Mia has bone cancer

[goReptiles]

Another call from the Intern, instead of the student... Basically, he understands that amputation is a hard sell in this case since she's not showing any pain. He and the oncology department, as with the radiation specialist had a meeting, and they don't know what to do... They suggested sterotactic radiation, but they don't have the machine to do it. They also thought about another chemo treatment, but she'd need an ecocardiogram each time bc it can damage the heart muscles. And, when they look at the leg now, they can see where they did the previous mini-biopsy (just pulling cells out; not a full biopsy) and the one from yesterday as the tissues are already dead and damaged where they pulled the cells through the leg.

It sounds like a waiting game to decide what to do. I think they're doing the chemo as scheduled anyway today, but it really won't do much good. It's just something to keep us hopeful, I guess.

Now, it's off to make calls to find a stereotactic radiation machine.

 

[Mel&Keith]

Whitney, I don't know how you're being so strong though all this. You're a special person, for sure! We're still sending happy thoughts and wishes for a miracle.

 

[JordanAng420]

Whitney, were you able to locate a place to do the radiation therapy? I haven't had much experiance with it, although I believe the University of Florida offers this...

I wish I had a magical answer for you. The main reason i'm in this field is because I want to fix everything and anything. I try not to let my emotions get in the way, but these are the kinds of cases that really challenge them. It sounds like you probabbly just want to keep her as comfortable as possible at this point. If she were my dog, i'd be doing the exact same thing you have been. Warmest wishes to you, and I hope this new year is a better one for you!

 

[ariana]

oh im so sorry! i hope she makes it through..
she looks strong and you'll take good care of her i can tell.
i wish you the best of luck with your baby.

 

[lizardlove]

I'm so sorry about this. I really do wish her the best of luck, if it were Maya (my baby has a similar name, heehee) I'd be freaking out.

She IS very young, and from what I've heard even older dogs do very well on three legs. For a puppy, if the amputation ends up being what you have to do, it wouldn't surprise me if she was up and trying to walk by the end of the day or the next morning. Puppies are VERY hardy and I've seen three-legged dogs run like crazy...

Of course amputation isn't great, but don't be discouraged if it's what you have to do. It's really not as bad as it seems, and done early is probably the best way to catch the cancer. I wish you all the best no matter what happens.

 

[goReptiles]

It's been a while since my last update. MIA has an appointment for Monday the 2nd to get her leg amputated. We knew it was coming, but it's been a hard decision to make. Wish her luck.

 

[LeapinLizards]

I'm so sorry to hear that Whitney...it's got to be absolutely heartbreaking. I REALLY hope it all goes well, and I'll be praying for you both. I'm sure Mia will get lots of extra love, and extra treats during her recovery *hugs*

 

[Mel&Keith]

Good luck MIA (and Whitney)!!!

 

[animalhouse27]

Wow, I am sooo Sorry to see this! It has to be a tough choice to decide what to do. My Aunts dog had Bone cancer, but he was well over 13yrs old. He was a stray,and came to them 13yrs ago..so no telling how old he was. And they didn't do anything chemo wise. *They are health freaks* And said to just let him co in his right time. But he lived a good yr and a half with no chemo. :-/ So, I dunno. I wouldn't know what to do in your shoes!

 

[LadyGecko]

Hi Whitney
If the cancer has not spread anywhere else and with her young age-she should do just fine on 3 legs

I know what a difficult decision that you had to make as I was in the same place as you are now a few years ago

I wish Mia and you the best of luck and many more happy years together

You are both in my prayers
Sandy

 

[goReptiles]

It's definitely been a dificult decision, but we knew it would come down to amputation. I'm not worried about her mobility on three legs, she's pretty resiliant.

Thanks for all of your comments.

Sandy, because she is so young, she registers on the shorter side. Statistically amputation and chemo is a 50% chance for up to 1 year survival. She probably won't make it that long being young. Cancer hits younger dogs much worse than older dogs because the young just aren't supposed to get cancer. My father wants to attribute it to a fall she had as a younger pup at the park- she tripped in a slight hole while playing fetch, limped for a minute and seemed fine, so we never took her to the vet. Sometimes bone cancer can be caused by early trauma, but it just didn't seem that severe of trauma bc she really was running around again in a few minutes; she barely hit the hole, which was only a slight indent in the ground.

