Rufus has been doing great the past few weeks although he’s had a few bouts of depression, presumably because he wants to get out of the house (and yard) and get a bit of exercise. He had his second follow-up appointment yesterday, 12 days after his surgery, and the majority of his staples were removed. The vet said we could give him more exercise now, just no running quite yet.
We got the call this morning on the results from his removed leg. They found osteosarcoma “deep in the bone”. The recommended courses of action are either (a) do nothing, or (b) look into chemo. I haven’t discussed it yet with my husband but at the very least, we’ll go talk to one of the other vets in our veterinary office who is more knowledgeable on chemo. The vet who performed the surgery said the average life span is 3-6 months without chemo, maybe up to a year with, but of course that’s on a case-by-case basis.
Looking at this site, I’m a lot more optimistic. When Rufus first had issues and we researched osteosarcoma, we read that it was a super aggressive form of cancer. The fact that it was 6 weeks between his first appointment and his amputation and even then there were no signs of lysis in his leg bone makes me hopeful that it’s a very slow moving case. There was nothing obvious in his pre-surgery chest x-ray so again, this gives me hope.
It was Rufus’s birthday yesterday by the way, 5 years old. Here’s a photo when he was about 10 or 11 weeks old right after I’d got him:
Wish us all luck!
Jill, Adam, Rufus, and brother Chewy.
Oh Rufus! It’s good to hear you’re doing so great and want to be outside!! Actually, going outside is really good for the mind as well as the body and now that the staples are out I’m sure you will be fine.
As for statistics: we were told pretty much the same numbers (although we were told 15-18 months with Chemo). We did chemo and we are now in month 15, mets-free so far. So we are one of the lucky ones.There are obviously no guarantees. There are dogs that only live a few more happy months in spite of chemo, there are those that don’t handle chemo well, and so on. However, I would do everything again exactly the way we did because I did get to have 15+ months. But whatever you decide we all know it’s going to be in Rufus’s best interest so it’s going to be fine!
oh, and Rufus: that baby picture of you is SO adorable!! but are you sure there’s not a little bit of a bunny rabbit in you? sure looks like it riding on your mum’s shoulder like that 🙂
all the best!
tina & Manni
Baby Rufus is ADORABLE!!!! Soooooo cute!!! Smooching that bundle of fluff through the screen! Hard ro believe that little fella’ has grown into a ginormous huge ball of fluff!!
Statistics don’t mean much around here. They are not capable of taking each individual dog into account and all the variables of that dog and his lifestyle, loving enviornment, etc. We have some thst blow statistics out of the water and some that, sadly, fall short. It’s a crap shoot.
The most important thing to remember is Rufus doesn’t count days in a calendar and he doesn’t read medical reports or listen to anything Vets have to say!!! Rufus lives in the moment, in the NOW with no worries about anything!!
All he cares about is being spoiled and loved and snuggled! All he cares about is being in the NOW with you! Make everyday RUFUS DAY:-) 🙂
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUFUS!!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 Hope you got some ice cream and cake!!!
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS….Many dogs here, including my Happy Hannah, were treated off and on for months for arthritis, or a sprain, etc. So you acted far sooner than most of us here! And clear xrays too,YAY!!
Awww hoppy birthday Rufus! May the magic of the Tripawds Nation bring you many, many more!
P.S. We are so glad that your humans found comfort by coming here. I have a feeling you’re going to kick cancer’s butt my friend!!!
Best wishes to you guys!!! Rufus is a majestic fluffy beast, and was an adorable poofy puppy! I totally agree with what Benny said:
Happy birthday, big boy, and best wishes for many more <3
Edit: I am terrible with xhtml 😀 I meant to quote: “The most important thing to remember is Rufus doesn’t count days in a calendar and he doesn’t read medical reports or listen to anything Vets have to say!!! Rufus lives in the moment, in the NOW with no worries about anything!! ” 🙂 True words, and I hope you can find some comfort in them!