Dog diagnosed with arthritis/bone cancer. Any advice?

treascon

Our 8 yr old dog was diagnosed with either of these conditions today. The vet couldn't distinguish which. He has lost alot of weight over the last few months & recently is refusing to put weight on one of his rear legs. The vet took an xray of this & said she could see a shadow but it was too early to say for sure which condition he is suffering from? He was prescribed Meloxidlyl & we were told to give this to him daily until his condition deteriorates. Has anyone any experience of this? Is there anything else we can do/give to him to alleviate pain? How long can we expect him to last? The vet said that if it is cancer that it is a less aggressive form. Little comfort when our dog is a shadow of his former self. Thanks

andreac

Would you consider getting a second opinion to see if they diagnose exactly what it is? I personally wouldnt be happy with this vets decision not knowing what condition it is. SO a second opinion might help and then if you get a proper diagnosis you might be in a better position to treat your dog with the right medication.

Hope you get sorted soon.

Burkatron

treascon wrote: »

Our 8 yr old dog was diagnosed with either of these conditions today. The vet couldn't distinguish which. He has lost alot of weight over the last few months & recently is refusing to put weight on one of his rear legs. The vet took an xray of this & said she could see a shadow but it was too early to say for sure which condition he is suffering from? He was prescribed Meloxidlyl & we were told to give this to him daily until his condition deteriorates. Has anyone any experience of this? Is there anything else we can do/give to him to alleviate pain? How long can we expect him to last? The vet said that if it is cancer that it is a less aggressive form. Little comfort when our dog is a shadow of his former self. Thanks

Ah, defo get a 2nd opinion! Thats a terrible way to leave you & the dog!

This sounds a bit mental & I have banged on about how its helped my old boy but anyway. He's a heavy set boxer (heaviest he was 56kg, he's 50ish at the moment)& is 11 (closer to 12). He suffered with arthritis the last 2-3ish years especially in the cold weather to the point he was going for long(ish) walks 1 every 4 days & short walks the rest of the time! Anyway I took a punt on a magnetic collar as I've read & heard alot of positive things. After 5 days of wearing we noticed improvements in him. After a month he's been like a young dog again! He's had it 3 months now & the lunatic is getting 2 long walks a day & is playing in the snow all the time! So if it's osteo arthritis I'd be looking at 1 of these! Even if its not I'd still give it a go as it's coincided with a skin disorder he's had improving....This is the 1 we got him http://cgi.ebay.ie/New-Outhwaite-MAG...f#ht_500wt_847

Get a 2nd opinion, fingers crossed he'll be ok

Any excuse :pac:

treascon

Thank you for the responses. My OH brought the dog & didn't see the regular vet. So i don't know which vet he saw. 120e later & we are still none the wiser. The weight loss is the biggest worry. He used to be a barrel. Now the poor dog looks like we dont feed him! I have a feeling its cancer. With the symptoms he has & my brief research on the net it pinpoints to this. I dont know what to do. I dont want to prolong things for him if its just downhill from here.

Rodin

Giving the description of the XRay, and the clinical course, I'd say cancer.
It'll also likely to lead to fractures in unhealthy bone.
Probably best to let him go.

Burkatron

Rodin wrote: »

Giving the description of the XRay, and the clinical course, I'd say cancer.
It'll also likely to lead to fractures in unhealthy bone.
Probably best to let him go.

Wait for the vets diagnosis, there's no point in thinking like this until a health professional has diagnosed it no matter what the signs are!

Wisco

I would seek a second opinion. Are you in a practice that deals with both large and small animals? Sometimes small animal only vets are better with getting down to a diagnosis and often have better xray/blood testing facitilites . I'm not trying to knock mixed practices, but my experience is that small animal vets often have more experience in getting to the bottom of tricky situations like yours and/or interpreting xrays..
Good luck, hope you get sorted.

tk123

Sorry about your dog OP Def get a second opinion - you have nothing to lose!! I got a second opinion for our pup - 1st place (ucd) told us that he had a deformity, it was best to leave it and that he'd wear down his joints and get arthritis... luckily I have a brilliant vet who arranged for a second opinion from gilabbey vets in cork and my little baba is asleep beside my in his crate after having an op to have his leg straightened 3 weeks ago - we just have a week to go of crate rest and we can go for walks again!

Lizard Queen

i would get a second opinion , i work in a vets and lets see if the dog deteriorates is not expectable. If arthritis was present there would definitely be degeneration around the joint. I would get a bone biopsy but do not except an inconclusive answer

boxerly

Please dont do anything hasty because of a comment or two xx get a second opinion and a third if your still not happy.What area are ye in? some people may know some very good vets.My 11.5 year old boxer has arthritis,he is a big heavy boned boxer who weighed 42 kgs,he is now 38.We found out a while ago he has heart failure which caused fluid build up but after he started his meds he lost it which explained the weight loss.Vets differ HUGELY.If it wasnt for my new vet Bruno would be dead.Old vets wanted to cut him open blah blah blah.My new vet diagnosed him within a few hours hours.We have to do all we can for our beloved pets.I really hope its not bad news xxxBut I would deffo deffo see another vet xxxx

Rodin

Burkatron wrote: »

Wait for the vets diagnosis, there's no point in thinking like this until a health professional has diagnosed it no matter what the signs are!

I AM a health professional, admittedly with people and not animals, but the scenario is similar to a person. Certainly X-Ray appearances are similar

dvet

The confusion may be due to the fact that early arthritic changes and early stages of bone cancer can look really similar on an x ray. (they often just look shadowy and vague at the beginning). Your vet's plan may be to see if pain medication causes an improvement (that would usually point to arthritis over cancer), but if you're not happy with this wait and see approach, then tell your vet. They will probably refer you, either for more detailed x rays, a CT or a bone biopsy. It's your dog... so if you have to, demand it!

dvet

P.S. I'm all for giving help online, but at times internet diagnosis is a dangerous thing. Nobody here has seen the dog or the xrays, let alone knowing the full medical history, so after a certain point comments like 'best to let him go' are more than jumping the gun.

Best of luck with your dog OP, and please let us know how it turns out.