Osteosarcoma is a very common cancer in large breed dogs. It is a bone cancer in which the tumor produces a hard solid mass on the bone usually in a leg. The most common symptom is limping or sometimes a fracture occurs. Once the tumor is seen and diagnosed with no treatment a dog will usually only live 1 to 2 months as the majority of the time the cancer is malignant and rapidly spreads to the lymph tissue and to the lungs.
Treatment would consist of radiographs of the chest to determine if the cancer has spread and if not then amputation of the affected leg and then chemotherapy. This will usually gain several more months for the dog and in a few cases a couple of years.
However there are some cases in which no treatment can be done. Take Hanna here…
Hanna is a Newfoundland with mild hip dysplasia. She had a bone tumor growing on her right shoulder. Amputation was out of the question due to her hip dysplasia. She is a very large dog with a lot of weight taking the front leg off would cause her to put more weight on her hind legs which were also damaged. She would not have been able to walk after only a couple of weeks. So the owner decide to just provide Hanna pain relief and treat her holistically using the raw food diet. Hannas heart was very big and her will to live was remarkable because she beat all odds and lived with her cancer for over 10 months. In fact this picture was taken in February, and she was living with her cancer at that time and obviously living quite well notice her weight was good, her hair coat was decent, and her attitude was excellent.
Although she is gone now, Hanna will still be one of the most memorable stories I have had in veterinary medicine. Each month I went to do chiropractic treatments I was expecting not to see her and every time there she was waiting for me. I will miss her!
bone cancer, dog health, osteosarcoma