Quasar and Canine Osteosarcoma (Dog Bone Cancer)

Hello all. It's been quite a long time since I've posted. I've missed you and hope you all are doing well (though I see that it's been a long time, too, since you've blogged). Nonetheless....

I'm writing about our good boy Quasar, 14 years and 9 months old as of July 4.

Quasar was diagnosed March 15 with osteosarcoma in his right distal radius (right foreleg). We had noticed him limping when he ran out to greet my husband at the car when he came home from work. We gave him some leftover Rimadyl for a week, but it didn't stop the limping so we took him to our longtime vet. She thought it best to x-ray his leg given his age and that he's a long-legged dog. The X-ray showed osteosarcoma. Me being me, I asked for a consult with a specialist just to be sure. She suggested a specialist practice that is locally owned and I made an appointment there and we saw an oncologist who confirmed the diagnosis.

Interestingly, the oncologist is one of several vets in the U.S. who practices both conventional and traditional Chinese veterinary medicine. Again, given his age, we decided on palliative care. Radiation therapy is supposed to work great for pain, but it can deteriorate the bone so we decided against that. Instead, we decided to treat Quasar's pain with daily doses of Rimadyl (carprofen) and Gabapentin, and a powdered mix of Chinese plants and herbs. To treat both his pain and to strengthen the bone, he is getting injections of Zoledronate every 3 to 4 weeks. (Zoledronate is akin to "Boniva" treatments for people with osteoporosis.) To treat the tumor, he is also getting a powdered Chinese mix of plants/herbs; this is expected to shrink the vessels that feed the tumor and slow its growth, and we have no expectation that it is curative. We brought up the subject of CBD oil with our vet and she perked right up! Veterinarians are not allowed to prescribe CBD (here in the U.S.), but since we asked she told us which one to get (actually a concentrated hemp CBD for oral use) and where to get it. Again, this CBD is strictly for palliative purpose. 

Quasar sees the oncologist every 3 or 4 weeks, and saw her a couple of days ago. His liver enzymes were a bit higher than his last visit, so we decided to put him on daily doses of "Hepato Support" (main ingredient is milk thistle).

Quasar is doing Greyt! His vet said most dogs with osteosarcoma at 3 months have difficulty walking if they are able to walk. We are so happy that Quasar still has a Greyt quality of life (except for when we don't give him as many treats as he wants!). We hope he sees his his 15th birthday in October. 

I would love to hear from others that are using "alternative" treatments.

I've attached a couple photos of his leg and video of him from earlier this month. (Excuse our yard.)

Star Is Rising

Here's a photo of our girl Star lying in the Maple leaves in early November.

Star girl passed Saturday morning, after having been diagnosed with bone cancer in October. She was 8 years old. We love her dearly and deeply. We loved how happy she was, her little stubby tail and butt wag, her chattering teeth (Lady Chatterly was a nickname!). I think she didn't know she was a greyhound; she loved to roll in mud, jump in ponds, drink lake water, lie in the snow and on driveways. She was our "Binky." I believe she had a happy life with us; I know she made our lives happier. 

Star Is Rising

2004 - 2012

Star says Pet Me!

Star paws at me when she wants me to pet her.

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.

Dog Shaming

Perfectly behaved dogs.

(Hmmmm. My pants are on fire.)

Here is a fun and silly little diversion: a new website and blog on Tumblr: Dog Shaming

Star is good!

Star at the Vet's office on Friday.

Star visited the vet again last Friday. She is doing so much better!

Star lost about 8 pounds while she was sick, and the vet wants her to gain back another 4 pounds or so, but she still has to stay on her prescription gastrointestinal food. She no longer needs the antibiotic or the sucralfate, but she does need to take Tums twice a day. (And here we thought it was just for people!)

So the girl is good, though she goes back to the vet in a month for one more checkup.

We're pretty happy over here, and I suspect that she is, too. Thanks for all your good wishes and kind words; I'm sure that they helped greytly!

Update on Star's Medical Emergency

As you can see from the photo above, Star is enjoying a little shade-time in this 92-degree heat.

Star is doing much better, though not as well - yet - as we had hoped. She had a vet appointment last Friday, and they still found some blood in her stool. So, she's on another round of antibiotics and Sulcrafate, and is still eating only Hill's Prescription Diet i/d for Canines.

However, Star's appetite is back in a big way, though we are still not allowed to give her any treats. So, by default, this means that Quasar doesn't get any treats. And they both want treats (if the treat jar is even nudged, they come a running!). The extra good news, though, is that they are both losing a few pounds to get back to "retirement" weight (no more than 5 lbs. over their racing weight).

Part of Star's problem, we believe, is that she will eat anything -- I mean anything! We had a small bbq on Saturday with family in town, and as we cleaned the grill she was trying to eat all the scrapings! She's still looking for tidbits!

