[Zeus's Mommy]

I have been watching Zeus for the last 2 weeks because he has been limping every time he wakes up and he has this bump on his wrist that i thought was just a swollen joint or something.

we have a vet visit tomorrow morning so i will be getting him looked at. the thing is, i was looking up what a normal x-ray of a dogs wrist would look like when i stumbled upon this site:

Doc's Thoughts: What I saw today... Canine Osteosarcoma

Im freaking out as i read the symptoms and prognosis of the disease. I am so scared. this is a picture of what his wrists look like side by side

 

[Zeus's Mommy]

We just got back from the vet. There is what looks like a tumor on his bone. The only option is to operate to remove it and send it off to the lab to see whether or not it is cancerous. there's no way to know. the dr said that this is odd for such a young dog and i'm so scared... i don't know what i'm gonna do if this turns out to be osteosarcoma.

 

[Zeus's Mommy]

The vet said that he was concerned with the way it looked but that the tumor needed to be removed. He said it could be osteosarcoma but doubts that it's that bad because he is so young... or on the very mild side, it could be tissue damage that the bone reacted to, though he said that it wasn't all that likely either.

All in all, he thinks it might be cancerous but doesn't know for sure and that's the reason he wants to send the tumor out to the lab for analysis. I just don't even know how to feel. This could go either way and I am so scared.

Thanks for all the support and the links.

 

[Zeus's Mommy]

I found this place that's actually in Orange County. Have any of you heard of it?

Advanced Veterinary Specialty Group

I called the cancer group specialist office and the surgery specialist office and explained the situation. They said that it's possible that they could give me a diagnosis but that a biopsy is really what's going to point to what the problem is. I don't know what to do. My boyfriends says that we need to go through with the surgery and not waste time. Which is true, time is not on our side. I do trust our vet and I think we're going to keep the appointment tomorrow and go through with the surgery.

 

[Zeus's Mommy]

The vet said it very well COULD be osteosarcoma or it could be any of the other "sarcomas" but that he wouldn't be able to tell which one it is without sending it to the lab.

He is going to be removing the bone on which the tumor has been found. It is on one of the bones that form his toes, if that makes any sense. It is right below his wrist joint.

Don't get me wrong. I do trust the vet. He has been the one to see Zeus all his life, pretty much and was the vet to diagnose his lower back neurological issue. I agree, I do need to speak with him before the surgery goes through.

What kind of questions should I make sure to ask?

• What happens if this turns out to be cancer?
• When would you recommend doing chest x-rays?
• What is the prognosis if it is cancerous?
• What is the next step?

These are some of the ones on my list.

 

[Zeus's Mommy]

Zeus came out of surgery today with no complications. He did start to bleed out during the procedure but a blood transfusion fixed that. The vet said that his case is unusual in that the doctor found a torn main ligament in his paw that went straight through the tumor. He is not sure if the tumor ruptured the ligament or if the ligament tore, causing a huge reaction from his body. It could either be really good news (just a torn ligament) or really bad news. The tumor is on its way to the lab to see if it is just a bad reaction or if it is, in fact, bone cancer. He said the tissue looked very spindly and that concerns him but we will know at the end of next week. Thank you all for your prayers. We aren't out of the woods yet but we're very hopeful.

Here are some pics of Zeus after the surgery.