I couldn’t blog yesterday because we were hit with some bad news. The vet called in the afternoon with the results of Maggie’s biopsy… well, it is not osteosarcoma. We thought if it was not osteosarcoma, anything else would be bearable. Apparently she has an extremely race case of carcinoma. Carcinoma to me simply means cancer, but the way it was explained to us is that her shoulder bone tumor, the one that was removed, stems from a primary tumor somewhere else in her body. The vet said she, nor the other 4 drs. at our clinic, have seen this before. She did find 2 other cases in the vet database and in these cases the primary tumor could not be found. She explained that this type of cancer does not take well to chemo and that is about equally as bad as osteosarcoma. I literally started bawling as soon as I hung up the phone. I quickly remembered that I shouldn’t let Maggie see me cry, so I tried to stay composed, but lost it when I called my family to tell them. Everyone came home from wherever they were and I shared the news with them. It turned out to be a very sad day for all of us.
I think the hardest thing is not knowing what it is or what to expect. Has anyone else heard of this type of cancer or know anything about it??
Maggie gets her stitches out next Wednesday so they are going to check her out completely to see if they can find the primary tumor and then we can decide how to proceed from there. The vet did mention that they can put her on an anti-inflammatory pill that would help to shrink the primary tumor, even if they can’t find it and that this may give her a few more months. Basically I got the impression it would be between 6 and 9 months…=( and that they were going to try to keep her quality of life good during that time.
In other, better news, Maggie is still recovering well from the surgery. It seems like everyday she is more and more herself. Today she played with her baby, her favorite stuffed animal. She gets excited for treats and even wants to be up on the couch with us. She also rolled over today for me to pet her belly, which she loves. Here is a picture of her sleeping on daddy’s chair.
Despite all this, she is just not herself, and I just can’t help but think she is never going to be herself again. She just looks so sad sometimes. I would give anything for just one more day with my Maggie Mae! Her medicine is done in 2 days, so I am hoping we see a big difference once she is off of those. Also, the sac of fluids have gone down significantly – so no worries there.
Best wishes to all of you!!
I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am about Maggie. It is hard to imagine an osteosarcoma being good news but at least them we know the enemy. I am praying that the doctors can find the primary tumor and remove it from your Maggie.
Debra & Emily
Sorry to hear about the rare cancer! Getting a diagnosis is scary and sad, but at least now you know for sure what you’re dealing with. It’s important to remember that each dog is different, so Maggie will react to her cancer and treatments in her own way…and she doesn’t know she even HAS cancer! A lot of people notice a big chance once their dogs are off medication, so perhaps Maggie will perk up a little once she’s not all drugged up. Be glad that she’s excited about things and wants to be with you guys – there’s time to be sad later. Keep up the awesome healing, Maggie, and can’t wait to hear more from you 🙂
Hey I understand the tears! I also shed many of them this week when I found out that Solo had osteosarcoma. It is really hard to take but we have to be positive for our pups. They don’t know they have cancer, once they start feeling better, they just want to run and play and get back to normal. Once Solo came off of all her drugs her mood improved drastically. She is now happy, playful and her old personality is shining through. I was so worried when she was on the medications because she was not herself at all. I would bet that Maggie will turn around too. So hang in there, keep hoping for the best and enjoy every moment with her. Keep us posted on how you both are doing.
Solo and Christina
Try to remember … Maggie is living with cancer, not dying from it! I bet you’ll notice a huge difference in her spirits once she is off her pain meds.
Enjoy your Maggie each and every day…they all matter and I hope they come up with some treatment to help her. Love her and spoil her for now!
I’m so sorry to hear about Maggie’s pathology results. Did they specify exactly what type of carcinoma it is? There are several different kinds, synovial, transitional cell, etc. Putting her on the anti-inflammatory (NSAID) is a good idea, since it has been shown to help shrink some tumors and possibly inhibit, or slow down metastases. I hope she starts feeling more like herself once she’s done with the pain meds…
My thoughts and prayers are with you and Maggie…
Jake’s Mom
We are very sad for your updated news. We had the same thing happen to us and it is very hard to accept a new diagnosis. You are in our thoughts! Keep your chin up and just live in the moment, that’s what I am doing.
stuffed animals are very cute and lovely, i bet that most kids and even women loves them “`*