 

[Haroldo]

Whitney, so very sorry that you (and your dog) have to go through this. I pray you find Peace and comfort in whatever the end result is...

 

[paintedlizards]

I'm so sorry as well. We live locally to you and have Pitties as well ( x3 ) and I know you sound like you're relying on your parents for rides places- but know if she needs ANYTHING even if an emergency my fiance and I work from home and we're local to columbus 24-7 ( we live in box springs) so seriously dont hesitate to ask- you may want to go on pitbullforum dot com as well ( unless you already are) and see if anyone else has dealt with this.

 

[goReptiles]

Thanks Harold and Christina.

Christina, I'm not too far from Box Springs.

I just wanted to say that she made it through surgery fine and she is waking up just fine. If all is well, we will pick her up tomorrow afternoon sometime.

 

[LadyGecko]

It's definitely been a dificult decision, but we knew it would come down to amputation. I'm not worried about her mobility on three legs, she's pretty resiliant.

Thanks for all of your comments.

Sandy, because she is so young, she registers on the shorter side. Statistically amputation and chemo is a 50% chance for up to 1 year survival. She probably won't make it that long being young. Cancer hits younger dogs much worse than older dogs because the young just aren't supposed to get cancer. My father wants to attribute it to a fall she had as a younger pup at the park- she tripped in a slight hole while playing fetch, limped for a minute and seemed fine, so we never took her to the vet. Sometimes bone cancer can be caused by early trauma, but it just didn't seem that severe of trauma bc she really was running around again in a few minutes; she barely hit the hole, which was only a slight indent in the ground.

Whitney-First of all I want you to know that I wish you both the very best and that you are both in my prayers

I am so glad that she made it through the surgery OK
I'm so sorry-I was not aware that there was a difference in the survival stats with a young dog
You would think that it would be the opposite
I pray that she beats the odds

My heart is still raw from gong through Sheba's last year and her death so i very much understand what you are going through

As far as a fall /trauma having anything to do with developing bone cancer-I have never heard or read that and that is a surprise to me

Take Care of yourself and give her a big hug and a kiss for me and

Please let us know how she is doing

Sandy

 

[goReptiles]

Sandy, I thought the same thing.... Thank you...


MIA had surgery Monday, and we picked her up Tuesday afternoon. Today, Wednesday morning, she is hoping around and trying to run and jump. The surgeon and vet told us yesterday that when they were walking her around the vet, she was trying to jump on couches and visit everyone.... They also told us that everyone knows her and loves her... She said that when left alone in her kennel, she'd cry and whine, so a student would sit next to her and she would stop; the student would get up and leave, and she'd start it again. Basically there was a rotation of students at MIA's kennel while she was there; she hates being in a kennel, and they were spoiling her as much as they could with somone always being wither...

Although, the student on the case this visit wasn't the brighest crayon in the bunch, you gotta give it to the others who sat by her kennel so she wouldn't be such a crybaby. Ha.

 

[LadyGecko]

Hi Whitney

How is Mia doing?

I am anxiously awaiting a positive update on her and of course I hope that things are going well for you

Take care

Sandy

 

[goReptiles]

I'm so sorry it's been a while since I've updated... I've been a busy lady lately..

Mia is doing wonderful. She's restarted chemo treatments since the amputation. She's had two treatments so far, and will have an xray taken the next time she goes in to make sure that there isn't any growth going on in her lungs. We're hoping for the best.

She's running around and playing with three legs. She loved the March snow we had. My dad sent a video to my grandparents (who hadn't seen her post-surgery at the time) and they couldn't even tell she was missing a leg. Although she was leashed, she was running circles around my dad. I wish she'd been able to run off leash, but we were in our front yard and didn't want her to take off in the road.

Although hardwood flooring is terrible for three legged dogs, we have rugs all over. Our house looks ridiculous, but it's cool.

And I'll admit it's the funniest thing in the world to watch a three legged dog chase her tail. No fourth leg to get in the way of the turns. She starts at one end of a room and ends in the other. It's hilarious.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Oh my! I'm so glad Mia is doing better... and I hope and pray she will make a full recovery! ((HUGS))

 

[Mel&Keith]

Yea! Go MIA!!!