Sheba goes in for tests on Monday

[LadyGecko]

and I am a nervous wreck
Sheba Sue-was found in a country graveyard( I'm not kidding) by my bf's brothers about 7 yrs ago at about 4 months of age

She has been a welcome addition to my family and the healthiest of my 3 dogs/kids

Last week I noticed that she was favoring her right front leg and seemed to be in pain so off to the vet we went
Our vet examined her and gave her an anti-inflammatory injection along with tramadol for pain and said that he wanted her back in for x-rays/blood work etc. if she wasn't better by this week
Well-she isn't getting better-she is getting worse and seems to be in more pain then before
She is now on the anti-inflammatory (pills)and pain meds and is going in on Monday morning to find out what could possibly be wrong with her
I am wondering if she might have injured herself on the ice a couple of weeks ago when everything in the yard was freezing and thawing every other day
The vet brought up the subject of bone cancer-he always brings up the worst possibilities and that really freaked me out
I am not comfortable at all with having her put under anesthesia but I realize that this needs to be done and I am very fearful at to what the results of the tests are going to be

Sheba is my baby-I love all 3 of my dogs but Sheba and her talking ( we think she is part Husky) has a special spot in my heart

She isn't talking much these days-which isn't like Sheba-well-she just isn't herself at all and I am just praying that whatever is going on can be fixed
We will deal with the financial stuff -if she needs surgery as it comes)
I have constant chronic pain and I can't stand to see her suffering and understanding how bad that she must feel

Please keep my little girl in your thoughts

Sandy

 

[GECKOFREAK]

Poor girl! I'm sorry she isn't feeling well. I wish her the best!

 

[frankykeno]

With those face markings and the "talking" it's a sure bet she's got some northern breed in her. Best wishes and prayers for your lovely dog. Please let us know how it goes with her tests.

 

[techgirl]

Sandy, you and Sheba-Sue will be in my thoughts. Hope everything turns out for the best. Let us know how she does.

 

[LadyGecko]

Thank you all so very much
The combo of the 2 drugs has made her more comfortable but I know that it's just a quick fix for now and not a solution to the problem
Tomorrow is going to be a very long day.......my little girl has not been away from home since she was spayed and the one time that she got out of the yard and was gone for 12 hours
I nearly lost my mind that day
Sheba is an incredible dog-she is the boss of the house-investigates every noise-and absolutely HAS to greet us with a kiss and sings to us (God only knows what she is saying) when we come home from being out no mater how long that it's been -5 minutes or a few hours-lol
She is definitely the Alpha dog of the three

LadyJane and Sheba talking

Out in our big snow

Sandy

 

[nygeckoqn]

Sandy,
I bet Miss Sheba-Sue is going to be just fine in no time.Look at that face.Ya know your vet is a great vet. He will make sure she gets better and soon too.Give her a big kiss and a nice treat for me.
Robin

 

[moosassah]

She's instantly into your heart with those looks. What a sweetie. I hope that it turns out to be a simple infection. I'll refrain from a rant on the big C. I'll have to put in a few well wishes with St. Francis & see if he can't help her out.

 

[LadyGecko]

Thanks Robin and Jeanine
all thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated
:main_yes:

Sandy

 

[LadyGecko]

Well-we leave in about 20 minutes to take Sheba to the vet for the tests/x-rays and my stomach is in a knot and I have had no sleep
Please God-let my little girl be OK

Sandy

 

[LadyGecko]

I want to thank everyone here for their kindness and concern and since this is the "rants and raves' forum-
If I ever needed a place and there was a time in my life to rant -it is now

Sheba Sue-the light of my life has been diagnosed with Osteosarcoma or in plain terms she has Bone Cancer
I can not even begin to describe the state that my mind and emotions are in at this moment but I am so overwhelmed with horror and sorrow that I just have to sit down and write this


Never in a million years when Sheba began limping and favoring her right front leg a few weeks ago after we had all of the thawing and re-freezing of the ice and snow that we got hit with-did I ever imagine that I would be handed a prognosis that is virtually a death sentence from her vet today

I knew absolutely zero about bone cancer until today and man I wish that I didn't have to know anything about this and what lays down the very short road of life that Sheba has left to travel

I feel as if someone has just cut me deeper than I could ever be possibly be cut and I know that i will soon have to make one of the most unselfish decisions that I have ever made in my entire 53 years of life

