[beagletails]

My 5 year old beagle/lab mix dog has been diagnosed for quite some time with a mast cell tumor. I am beginning to think it is metasticized (sp?) to his bones now. I am wondering if anyone has ever watched their dogs that have cancer actually change the direction of bones? I know that sounds weird, but Sam's front legs have always been straight. He now has one that is curving outward more like a basset. He doesn't act like the leg hurts at all through normal activities and when it is touched he doesn't react, but the bone seems to be turning? Any ideas why that might happen?

 

[beagletails]

bump up please...hoping for some input.

 

[kgh]

Sorry, my experience with cancer was lung cancer and it was many, many years ago.

 

[Parker]

Bone cancer effects bone density and therefore it is quite likely his bones may bend....it is worth having him xrayed because the bone changes show up very clearly on radiographs.

i'm sorry to say that although he may currently not be showing any pain, bone cancer can be terribly painful and the outcome is very negative....

 

[beagletails]

Thanks for your information Heidi. We wish there was something that could be done for Sam, but our vet told us at the time of the diagnosis that there was nothing that could be done. She felt that the tumor was in a location on his leg that would not allow her to extract the entire tumor should she operate and that she really felt that it had probably gone beyond the one tumor we can see anyway. I feel small lumps on him occasionally and always wonder if it is indeed another tumor, but if they are they disappear. I know that mast cell tumors can change size all the time, so I guess that may be what is happening. When we first heard about Sam's diagnosis we determined that we would allow him to live as long as he did not appear to be in pain or did not have any other symptoms that took away his quality of life. When the time comes, it may kill me to do it, but we will have him pts. I won't watch him suffer no matter how loved he is.