When brieblue was just a little over a year old she broke her left hind leg. Taking her to many specialist it Was our best option to perform surgery and have 3 medal pins inserted. After five years with no issues on March 15 she was playing outside jumping came down on her bad leg and developed a sudden limp. I waited 2 days thinking hopefully it would get better but it did not. Took her to the emergency room at first they told us a maybe a tear. I had never dreamt in a million years the news I was going to receive. Xrays came back with a tumor right where her pins were installed. My heart broke in a million pieces I was not anywhere close to be able to handle the rest of the news the dr was about to tell me. Osteosarcoma and our odds were bleak. Given her breed and the trauma from her previous injury they were positive. Racing the next few days getting multiple opinions all with covid coming down hard in my area. Our only option was amputation and hoping for osteomyelitis. Well after 2 weeks of waiting on our results we got the news yes it was osteosarcoma. Now the next big question was to do chemo or not. With only one oncologist in my city and the fact that we had come this far I felt I had to continue the fight for her. We have had just 1 round of chemo which blew out her white count. We are hoping for round 2 but I am telling myself maybe this is a sign that this is not what we should be doing. She is doing well minus her counts. She has not experienced any of the symptoms that come with osteosarcoma yet and dread that day. I wish five years ago that I would have amputated the leg rather than trying to mend it. Maybe then we wouldn’t be going through all of this. I wish I would have done my research a bit better prior to amputation and tried the T cell option. I had no idea that was even a thing. For now we take it day by day. We are going to fight hard and enjoy every second we have. My comfort at this point is I know she is not in pain with leg.
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Hi,
Brieblues’ is simply adorable! I know that this is a scary time. Try not to look back and blame yourself for decisions that you made 5 years ago. You did what was best for her then and you will do what’s best for her now. How is she doing following the amputation? Is she adjusting to life as a tripawd? My Lucky quickly adjusted to life on 3 legs and was so fast I couldn’t even believe it. Keep fighting and kick cancer to the curb!!!I will be cheering you on!
Pam
Thank you for your kind words! She is doing well after amputation seems to run much better than hop. We plan on kicking cancer to the curb and not turning back!
Alrighty, catching up just in time to see your fighting spirit has come back strong and you are only focused on the here and now!! Good job!! I will just say one thing. Five years ago with Brieblue being so young, I doubt that, not only would “amputation ” probably sound too extreme to you, I doubt that a Vet would seriously push for it either in such a young dog basically still growing. It’s a path almost everyone would have taken back then.
Now, so glad to hear how well Brieblue is handling recovery. That just shows she is a Warrior, just like her hoomans!!
It is not uncommon for WBC to get whacked during chemo. It just means you have to wait until they get more stable for the next round . And the Onco may reduce the dose. Now, this is NOT a fact as far as I know and I am NOT a Vet, but there are “theories” oit there that a low count means the immune system is kicking into high gear.
And for Brieblue to have no aide effects outwardly os good! Anyway, talk with your Onco about how to proceed forward if that resonates with you. The”good’ thing about chemo is you can stop anytime.
Yes, tripawds do prefer a faster pace as it helps keep balance and momentum. It takes about a month to get the gait fully worked oit, but it sounds like she’s ahead of the curve.
And please post more pictures!! OMD! That face! Smooching the mig thru the screen!!!
Rock on Brieblue! You now have a Fan Club cheering for you!!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Thank you for your comments! Today we had set back possibly it appears baby girl has developed a uti (hopefully) we will know for sure tomorrow at our visit to the oncologist. We went to our vet this morning but he wanted to wait till tomorrow before giving any antibiotics since her chemo appt is so close.
Fight on Brieblue, if you could handle that broken leg you can handle whatever comes your way now. I’m sorry you’re not feeling good and hope that the dogtor can help you feel better. Please let us know how you’re doing.
We’re glad you joined us but sorry you had to!
Cheering for you and brieblues. Boxers are fighters and have the most upbeat personalities, you are doing the best thing to enjoy every second with her pain free.