Old Dog Lungs?

Below are the x-rays of Casey’s chest.  Pretty cool, eh?  The large masses for the most part are organs and the lungs themselves appear to be fairly clear except for some small speckles in the x-ray taken from above.  Based on these fairly positive x-rays, we will be taking Casey on Friday to see the oncologist and to possibly have a CT scan done of her jaw.  As mentioned previously, the CT scan will determine how much of her jaw has been affected and whether or not removing the affected portion is feasible.

X-Rays

Well, the good news is that Casey’s x-rays did not show any obvious signs of cancer in her lungs although there were some “suspicious spots”.  Once the x-rays are viewed by the oncologist and/or radiologist early next week we’ll know more.

Consultation

Tonight we had a consultation with an oncologist to discuss Casey’s condition. The good news is that we have options.

The doctor explained that osteosarcoma typically occurs as a long bone tumor with treatment being amputation of the affected limb followed by chemotherapy.  Since Casey’s tumor is in her upper jaw, treatment would include removal of the affected portion of the upper jaw followed by chemotherapy.  Sounds horrible doesn’t it?  Well believe it or not, dogs adapt relatively well and cosmetically there would be little impact.  Not that we’re entering Casey into any dog shows any time soon.

The first step, before removing anything would include a set of chest x-rays to determine if the cancer has metastasized in her lungs.  If it has, there would be no point in doing the surgery and treatment would then shift to palliative radiation to slow the growth of the cancer and relieve the pain from her jaw.  If the chest x-rays are clear then our next step would be to consult with a surgeon and have a CT scan done to determine the amount of bone affected by the cancer.

So, what if we don’t do anything?  The cancer will spread in Casey’s jaw and will eventually affect her teeth and her nasal cavity resulting in a lot of pain which we would have no way of gauging.

So, we’re proceeding with having the chest x-rays done this Saturday.  Of course, we’ve told Casey that she’ll need to reapply for her line of credit since her account’s been exhausted by her previous procedures (hip replacement, knee surgery, heartworm treatment and stem cell treatment).  Can we say high maintenance?

Trouper

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I write to tell you that Casey was diagnosed with canine osteosarcoma (i.e., bone cancer) last Saturday. As all of you know, Casey is like a child to us and she has brought great happiness and joy to our lives for the past thirteen and a half years. Her prognosis isn’t known at this time but we are seeking consultation from specialists this week as we have with all her past ailments. In our hearts we hope that we can prolong her life with treatment but realize that this type of cancer can be extremely aggressive and that we may be faced with very difficult decisions in the near future. Casey’s quality of life has always been of the utmost important to us and our goal is to preserve that for as long as we can and for as long as she will allow us. Thus far, Casey seems oblivious to her diagnosis, as it should be, and she doesn’t appear to be in any pain, thankfully.  Please keep her in your thoughts and we will do our best to update you on her condition.

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