Star has another vet appointment on Friday, so I'll let you all know how she's doing on that day.

Stay cool in this heat!

Star's Medical Emergency

Star girldog

Earlier this week, Star wanted to go outside three times (!) in the middle of the night. She's a dog that usually sleeps right through the night, so after the third time, my sleepy grumpy self finally thought that maybe something isn't right. I kept an eye on her during the day and went out that evening.

When I returned, I noticed a small puddle of what looked like red Kool-Aid. My husband and I looked at it, thought that perhaps she'd gotten into the strawberry patch, but I just worried about her for the next twenty minutes -- at which time she vomited a bucket-full of this stuff and we figured immediately: It's BLOOD! (DUH!) I took a photograph of the vomit, put Star in my car (where she continued to vomit) and raced her to the emergency vet a few blocks over.

The emergency vet took an x-ray of her tummy and couldn't see anything unusual but gave her an injection of Cerenia (for nausea) and sent her home with Sucralfate (medicine used to treat ulcers).

The next day, Star went to see her usual vet at Platz Animal Hospital. Dr. Platz (whom I've known since 1985!) decided to keep her overnight for testing and observation. When I returned the next day, Dr. Platz told me that they did a radiograph and other blood tests and urinalysis, and could find neither an ulcer nor a tumor (whew!), but that she does have about a pint of blood in her tummy, and that he suspects she has some kind of infection (which is still dangerous). [Star eats anything -- dirt, poop, you name it, but after checking our home and garage, it didn't appear that'd she'd gotten into anything toxic. However, she had been on Rimadyl and Tramadol for the two weeks before, due to pulled ligaments in both her hind legs -- which is another story unto itself.]

So Star is home from the vet, on a prescription antibiotic and Sucralfate, and is eating Hill's Prescription Diet i/d for gastrointestinal health. She goes back to the vet next week, at which point we'll assess if the next step is an MRI or scope. She seems to have perked up a bit, which is good news.

So, what does bloody dog vomit look like? I'll refrain from posting the photo, but I will tell you that she had the "not-as-horrid-as-it-could-be" kind: that is, it is "undigested" blood, clear red looking like a Kool-Aid or thin syrup. The "horrid" vomit is dark red and looks like it has coffee grounds in it. However, if your dog is vomiting either type, it's still an emergency and you need to get your dog to the vet NOW.

I'll keep you all updated. (And I'll do a sepate post on dog vomiting blood - with pictures, just for "educational" purposes.)

It's A Girl!

After 7 months of fostering Star is Rising, we've decided to adopt her! Star is a quirky girly-girl, and a real sweetie-pie. She's a big 75-lb. girl, and we suspect is not all greyhound -- she's just too atypical. Star is very vocal, loves to jump into and lay in the water and in the driveway and mud. I think she'd be greyt for camping! And, she loves to sniff and smell everything and everyone very thoroughly. Silly girl!

More Greyt Photos

I just had to post these photos. The top is Mr. Q in the hole he dug up against our new neighbor's house. He's staying nice and cool (and so is the neighbor). The bottom photo is our foster girl Star, just cooling off, lying in the driveway.

Star Is Rising - Our Latest Foster Girl From Michigan ReGAP

This is a photograph of our new foster girl Star Is Rising. She's 71 lbs. and currently up for adoption by Michigan Retired Greyhounds As Pets.

We've had her about 3 weeks now. She's a truly wonderful girl, and deserves a real forever home. She knows hand signals for "sit" and "down." She knows her name very well, loves to go for walks, is very playful and loving, and has just learned to go up and down stairs quickly yet carefully. She's a dream to have in the car, and she walks great on leash! She's just a very loving girl -- and she's very well adjusted.

Unfortunately, as you'll notice in the photo, her tail has been amputated (bit by another dog). So she wags her butt! She's a very happy girl.

Quasar!

It's A Boy!

We didn't know we were expecting, so imagine our surprise when we fell in love with "Quasar."

He's now the brightness at the center of our galaxy!

Quasar is keeping his racing name; he knows it, answers to it, and it suits his quirkiness. He's nothing like our dear departed Bastet --in looks or temperament; we didn't think we could ever find another girl like her and, indeed, we did not. He is all boy. He's 66.7 lbs. of love, and dressed in a tux! He loves to fart and burp (it's a love fest with Dad), he barks (unusual for a greyhound), loves to "roughhouse," plays fetch with his squeaky hedgehog, chases squirrels, loves to be outside, and is quite the extrovert. At 4 years of age, he's still his puppy-self, but very well-mannered -- especially with "sit, stay" (treats help).

