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Rupert update. The surgery went really well- they were able to get 3 centimeters (we were hoping for 2)! So now we wait for pathology which will take another week. Meanwhile Gunther is moping- no matter how many times I tell him his buddy is OK he just gives me a baleful look. Rupert has to stay overnight and then for two weeks can't have any exercise and needs to be very confined-on a leash at all times. They don't want to risk the incision opening. I have the big crate and the party hat ready. He's used to a 3 mile walk every day so not sure how that's going to go over. We'll have to sneak Gunther out for his walk so Rupert doesn't get jealous. But it will all be worth it to hopefully be cancer free!
I'll keep you posted- thank you everyone for all your support.
Thank you for the info. Our vet had us giving him fruit, mainly blueberries and as a treat. As far as his diet he gets a fish based grain free but I know it does have some carbs in it, he is getting veggies and oddly enough loves them. Unfortanetly his tumor is not encapsulated. We just met with the specialist and had an ultrasound done, the good news is his organs looked well other then his liver that had lesion, further testing was done and we are waiting for the results. With the location of his tumor, too close to his spine, another surgery can not get all the tumor. we would have to do a CT scan and radiation. With his age I don't know how I feel abiut radiation. He is on fish oil and a few other supplements, I have looked at the other supplements mentioned and will be going over a possible diet change wiith our vet and the oncologist. We want him to have a god quality of life he is 16 yrs old after all.
minpinmomb, it's a difficult journey you are on, but you're exploring all the options and that is excellent! Good luck and keep us posted. We're all in pretty much the same boat, so we know how it feels and we are in a position to encourage one another.
Could someone help me decide what to do, my 10 year old male half jack russell ,Australian Sheppard mix was diagnosed with Spindle cell in his front right leg about 2 months ago. He has always licked that leg raw for years and could never get him to stop! I really can not afford the surgery for the amputation, and to make matters worse he has a diaframatic hernia that should be operated on first. Question is if I do nothing how long will he be comfortable and/or should I put him through all of the pain of surgery? He still gets around and can run if he wants to ,goes up and down steps even though he does not use that leg at all for anything but licking. Thank you, Howiemama
Could someone help me decide what to do, my 10 year old male half jack russell ,Australian Sheppard mix was diagnosed with Spindle cell in his front right leg about 2 months ago. He has always licked that leg raw for years and could never get him to stop! I really can not afford the surgery for the amputation, and to make matters worse he has a diaframatic hernia that should be operated on first. Question is if I do nothing how long will he be comfortable and/or should I put him through all of the pain of surgery? He still gets around and can run if he wants to ,goes up and down steps even though he does not use that leg at all for anything but licking. Thank you, Howiemama
I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. Your vet is the best one to tell you the risks versus the rewards of surgery because he knows his condition best. I will say IME all dogs are MUCH better after surgeries like my dog's tail amputation looked completely Frankenstein horrible but he felt so much BETTER he was FRISKY right after it.
Licking means it is bothering him/pain, I"m sorry to say. So he is in pain right now. I would definitely have the surgery, but that's me. Post surgical pain can be managed with pain pills.
Hi..sorry to hear about your lab. I do have some info for you though. March 2012 my 14yr old dog was diagnosed with "spindle cell cancer". She had a huge lump on her upper leg almost on her hip. It also was a difficult surgery as they had little skin to work with to close the incision. A specialist was called in to do the surgery. They had to remove a lot of muscle and it was quite painful for her. However, she healed so well. She is a real trooper. I only had to carry her outside 1 day. By day 2, even though it was painful she made her way outside. The lump stayed away for close to a year. Then it returned. We again operated this April and as the lump was much smaller, she healed pretty fast. I just noticed at the bottom of the incision, another lump was forming. I took her back to the vets today and a biopsy was done. The spindle cell has returned again in 2 months Vet said he will do as I want, however, it could return again in less than 2 months. How much more can I put her through? However, I am not quite sure if I want to let go yet. The problem is that she is so happy. She is healthy, other than the tumour. She eats well and is always smiling. It is heart wrenching! One other point I should mention is that the spindle cell tumour does not spread to other organs. It just keeps recurring around the same area.
Good luck with your decision. It is never easy! I just hope that we can make the right decision and then be able to live with it later.
So sad to read your story, Sue. You've both been through so much. I wonder if it's true that once a tumor is disturbed cells tend to multiply faster. Some vets have told me that. It's very difficult to get all the cells if the margin taken in surgery isn't large enough. Sometimes what is considered protocol isn't enough. In our case, the vet wanted to take a slightly larger margin, but didn't have that available and was concerned about not having that extra margin of safety.
You have a difficult decision to make. Everyone in this situation has had to make very difficult decisions, and each situation is different. You all clearly want to do the best you can. I wish you well. Whatever you decide will be one you have to live with, but know that you did your best. This disease just doesn't quit easily and, yes, it's heartbreaking.
What breed is your dog, and how old is she? Has the vet suggested amputation? Our vet did, but at his age we didn't want to do that to him.
We got the results from the pathology and they were able to get 1.7 Centimeters clean laterally and 1.2 Centimeters clean deep. The oncologist said if you get more than 1 centimeter clean there's very little risk of recurrence- Yeah! There was some evidence of the cancer cells left from the original excision (but not a lot) so it's good we went back in. When we picked him up on Saturday and saw the incision (almost a foot long and the ugliest thing I ever saw-it was swollen and bruised) we were thinking we did the wrong thing. But now five days later with this result and the fact that he's recovering so well we're glad we did the surgery.
The way the oncologist explained it to me these spindle cell sarcomas are like an octopus. They look encapsulated but actually have these little legs (microscopic so you don't see them) below the head. When you get an incomplete or narrow excision and these legs are left they are more aggressive which is why it comes back faster. It's like they lost there body and have to make up for it by working overtime. Unfortunately you don't usually know until the surgery how much of a margin you can get.
The only other worry is that his mitotic rate was high which means he's at greater risk that it could have metastasized. We're going to monitor him and I'm going to a holistic vet next week to help with his nutrition and any other things we can do.
I'm so sorry for those of you that don't have as good an outcome. But these usually are slow growing and don't metastasize so managing them is a very good option. When I asked my my vet what happens if you leave them how do they kill the pet. She said they don't as a rule it's sometimes just too uncomfortable for the pet but not fatal in itself.
Thanks again for all the support. As Southward bound said we are all basically in the same boat so we are here for each other. Every story/situation helps- just knowing you're not alone.
That's an awesome report on Rupert! I'm so happy for you. Keep up the good work! May everything go smoothly from here on!
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Vet said he will do as I want, however, it could return again in less than 2 months. How much more can I put her through? However, I am not quite sure if I want to let go yet. The problem is that she is so happy. She is healthy, other than the tumour. She eats well and is always smiling. It is heart wrenching! One other point I should mention is that the spindle cell tumour does not spread to other organs. It just keeps recurring around the same area. 
