We have set up a GoFundMe for Dino's veterinary expenses.
Hi there,
My partner, Ben, and I have a five and a half year old mastiff/hound mix named Dino. He is the light of our lives and the best adventuring partner. He is a gorgeous dog and receives compliments everywhere we go.
Six days ago, on June 25, 2024, we took Dino to our vet for an X-ray, thinking he had a torn ligament in his knee. Unfortunately our vet found it was actually a tumour that was causing his leg pain. A whirlwind 48 hours later and around 9 hours total in the car driving to a vet hospital in the Toronto area twice, we met with a very kind oncologist and her team who diagnosed Dino with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer.
Fortunately, a CT scan indicated that the cancer hasn’t spread (at least not in a detectable amount) and the oncologist presented us with options of palliative and end-of-life care, or amputation and chemotherapy. She said because of Dino’s otherwise good health, his strong heart, and happy, life-loving nature, he is a good candidate for amputation. She said that the life expectancy following amputation and chemo is about 12 months, at which point the cancer will spread, and then we would need to seek end-of-life care. But in the meantime, Dino would be able to live a pain-free, happy life doing all of his favourite activities (with modifications for his new abilities, of course). If we have caught this early enough, there is a small chance Dino could live a long life following amputation and chemotherapy.
I asked about Dino’s size (current weight 44.5 kg/98 lbs) and coping with three-legs (I have personally never seen such a large "tripawd"). The oncologist explained that most dogs are standing within a day or two of the surgery, and the recovery time is amazingly only about two weeks. I had no idea it was so fast. She explained how she saw that his spine was healthy in the CT scan, that he had a strong heart, and strong muscles in his other legs (there is some atrophy in the leg with the tumour from disuse recently), and he is an appropriate weight for his size (we have actually worked very hard to help Dino gradually lose about 6.8 kg/15 lbs over the last 18 months). She saw no medical reason no to proceed with amputation, and she was very optimistic about Dino and his ability to adapt to life on three legs. I also asked about how dogs generally handle chemotherapy. I had heard in the past that it affects dogs differently than humans, and is much more tolerable. The oncologist confirmed this for me, and explained that not only is it a smaller dose than humans would get, but also that dogs rarely get sick from it. Though dogs can become immunocompromised during chemo, like humans.
If we opt not to amputate and do chemotherapy, Dino's life expectancy is 3-4 months, and he will be at a high risk for fracturing his leg, as the bone is so brittle. If an accident like that were to happen, it would likely result in euthanasia.
Amputation and chemotherapy seemed to us to be the logical choice to ensure Dino is pain-free, to avoid a fracture, and to allow our family more time together. Last week we faced one of the hardest choices of our lives that no one should have to make: weighing the cost of that care against Dino's potential length of life and quality of life. Putting a price on your pet's life is impossible. Ultimately Ben and I decided that we want to give Dino the best chance we can, and we have decided to pursue amputation and chemotherapy. Dino will go for his amputation in two days, on July 3, 2024. Two weeks after that, he will start 13 weeks of chemotherapy. Including the X-rays, CT scan, and other care Dino has already had related to his leg, and the eventual end-of-life care he will require, we're facing $15,000 to $20,000 in expenses.
We were planning a cross-country move later this year (to be closer to my family), and we were planning to get married next year. Both of these things will have to be delayed, and some other life goals will be set back in order to reallocate funds to Dino’s surgery and chemotherapy. We’ve also cancelled a vacation we were going to go on next week, and I am likely going to have to sell my car after we're done driving to and from the vet hospital near Toronto. We will have to make a lot of other sacrifices to manage our finances. But ultimately, the move can happen later, a wedding can happen later (we could even get still married next year and have the reception later), and there will be other vacations. And hopefully, Dino will come along with us on those vacations. Maybe he could even be at the marriage ceremony.
I am very sad to know our longest hikes are behind us, but happy that our best hikes may still be in the future -- just much shorter distances than the past. We are planning to temporarily move our bed and home office to the first floor of our home so Dino doesn’t feel like he has to go up the stairs.
Dino is currently on medication (gabapentin) to help manage the pain caused by the tumour, and he is holding his leg up consistently. However, he is quickly perfecting our stairs on three legs (fortunately they are carpeted). So I think once he has adjusted to the weight being gone, he’ll probably get around just fine. Right now we are being careful because of how fragile the bone is, but he is in good spirits and wants to chase the squirrels in our yard very badly (we’ve got him on the leash outside to avoid accidents).
It has been a surreal six days, but Dino is in good spirits and we feel good about our choice to pursue amputation and chemo. We want to give Dino his best chance to continue living his best life. We are very grateful to our local vet who broke the news to us gently, and immediately worked on getting us in touch with an oncologist and advocating for us. We are so grateful that the oncology department got us in the very next day for consultation, and the day right after that for a CT scan. We are grateful to both the local team and oncology team who took such good care of Dino while he had to be put under twice in one week for his X-rays and CT scan. We are so grateful for the oncologist who believes in Dino, and has been so kind and patient with us as we make these hard decisions. We are also grateful to our friends and family who have supported us during this very difficult time. A special thank you to our friends John and Sarah who came over the day I got the news, and to our friend Isabelle who drove to Toronto and back with me for that first oncology appointment.
Dino loves hiking and following animal trails. He loves to eat fresh grass shoots in the spring after the snow melts (earning him the nickname "Salad Bar" -- one of many nicknames). He thinks the cardboard tube from a paper towel roll is better than any store-bought toy. He loves to hunt bugs and he crosses his front feet when he lays down. He is a shy boy who loves pats and cuddles, and he is certain that he is a lap dog, despite his size. We love him more than anything and want to give him the world.
This was difficult to write, but I am feeling more confident about the choices we have made. I currently sitting on the couch with Dino by my side. He is tired, sore, but in good spirits. I know Dino wants to live and continue to chase rabbits and go on adventures and smell everything the world has to offer. We love our Dino “Thunderpaws” and we are going to do everything we can to ensure him a comfortable, enriching life.
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