Hello Tripawds! My dog, Omaha, has been a tripawd for almost 9 months. I want to share his story because it is a little unique and I hope it may help someone else facing the same tough decisions that we did.
We adopted Omaha in 2012 and he has always been in good health. When he began limping last summer we first thought it was an injury from playing with his brother and sisters in the yard. After a few days, my husband decided to take him to the vet. He was taking his brother, Vance, for his annual exam and so he thought that it would be a good idea to get Omaha’s leg examined at the same time.
On June 18, 2015, Omaha’s 7th Birthday, he was diagnosed with bone cancer. His primary care vet sent his x-ray to a radiologist and scheduled us for an examination the next day to do blood work and a chest x-ray. It was difficult to celebrate his birthday that evening especially thinking that it could potentially be his last. The next day we had many tests done. His vet read us the report from the radiologist that said his x-ray was an aggressive bone cancer. I remember her saying, “It’s either osteosarcoma or one of the other cancers on this list, but it is almost always osteosarcoma.” All of his blood work was perfect and he had no visible metastasis. The only concern was that he had injured one of his back legs when racing and although it had healed it was shorter than his other legs. He already walked a little funny, would he be able to handle also losing a front leg? Additionally, Omaha is a big greyhound….over 90 lbs….so that was a little bit of a concern as well. We decided to meet with a surgeon and oncologist to find out our options.
Before we decided on a treatment, we did our research. We reached out to U Penn, where they are doing research on osteosarcoma, and had Omaha’s records sent to the researchers there. One of the vets heading up osteosarcoma research said that she did not recommend her current study for him but that she’d put him on the list as a potential patient for a future study. As researchers ourselves, my husband and I were hoping that perhaps some good could come of Omaha’s diagnosis. We were hoping that he may be able to participate in a clinical trial not only to help him but also to potentially help other dogs and humans.
We took Omaha to the Animal Cancer Care Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. His surgeon examined him and felt that he would handle having three legs just fine. We also met with his oncologist, scheduled his chemotherapy after surgery, and discussed his potential participation in U Penn’s research study on osteosarcoma. Sections of his bone were to be saved and sent to U Penn if he was able to participate in the study.
Omaha had his right front leg amputated on July 2 and he came home on the 4th of July. The first few days were tough, and there were many times that my husband and I questioned our decision to amputate his leg. He was so groggy from his medication and unhappy that he had to stay in a fenced off area away from his brother and sisters. A few days after surgery, he developed a seroma, which was not surprising given that he is extremely muscular. He also eventually developed two additional wounds that could not be sutured closed. It was very challenging to keep him in a cone for over a month to allow these to heal, especially since once he felt better he figured out how to remove his cone and how to escape his enclosure!
About 10 days after surgery, Omaha’s surgeon called with his pathology results. My husband and I didn’t really think much about the pathology other than we were hoping that his osteosarcoma had particular characteristics that would make him eligible for U Penn’s research study. It never occurred to us that it was anything but osteo…..he was a 7 year old male greyhound, he fit the clinical picture of osteo perfectly. Despite this, according to the path results, it was NOT osteosarcoma, but fibrosarcoma. Of course, we wanted a second opinion. So, Omaha’s sample was sent to U Penn….and then to two other veterinary schools….and then his x-rays were sent to additional radiologists. No one seemed confident in what type of cancer he had, but no one was actually willing to call it osteosarcoma. My husband and I nicknamed his tumor “Omiesarcoma” and decided it must be funny just like him!
After several weeks of deliberation, Omaha’s oncologist diagnosed him with medullary fibrosarcoma. He did not recommend chemotherapy, but instead recommended close monitoring every 3 months. We are now 9 months post diagnosis and his recent x-rays and exam were completely normal. We hope that he continues to be as healthy as he is right now, and I look forward to celebrating his 8th birthday in June, something I though I may not get to do when he was first diagnosed.
And how is Omaha? Fantastic. He is incredible and an inspiration. I truly admire that dog. He has never complained, never been upset about his situation and he worked hard to quickly adapt to his new life on three legs. He is the happiest dog I’ve ever met, and I really think he knows how lucky he is to be alive. Just a few days ago my husband caught him digging a hole in the yard….who knew you could dig a hole with one front leg?
The decision of whether or not to amputate or whether or not to treat bone cancer is tough one, and everyone needs to make it based on their own unique situation. I never imagined that Omaha would do so well on three legs, and I never considered that his tumor might not be osteosarcoma. I am grateful for every happy day we get to spend with Omaha and I have no doubt in my mind that we made the right decision for him.