My brain is flooded with information and regrettably none of it encouraging about this fatal disease that is going to take away my best friend in life

I have 3 dogs and I love all 3 of them but I do have to say that Sheba has always been my special girl and she has been with me through innumerable sleepless nights of chronic pain and she has always been here for me no matter what-period

Right at this moment I cannot possibly imagine life without her and I don't want to have to do so but as I sit here with non-stop tears streaming down my face I have little choice but to think about her comfort and the best way that I can possibly try and return all of the love and the joy that this girl has given to me over the past 7 plus years

There is one big choice that I can see from reading the info that i have found so far and it is easing her as gently as possible into the next world from this one with as little pain and discomfort as possible
Amputation of the leg where the tumor is located would only buy her a estimated 6 months of life-natural and holistic treatment maybe a few months more and as her bones become more brittle from the cancer invading them-the risk of fractures becomes more every day
This is a very fast growing cancer and i might have a few weeks at best left with her
Selfishly this is time for me to make peace with the fact of what I have to do for her and to say goodbye to her

This is the hardest and most difficult situation that I have ever been faced with in my entire life
I've been spared a lot of the loss and pain that accompanies it -that many other people have already had to experience in life and I guess that you could call this a rude reality check or wake up call

I guess that I really don't have too much more to say right now-I'm pretty drained
I need to get some sleep-not had much in the past 36 hours
but first I need to see if she is hungry and then give her a Tramadol
She starts on Duramaxx for pain in the am

Thanks for reading this and if I don't make much sense when I pop in to visit in the coming weeks I am sure it is because it is all going to be a blur

Sandy

 

[Sandra]

I'm really sorry to hear that... Without a doubt, to put down our furry friends is one of the most difficult decisions to make, but we owe them.

She seems to be a wonderful dog. I hope you two enjoy and make the most of the time that is left. You will need her company and she will need yours. I don't know what else can I say in a situation like this... Just give her a kiss for me in that big forehead she has.

 

[techgirl]

Sandy, I am so sorry that the news you got turned out not for the better. The best you can do for her and you now is to keep her comfortable as much as possible and start preparing yourself for closure on what's to come. Now is the time to sit down and prepare a list of what you consider her quality of life should be. As those items start to be affected, then you know the time has come to make a decision. Osteosarcoma is a scary and progressive disease. You may be lucky and have 3-6 months with her. The risk of her leg breaking does increase every day however. Unfortunately it won't take much for it to happen. She could be going for a walk and it may happen. I hate to say it, but it's best you know now before it happens. It will be hard to decide when to euthanize her, but it will be the best thing you can do for her. If there is anything I can do for you, let me know. I am so sorry for you and Sheba Sue. You will be in my heart and prayers.

 

[LadyGecko]

Thanks so much Sandra and Jessica
Sheba is responding very well to the Duramaxx as I hoped that she would
Snoopy-my 11 yr. old blk lab mix -who has a completely eroded hip joint would not be able to walk/stand or even lay comfortably if it were not for this drug and he has been on it for over 2 years now

Sheba is visibly more relaxed and I swear that I see the sparkle back n her eyes again
I had a long conversation with my vet this morning
We are sending off a blood sample to the U of I be tested for a fungal infection that does show up very similarly in x-rays but I am not holding my breath that this will be proved positive instead of the cancer
The next test would be a guided needle biopsy of bone marrow which i am not sure of the price at this time(I think between $500.00 and $1000.00) and this is also done at the U of I-Champaign /Urbana


My vet Dr Salsman is a wonderful man of many years experience of working with animals and is actually very upset with this diagnosis and he feels very frustrated that there is virtually nothing that he can do for her short of keeping her comfortable

We have discussed amputation of her leg with which would have to be right into the shoulder and I don't feel that it would be fair to her to put her through that trauma just to extend her life for another 6 months max.

So today I am just trying to relax and enjoy my quality time with her

:main_yes:

Sandy

 

[KiKi]

sandy im so sorry that you and sheba have to go through this and my thoughts are with you,it is very hard to lose ou friends and i know you will give her the best care,my thoughts and love is with you

 

[LadyGecko]

Thanks Francine-All of the kindness and concern from everyone sure means a lot to me

Sandy

 

[StinaKSU]

I'm SOOO sorry to hear that!!! She is a beautiful dog. I would consider having the leg amputated...she's not too old and dogs usually do incredibly well on 3 legs (and are usually up and about within a day or 2)...even if it doesn't give you too much longer with her, it could make her more comfortable in the time she has left....I would definitely at least discuss it with your vet and maybe even the folks in good old Chambana. Whatever you decide I'm sure you're doing right by Sheba and she appreciates all you're doing for her.

