Bone cancer

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fallenangel123

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Hi, does anyone have any experience of this, particularly in large breeds?
My great Dane x Rottweiler ( great Weiler to give him a designer name) is lame on metacam and has a swelling above his knee which is getting bigger fairly rapidly.
He has been seen by the vet a couple of times regarding the lameness and he suggested it as a possible diagnosis before the swelling came up. He is now almost sure this is the case. As Merlin is ten he is reluctant to have to sedate him for any x rays etc.
He is getting around the house and garden well, is happy in himself etc for now, I just really need to know what to expect now. I know he won't have long left, he has been my big man since he was eight weeks and my children have all fallen asleep on him when they were small. It is going to hit us all hard!

Baileys for reading this!!
 
I am really sorry to hear that:( if there is no metastasis then generally you will see gradual difficulty using the leg and swelling and may see a change in him like general depression, going off his food, reluctance too walk far.
If it has metastised then you may see onset coughing (esp if spread to the chest), weight loss (esp on the back end) giving a sucked in appearance, muscle wastage.
All you can do is keep him as pain free and comfortable as possible and know when the time is right to let him go. Obs there maybe other symptoms.
My mams rotti had bone cancer in his hind leg and she let him go under anaesthetic when he was xrayed, I think we all have different ways in dealing and knowing when the time is right.
 
My mum lost her Rottie to bone cancer too. It started with lameness, and he was diagnosed in his front right leg. He was managed with pain relief.
My mum was given a prognosis of 6 months, and she was heartbroken, and decided that a puppy would bring some happiness to the family so secured a Bull Mastiff before he was even conceived.
Ben the Rottie actually went on for another 11 months, so she had the puppy and him together. He was PTS when his pain became unmanageable - we were heartbroken. It seems to be a Risk with Rotties, and sadly her Bully was lost to Lymphoma when he was 8yrs. Just so sad...
Sending you my sympathies, enjoy the time you have if it us infact what you think :(
 
Thanks guys, interesting that both of your experiences were rotties, my oh lost his previous rottie to cancer too, which seems to make the vets diagnosis more likely.
He warned me it was an aggressive cancer and I was really worried I wouldn't have time to prepare the kids. Hopefully we'll have plenty of time together first.
Sorry but I drank the baileys, there are some mini muffins left tho!
 
My friends GS had it in a back leg - again started with lameness. The dog was pts under anaesthetic too when being x-rayed to confirm the diagnosis.
 
I lost my springer girl to this last year, she was 13 though and showed no symptoms until 3 days before we lost her. One day she went out for her walk as normal, the next morning she couldnt put one hind leg to the floor and was reluctant to move on the other 3. She became a sad little dog overnight as up until the previous day she had been fully mobile and still very bouncy. This happened on Boxing day, we took her to our vet who gave us painkillers and an appointment for the next day to have a scan done to confirm it was cancer, not just a sprain, we let her go under the anaesthetic in view of her age and the aggressive nature of this cancer.
 
It does seem prevalent in rotties as I lost mine this time last year. She had a lump on her shoulder which grew extremely quick. Had her diagnosed and three weeks later I had her pts at home. I made the decision sooner rather than later as she wasn't at all happy. Even my vet was shocked at how quick the disease had spread . My thoughts are with you as I know how tough it is
 
Thanks again guys. Merlin is happy in himself at present, even did a three and a bit legged gallop up the garden earlier. While he stays happy we'll keep him going. I have begun to prepare the kids, just a little mention that he's not well and quite old so we have to give him lots of love before he goes to heaven.
What a sh***y thing to happen to a wonderful dog.
 
Ok, that made me cry...a lot!

Actually it was very helpful, gave me a good idea what to expect in the future too.
He is at present snoozing in the lounge with my three year old using him as a pillow while she watches Tangled. Actually I think he may be watching it too!
Long may it last!
 
fallenangel123 said:
Ok, that made me cry...a lot!

Actually it was very helpful, gave me a good idea what to expect in the future too.
He is at present snoozing in the lounge with my three year old using him as a pillow while she watches Tangled. Actually I think he may be watching it too!
Long may it last!
Click to expand...

Sorry it made you sad, but glad it is helped you a little. Fingers crossed all stays they way it is now.

Good Luck, keep me update
xx
 
I lost my previous Rottweiler to cancer too aged just 8 :( we went away on holiday and she was really well, we dropped her off at a very good kennels (they admitted she stayed in the house with them most of the time because she was such a love) and when we picked her up 3 1/2 weeks later we knew something was wrong, she couldnt even jump into the car :(

We noticed she hadn't been for a number 2 for 36hrs after she came home, took her to the vet who recommended to feed her rice, chicken and oil to get her moving. Two days following this she started bleeding from her back end heavily and we rushed her back to the vet. An x ray showed she had a tumour the size of a melon in her abdomen and the vet said he could try and take it out but it was just 50/50. Got the dreadful phonecall the next day to tell us he couldn't remove it and she was riddled with tumours :( he said it was the most aggressive cancer he had ever seen and that she'd probably only had it 6-8weeks, my baby girl was Pts 6 days after picking her up from the kennels, and hit me the hardest of any animal I've known.

The Rottweiler before her was Pts aged 12 after suffering a stroke at home. She had developed diabetes and we had to inject insulin for the last 3 years of her life.

RIP Rosie 1998 - 2006
RIP Helga 1986 - 1998
 
Sorry to hear of your losses hula it's awful losing a best friend particularly when it's so sudden.
I have been quite surprised at the number of rotties mentioned in this thread, it does seem to be a breed thing. Thought Merlin may have escaped it being a mongrel, or should I say designer dog, but evidently not.
 
When we lost Rosie we contacted her breeder to see if they had any pups as she was such a lovely nature. The breeder told us that he had just lost a rottie to cancer aged 6 and that it was becoming more common. He blamed the increasing popularity of complete food. Whether there is any thing in this I don't know.

Losing a dog is awful :( or any pet for that matter, they are a member of the family.
 
Rotti's are prone to bone cancer so no coincidence in the this thread sadly, other large breeds are also very prone, deerhounds, greyhounds, great danes, retrievers and many other large/giant big boned breeds, it could be due to many things really, hereditary (highly likely), high protein foods in pups resulting in rapid growth placing more stress on the bones, over weight/obese dogs, again alot of stress on bones/joints, young neutering (although most we see at work are entire I have to say) poor quality diets. Who knows? very sad though. I dread my rotti ever getting a limp, although cruciate rupture is very common in rotts and it's not uncommon for cancer to develop in the site later in life (another risk)
 
My thoughts are with you. Very sadly another rottie tale too. My 8 year old had it in his foot, had chemo, (never again). Spread to his brain and had a massive fit on a Boxing Day. Prior to this though his lovely personality changed. If I had realised it had gone to his brain I would have pts long before
 
Oh Sakaspuds that's a terrible thing to happen. I know how you feel tho wanting to try everything
possible. My heart wants to try amputation and chemo, but my head knows it wouldn't be fair at his age to put him thro the surgery and learning to manage on three legs. It's not worth it for what would likely be months only, just wish I could explain it to my heart!
 
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