As Jan mentioned, Kizsie has canine osteosarcoma (bone cancer), which is a very aggressive, metastatic disease in dogs. Our vet gives her 4-6months. It is 100% terminal, with 90% dying within 6 months of diagnosis-whether treatment is given or not. 10% survive 8-12 months with treatment (thousands of dollars). There are a few treatment options aimed at prolonging life and reducing pain. However, due to her recent surgery (on her ACL-knee) she is not a candidate for amputation. Chemo is expensive and without amputation (to remove tumor) does not add much time to a dogs life. Also, by the time a dog starts limping from the pain caused by the tumor, it has already metastasized-generally to the lungs, then throughout the body.
So, really our only option is pain medicine. She is already losing some muscle and bodily function/control. We will have to get our carpets cleaned :) I sincerely hope it isn't TOO painful, TOO soon as I would really like for her to be able to play in the creek again before she goes. She just loves trying to catch the water as it flows over the river rock. She is bright eyed, sweet and loving all the extra attention. It is hard to lose another pet so soon, but c'est la vie. Romeo will probably be the most affected by her passing... he will be lost without her. They are sooo cute together!! Well, that's all the info I have for ya, take care, Sara
2 comments:
Sara, that totally sucks... Sebastian is in the same boat, and all we can do is give him pain meds. For what it's worth, we found an online pharmacy where his meds (a narcotic called Tramadol) are about 20% of what they cost OTC. We got him a 3 month supply for $80, where the same exact meds at the vet would have cost $432 plus tax.
So just dope her up and let hr enjoy herself. And if you're interested, the website is http://www.crossborderpharmacy.com/
Post a Comment