Friday, October 12, 2012

Star on the beach at Lake Huron, September 2012


A few weeks ago we took Quasar and Star with us for a few days in a little cottage on the beach of Lake Huron. It was rather chilly, but the four of us had a good time. The dogs got to sniff all over the place (deer, raccoon, who knows what else!), and Star waded through the Lake's warm water.

Since last year, Star has been dealing with a probably ACL injury in her left leg. With some pain meds and a lot of rest (no more long walks), her leg got better. Sometime in May, we noticed she was favoring her right leg somewhat. However, the episode in June with her vomiting blood (and no conclusive diagnosis, except perhaps an infection) had us concerned with her gastric problems. They cleared up, too. 

In August, we noticed her right leg was getting worse, and in September started her on Metacam for the pain. However, after a short while her leg became increasingly worse with her sometimes sliding down on it. The vet sent us to an orthopedic specialist on Thursday. Sadly, the problem was not her ACL. After looking at a few radiographs, the specialist diagnosed probable osteosarcoma. I felt rather punched in the gut.

My husband and I went with Star today to our usual Vet. After much discussion about surgical and chemotherapy alternatives, we have decided to follow a treatment of palliative care. In addition to the metacam, we've added tramadol to treat the pain.

Star is still one happy girl with a fantastic appetite, her eyes are bright, and life is good (park visits and car rides on our agenda!).

Click on THIS LINK to learn more about canine cancers.

3 comments:

  1. Oh my I am so SORRY to hear this about Star. I totally support your decision to go with the palliative care. She will love the park visits and car rides. Who wouldn't?

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  2. Thank you for your kind words, Frankie & Ernie -- Star appreciates it, too. We are heartbroken.

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  3. Oh my, the lo-n-g comment I sent is still floating. So I will say, again, how sorry I am about Star. I so glad she is still a happy girl. She couldn't have a better mom. Thanks for the information link. All the best to Star!

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