 

[Jeanne]

Oh Sandy, I can't even begin to say how sorry I am for you and Sheba. I couldn't even imagine how I would feel if this happened to Abbie. I will keep both of you in my prayers. Make sure you treasure every last moment that you have with her.

 

[LadyGecko]

Thanks you so much Christina and Jeanne
At the moment I am praying that the test for Bastomycosis comes back positive which can be treated and cured

My vet is not hopeful on this but he said that he would love to be proved wrong and he sent the blood sample out yesterday to to the U Of IL.to be tested/cultured
I believe the test that is going to be run is called Gel Immunodiffusion and it involves culturing the serum sample in agar and there is a definite positive or negative reading

If that test comes back negative -we are back to square one and I will be (and am now) finding out everything that amputation would involve
I have many questions concerning this because the leg is not he only area showing enlarged lymph nodes
My main concern is putting her through the trauma of this radical surgery when there are other body parts that are inoperable that will continue to have the cancer cells growing in them

I am researching diet and anything else that I can find to give her body additional nutritional support and basically hoping against the odds that it might be the fungal infection instead of cancer

My sincere thanks to everyone for reading this and letting me vent

Sandy

Oh-one more thought-after two days of being on the Duramaxx-she is putting weight on and using her affected leg when walking
She did this this morning when I let her out for her morning toilet

Also last night-she started talking to me again in the special way that she has-I call her my Ar-roo-roo dog because that is the sound that she makes when she is excited and happy
I am really glad to see that her discomfort has been eased somewhat by this drug and that at least for now-she is acting like her old self

My princess resting last night

 

[techgirl]

I have assisted in those surgeries and have also seen those cases in my clinic at night for after care. It depends on several things. How much does she weigh? If she is a large dog, it will be harder for her to adjust and take longer than 2-5 days. Does she have arthritis in the other joints? If she does, than it will be greatly exacerbated by the additional weight that will be put on them. Have chest rads been done to rule out any spread to the chest? What does her complete blood count look like? Is she on antibiotics to see if the other enlarged lymph nodes will recede in size? (Those most likely if they are enlarged throughout, it's not a good sign) The biggest question, if you do go ahead with surgery, are you prepared to see and hear how painful she will/may be? Discuss the pain management that will be used before and after surgery. A fentanyl patch may help her qreatly while she is recovering and can deliver pain meds for up to 4 days transdermally. The last question(sometimes the toughest), are you doing this for her or for you? Too many times I see pets put through this and more for the sake that the people were not ready to let them go?
Please don't think I'm cruel to bring all this up. I truly want the best for Sheba-Sue. I want to make sure you are ready for what is to come and have all your questions that you will need to talk to your vet ready. Always ask, it never hurts. Hve you had the other lymph nodes aspirated to see if they contain cancer cells? I know the bone marrow aspirate needs to be done, that is a little inconvenience to her but will recover well and quickly from that. The only scare that can occur from that is depending on how advanced the osteosarcoma(if that is what it is) is. There is always a risk of a break in weakend bone. Fortunately I have never seen it happen with that, but it has always been warned.
Good luck with the results you are waiting for. I will have my fingers crossed for you both. I apologize again if I upset you with what I have to say. I want you to be prepared for what may come and I will always be willing to help with any questions to come.
On a side note, have you considered acupuncture? It works well for pain management. Does wonders for my dog when his arthritis acts up(he's 16). As for foods, I love Wellness(pricey but good) due to human grade ingredients and also has antioxidants in it as well. There is a product called Welactin, which is salmon oil and other omega fatty acids that is to help stimulate the immune system. You squirt some on their food. I use it for my cat who has the herpes virus and it has worked very well to keep his eye under control. Many good thoughts are going your way.

 

[brandy101010]

I am so sorry to hear this news! I know how it feels to loose a pet that is your best friend. Deciding when to let go is very hard. I will keep praying that the test results are positive for the fungal infection. and that this is just a big nightmare and you can wake up soon. Either way this is a trumatic experience for you and we are all hear for you.