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Boone is my 5 year old golden retriever mix diagnosed with bone cancer (as of this writing the exact tumor is being determined). Boone started showing signs of trouble in April of 2013 when he was lifting up his right hind leg while staring out the door. It was thought by just about everyone including his vet that the most likely problem for such a young dog would be a CCL rupture/strain; cancer was never suspected.
Boone is an extremely athletic dog and tremendously stoic when it comes to pain. For several months he would be completely weight bearing on all four legs and very few people could pick out the subtle toe tapping and shifting of weight off the hind leg. In May and June of 2013, his symptoms appeared to completely resolve leading everyone to the conclusion he may have simply strained a muscle.
In July of 2013 the toe tapping and intermittent lameness returned and in August of 2013 with his TPLO surgery scheduled for a CCL tear, my vet did another set of x rays and the signature images of bone cancer could not be denied.
The picture below is Boone before any surgery reminding everyone to stay calm and have fun!
Boone’s tumor was relatively small when diagnosed so I was able to sustain an excellent quality of life with just oral pain meds through August and September. There is a school of thought that you need to act fast with the cancers but this was not my experience with Boone so we had lots of time to do research and consider all the options including SRT radiation at CSU Fort Collins. As the tumor size increased, the pain meds were not keeping up and after lots of reading, research into options and the invaluable stories and information found on this site, I made a choice that the right decision for Boone was to amputate. The surgery took place on October 16, 2013. Today he is doing great; his margins are clear and the lymph nodes aren’t involved. He’s not at 100% quite yet but he’s on a very pawsitive path!
In future posts I hope to chronicle my experience both with Bone cancer and with becoming a tripawd parent to help others that might be facing a similar situation.
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Welcome Boone and family-
I am so sorry Boone has this diagnosis at such a young age. It sounds like you have done a lot of research and have worked with some of the best so are as prepared as one can possibly be for these circumstances.
I look forward to hearing more about Boone and his fight. Thanks for sharing.
Luanne and Spirit Shooter
Welcome Boone & Family! We’re glad you’re hear, but sorry you had to find us. So glad to hear Boone is through surgery and back home recovering. The recovery period could be a bit of a roller coaster, so be sure to post in the forums where others will see. In the meantime, we’ll be sending positive thoughts to Boone! Stay strong Boone!!
Thanks so much for the greeting! 12 days post op today and so far it has been nothing but steady improvement. I know the road can be more bumpy but he’s worth every one of them! Cheers
What a sweet sweet baby. I too was confident after reading many of the posts on Tripawd’s site that we should amputate. I’m so excited you joined and look forward to many posts about how Boone is doing. You will be amazed at how quickly they learn to get around.
Hi Kimberly, I was hoping I made the right decision and now I know there is no doubt. Just today he is walking with his tail wagging and meeting new dog friends along the way. You are right; I’m amazed!
Oh Boone! You are a very, very handsome fella’! Isn’t sunbathing just the best feeling!
Sorry you jave to be here on the site, but, under the circumstances, there’s no better place to be! You are certainly not facing this alone, that’s for sure!
Your journey mimics so man…the off and on limp…the treatment for sprains or arthritis or whatever…and then the “diagnosis” and then the pain meds getting less and less effective. The amputatin removes the pain and now Boone can get on with living!
Each day is a sacred treasure and let NOTHING rob you of living in the moment with Oone! Loving, spoiling, tail wags, laying in the sun, rolling in the grass, snugling and tummy rubs…..anything Boone wants, Boone gets!
Look forward to following Boone’s journey AND…..VERY IMPORTANT…..MORE PHOTOS!! Love them!
Sounds like he’s recovering from his surgery nicely? Sometimes larger dogs take a little vit longer to recover. Let us know how that’s going, okay?
You are clearly a great advocate for Boone and I know you make a great team! Stay pawsitive and enjoy the wonderful quality time you can now have! It’s blissful!
Surrou ding you with supportive hugs!
Sally and Happy Hannah
Thanks for the kind words of encouragement Benny! It wasn’t easy for me at first to get my head around amputation but Boone shows me the way every single day!