe immune mediated problems, which left him blind. Despite all this, he was a pretty happy and lively dog. So, even though he was limping more, I was surprised when I found a racquetball sized lump in his right hip area. I knew right away that this wasn't going to be good, but still hoped maybe it would be something repairable like a dislocated hip.

Cruiser visited his 'regular' vet and radiographs were taken. The tentative diagnosis was osteosarcoma. The vet, who is also my boss, wanted to amputate Cruiser's leg immediately and then send in a biopsy. I was still clinging to the idea that maybe this large mass wasn't really a tumor. I also didn't like the idea of amputation and then biopsy and voiced my opinion. I opted to show the radiographs to a surgeon that has 'repaired' all too many of my dogs.

Unfortunately, the surgeon confirmed my fears that Cruiser had a large bone tumor, most likely osteosarcoma. He recommended amputation of the leg plus one third of the pelvis. In addition, he felt Cruiser would need a total hip replacement on his other side just to support himself. With chemotherapy, he felt that Cruise had a 20% chance of living one more year. I didn't feel that it was fair to put Cruiser through that much surgery for such a short life expectancy and I worried that chemo would throw his immune system into another tailspin. The surgeon explained that I needed to do something, as Cruiser was most likely in a lot of pain. He mentioned radiation therapy and recommended that I consult with the oncologist at his clinic. And with this, my learning experience about canine osteosarcoma started.

Cruiser's visit with the oncologist went well. He had a complete examination and then stayed overnight for additional tests and a biopsy. (The biopsy indicated both osteosarcoma and fibrosarcoma cells.) There was no visible sign of metastasis. Treatments were discussed and considering Cruiser's other problems, palliative radiation therapy seemed like the best option for him. Although this was not a life extending treatment in the sense that chemotherapy is, the radiation would provide pain relief and hopefully allow Cruiser to function more normally.

Cruiser was referred to a College of Veterinary Medicine Clinic for the radiation therapy. He received 3 treatments over a span of 21 days (0, 7 and 21 days). The only problem he had was with the anesthetic - he was 'out of it' for several days after each treatment. Within a week after the 2nd treatment, I began to notice the tumor shrinking! And Cruiser was running on all 4 legs again (before treatment, he would barely touch his 'bad' leg to the ground) - he even took up a new hobby - digging holes! I was thrilled! The CVM had repeated all the original tests and biopsy (somewhat of an unnecessary expense!) and their biopsy indicated that the tumor was a fibrosarcoma. Still a bad tumor, but perhaps slower to grow and metastasize.

After the radiation therapy was completed, I monitored Cruiser for any other changes. He went in for periodic chest radiographs and bloodwork. As mentioned before,I had also changed his diet to Science Diet Prescription N/D which is a diet specifically made for pets with cancer. Luckily, Cruiser thought it was akin to doggie caviar! He actually gained weight, going from 73 pounds before radiation to 83 several months later.

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Cruiser Starts to Limp Again >>>

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