Bone cancer is a very common type of cancer found in dogs. Osteosarcoma is the name of the bone cancer most common with canines. This disease usually occurs in larger breeds such as golden retrievers. Though osteosarcoma does affect other breeds, it develops more often in large dogs and strikes at a younger age with bigger dogs than it does in affected smaller breeds.
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Development of Bone Cancer in Limbs
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Osteosarcoma and other bone cancers can develop in any bone in the body of your golden retriever; however, 75 to 85 percent of the bones affected are limbs. This type of bone cancer is called appendicular osteosarcoma. An animal with this disease will begin to have intermittent lameness due to the affected limb. Within 3 months the lameness is constant.
Symptoms
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Swelling is another symptom and becomes increasingly evident as the tumor grows. A dog that has a tumorous bone is more likely to break that bone even with minor injury. The bone is broken in a unique way and is called a "pathologic fracture." If the vet finds this kind of fracture, it usually confirms the diagnosis of bone cancer. Another significant symptom of this disease is severe pain in your pet.
Diagnosing Bone Cancer
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If your golden retriever has any of these symptoms, immediately consult your veterinarian. She will usually order x-rays. There are two specific results that are indicative of osteosarcoma. The "lytic lesion" is a result that presents like an area of the bone has been eaten away. The "sunburst pattern" is a corona pattern that is caused by the tumor growing outward. These two signs will cause a diagnosis of osteosarcoma, especially if there is a pathologic fracture also noted on the film.
Treating the Pain
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The treatment of osteosarcoma in your pet has two aspects. Your veterinarian will want to treat the pain caused by the tumor and stop the cancer from spreading. Dogs are often in such pain that the choice is to either euthanize them or amputate their limb. Amputation is difficult to consider for your golden retriever. Yet Mar Vista Vet reminds us that amputation is different for an animal than it is for humans. It does not keep a dog from being active once it recovers from the surgery. It is 100 percent effective in treating the pain.
Stopping the Spread of Cancer
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Dogs who do not receive chemotherapy have a survival time of 4 to 5 months even if they have the limb amputated. Chemotherapy will increase the survival rate by stopping or slowing the spread of the cancer. However, it can be very expensive and needs to be given at least three different times depending on the chemical used. For example, Cisplatin needs to be administered in three treatments in order for it to be effective, and Carboplatin needs four treatments for efficacy. The survival rate usually increases to a year or more.
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