[PyrNet-L] Osteosarcoma

[Charlotte & Jack Perry <pyreau@erols.com>]

Well, this has been a real bummer of a week for us.  Our beloved
Queenie, 5 yr. old mother of the 6 pups born on Memorial Day and the
sweetest Pyr that ever was, started limping on a front leg right after
the pups were born.  We and our Vets, felt that she may have pinched a
nerve or twisted something  during the birth.  The limp seemed to come
and go and we wondered if it was just from lying down for long periods
of time while nursing. As the pups got older the limp got worse. When we
took her to the Vet they could not palpate any area of pain.  We did not
want to medicate her or put her to sleep for x-rays while she was
nursing the pups.  Finally, by the end of last week she was in obvious
pain and we took her in for a series of x-rays under sedation.  The
results were that she had osteosarcoma (bone cancer) at the end of the
bone closest to the shoulder joint.  The good news was that there was no
evidence that the cancer had spread to heart or lungs.  The Vets felt
that she had a good chance of a pain-free life if we amputated her leg. 
So, the operation was performed this past Wednesday and Queenie is now
home and trying to learn to walk on three legs.  It is so sad.  I know
that some would have put her down, but we just could not do that.  We
hope that the cancer will not spread.  Does anyone know of anything we
could give her to help with recovery?  We could use some prayers.
Charlotte