This past summer, we thought about the possibilities of adopting, but still weren't sure. In August, we received an email from Michigan ReGAP asking for additional foster families for some greyhounds coming out of the Second Chance At Life Greyhound & Inmate Prison Partnership Program. AR & I decided that we would foster as a way to figure out if we were ready for a dog. We completed our foster paperwork, and the next day I showed up at Dapper Dog Wash to pick up a dog. Quasar was assigned to me, and off we went.

I'll have to post more photos soon, and there is lots more to tell (his father was an Australian champion, he's an IVF baby, and he has over 5,400 siblings), but in the meantime, here is the letter Quasar will be mailing to his former handlers at the prison in Coldwater:


Hi,

I am writing to tell you that I have just been adopted! It is a case of "foster failure"; that is, after all these weeks my foster parents decided that I must be their forever dog. They tell me that is so because I am such a good-looking and well-behaved dog and there is probably not another one like me out there and they feel so lucky that they just can't believe it! (And did I mention because I'm good-looking?)

So let me tell you about my new digs and my new family.

I am just crazy about my new Dad; he is my best buddy. We go for 2-mile walks almost every day, and he is a firm believer that life is not worth living without peanut butter treats. I like to race up and down the driveway when he gets home from work. I love to play with Mom, and if I bark at her, she will roughhouse with me. Mom and Dad do not have kids, so I am an only child. They are creative types, though, and come and go throughout the day, so there is almost always someone home with me.

There are lots of beds here! I have one in the basement so I can be with Dad while he practices guitar, and a bed on the first floor so I can just hang out (usually looking out the front door at the neighborhood), and another really comfy bed upstairs. At night I like to sleep on my back with my legs up in the air. We go on day trips, and I've already been to the cider mill and to State Parks. I've come to love car rides, and yesterday Dad took me around the block just for fun. It was a blast!

We have a small but nice home, and the yard is fenced so I can run free to chase the squirrels. I have a favorite tree which I will stand under for long periods of time just waiting to see those squirrels come out of their nest. We have discovered that I am quite the watchdog -- a real surprise to all of us. I patrol the house and windows, and I bark at squirrels, people, and strange sounds at night.

When I first came to live here, I really missed you guys, so much that I didn't eat for a few days and really worried everyone. But they got the idea to mix some canned food with my dry food, and now I eat two big meals a day.

Mom and Dad want me to give you a special "Thank You" for having spent your time and energy training me and letting me know what love is all about. It's a big exciting world out here, and I really appreciate your having prepared me, and I will remember you always for it. I hope there are other lucky dogs out there that will get to know you, too.

Best wishes forever,

Quasar

3/12/2008, #3

3/12/2008, #2

3/12/2008, #1

girldog

Bastet R.I.P.

Bast Mahlet “Bastet”8/1993 - 3/2007
AKA “GirlDog,” “Boobalah,” “Sweet Pea,” “Lady,” “Pookie-Girl” and “Nose in Holes.” Professional Name: Pa’s Ions Cash.

Our much-loved girl, our Sweet Pea, Bastet today has gone on pilgrimage. We cannot thank her enough for the joy she has brought us, the lessons she has taught us, and the comfort and unconditional love she gave us.

Bastet was adopted in NYC by Veronica in 1997, a week after retiring from professional racing life in Plainfield, CT. She settled into an adventurous and busy Brooklyn life before moving to Michigan in 1998. She was a New York gal! In May 2002, Bastet gained a Dad, when Alex and Veronica married. Although in her prime, Bastet demonstrated great speed, agility and flexibility (as demonstrated by a very impressive maneuver known as "the deceptive pirouette"), it was clear that the gifts to her adopted family were her greatest source of pride.

Bastet lived a good life, and enjoyed long and wonderful neighborhood walks with her Dad and visits to the park with her mom. She loved napping in sunlight, rides in the car, plain yogurt, peanut butter sandwiches, the occasional seedless red grape, and scrambled eggs for breakfast. She enjoyed the World of Smells, and we enjoyed the chattering of her teeth when she was happy. Bastet was a companion to Alex, assisting him on many occasions in practicing guitar and transcribing music. She loved to run errands with her Mom and assist her in many endeavors such as gardening and office work, and most importantly just hanging out with her. Bastet also loved to run free at Oval Beach during the cool weather of Spring.

Much loved, forever missed, a happy and sweet girl, affectionate, generous, loyal and content, she passed peacefully in her comfy bed with her head in her Mom’s lap and her Dad by her side.

Surviving close family members include: Peeps Mom and Dad, Uncle Albert, Aunt Christi and Uncle Lenny, cousins Draper and Dora, Godmother Tracey, and best pals Lola and Cinny. Her loving “grandmother” Ruth, and best friend Atticus predecease Bastet.

"Let's go, girl!"