TobyDog,

South Paws Animal Hospital in Fairfax could try removing as much of the tumor as possible without affecting the dogs walk and then 21 days of radiation at the Fairfax Center. This includes putting the dog under anesthesia every day and a burning sensation at the radiation site. The cost would be approx $9000 dollars and has about an 82% success rate of getting totally rid of the cancer.

With Draco, who is 10 and diagnosed in January, 9 mos later he seems symptom free with the exception of the lump on his leg growing about 2 cm longer than the original 5 cm bump. I give him a pill and half of Rimadyl for arthritis pain which may help with any pain associated with the cancer. ( This costs about $70 a month, which is worth every penny to keep him feeling good). Overall, he acts like the lump doesn't bother him at all.

For the other back leg problems mentioned previously, I opted not to treat thhe cancer. Draco is a happy boy, in fact there are days that he seems healthier than when I got him a year ago. Our family gives him extra attention and belly rubs every day and I think that keeps his spirits up and helps to keep him healthy.

If your dog is young and relatively healthy, you may want to seriously consider the amputation of the leg with the cancer. Your dog could live out a full life happily on three legs.

I wish you both a long life together.

My dog has a spindle cell tumor on his left upper leg. The oncologist refuses to only remove the tumor due to its size, location. Other vets were recommending only removing the tumor but have changed their minds. Now I am left with amputating my dogs leg or no treatment at all. He gets around good, and is not in any pain. Have any suggestions anyone?

Thanks for your feedback, and all the best for your dog Draco.

I fostered a 9yr old, 113 lb GSD in May, and adopted him in July. Despite the fact that he has broken teeth, hip dysplasia, arthritus of his back legs, and wheezing sounds when he sleeps, he won my heart with his awesome personality. We put him on a reduced calorie diet and Rimadyl for the arthritus pain. All was well till I found a lump on his front leg. I thought it was a benign cyst but the vet wanted to do an aspiraton. When the results were inconclusive, they did a small biopsy and found out he has spindle cell sarcoma. If we immediately removed the bump and 3 inches surrounding it, the cancer might be removed fully. The problem was the placwement on the only skinny part of his body, his leg, would not allow removal of this much tissue without damaging leg muscle. The only option to save him was to amputate the leg. My family considered this because a three legged Draco is better than no Draco at all. Still with his ailing back legs and extra weight which we found almost impossible for him to lose due to trouble walking, Draco would not have a good quality of life with only one strong leg. Debulking the tumor, with 21 days of being put under anesthesia and getting daily radiation would give him about an 82% chance of survival.While again my family really thought through the options, we decided the minimum of $9,000 in medical expenses for a dog that could also have other age related issues was not a doable option. The reason the success rate of curing spindle cell is not 100% is because the cells multiply like an octopus and it is hard to stop the microscopic spreading.

Anyway, we were told 5 and 1/2 months ago that Draco would have about 6 months with us. So far, he shows no symptoms of the cancer other than the bump growing in size by about a centimeter. He is a happy boy with lots attention, toys, playmates, etc. The doctor says he doesn't want to give me false hope but realistically he could be around another year or so. He just had his tenth birthday- I want to keep him happy and painfree for whatever time is left.

I wish you the best with your American Eskimo . If amputation of the back leg is needed, it is not the end of the world as long as his other three legs are healthy. I'm told the dogs do fine on three legs.