Say Hello to Buddy
You can read all about how Buddy came to be in our household on the About page of this blog, but I did want to make sure that everyone got a chance to see Buddy as he is today. I took this picture just a few minutes ago just after Buddy came in from the back yard.
The picture itself doesn’t really do Buddy justice, but for some reason he is very hard to take pictures of. He does NOT like the camera, so he tends to be a bit shy around it.
As you might have read on his adopted sisters blog (http://nikkitherott.tripawds.com ) Buddy was diagnosed with bone cancer on 3/15/10. We don’t yet know what type of cancer he has, but we’re hoping that we caught it soon enough and we might even be able to spare the limb. We’ll know more next week after he’s further evaluated.
The Diagnosis
As is typical with bone cancers, we thought that he maybe twisted his knee or something like that. You’d think we would have been a bit more prepared for the “C word”, given that we’d just gone through this a few months back with Nikki, but of course you’re never really prepared for that. As you can see in the following X-Ray, we see some extra growth right behind the knee:
We are very hopeful that since this has been identified early, that we’ll be in a position to do some advanced surgery to remove the cancer and yet spare the limb. We’re also going to consult with Dr. Friedly (Nikki’s holistic vet) to see what he recommends.
Right now we’re just letting Buddy take it easy on his leg (He’s already starting to limp pretty bad and not use it) and we’re trying to think positive thoughts about it.
One very challenging complication about this is that we’ve already identified the fact that Buddy has hip dysplasia. Unfortunately he wasn’t treated very well in his early life, so he’s developed the typical malnourished “big dog” hips. This will of course make it difficult for Buddy as a tripawd, so we’re really hoping that we don’t have to go that route.
It’s a really sad thing to think that just as Buddy has found the home that he deserves, he has to go through this. But, all things happen for a reason, and I suppose it’s much better that he go through this with us as opposed to some family who may not have the means to take care of him.
We will keep this page updated as Buddy progresses through his treatment.
March 29th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Best wishes Buddy! Thanks for sharing your story, we look forward to following your progress.
March 30th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
Tai has also been diagnosed with hip dysplasia AND arthritis in her spine. She is a front leg amputee but I didn’t find out about the dysplasia etc until after the amp was done, not that I would’ve done any thing differently. Every now and then she needs some Metacam but otherwise she copes well. Best wishes to Buddy. He is so lucky to have you as pawrents.
March 31st, 2010 at 5:55 pm
I agree, Buddy and Nikki are very lucky to have such a wonderful family,
I am so sorry that while you are fighting the cancer battle with one baby you have to strat it yet again with another. I am really hoping that Buddy’s dr. will be able to remove the cancer and spare the limb given his hip dysplasia.
Your family continues to be in my prayers.
Debra & Angel Emily
April 3rd, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Buddy – just know you have your own cheering section! RAH, RAH, RAH, GO BUDDY GO! We are all pullin’ for you Bud! So, not only do you have a great mom and dad (and sisters) – you got a fan club out here in the cyberworld!
I think pawrents that have to do the big “C” twice in one family deserves an honorary Vet Degree!
GO BUDDY!!
Comet
April 7th, 2010 at 9:01 am
Roxy is exactly the same! She was in horrible shape when she hobbled through our yard last year. It was very evident that she never had a good relationship with any human. And just as she’s coming out of her shell and acting like a normal dog she’s diagnosed with cancer. Best wishes with everything to come!
Leslie and Roxy