Hi there,

My miniature poodle James is the love of my life.  He is my “heart dog”.  He has an “excess of heart”.  He is brave and bold and courageous and adaptable.  He was diagnosed with PRA (progressive retinal atrophy) when he was 6 1/2 and has been totally blind for nearly ten years.  Yes.  James is almost 17 years old.   But still full of life and attitude!

It has been quite an overwhelming last 10 days.  On SAT July 31, 2010, I took James to the vet thinking he had sprained his shoulder.  The vet, Evelyn Robertson of Seattle, showed me the x-rays and said that James had a pathologic fracture and probably had osteosarcoma in his left front leg.  As Evelyn later said, it was like hitting me with a 2 by 4.  For the next 48 hours, I called friends and sobbed and held James and sobbed.  The words “bone cancer”, “osteosarcoma” and “amputation” had everyone very discouraged.  I was pretty sure I would decide to put James to sleep, based on all the comments from close friends who said he was too old to put through amputation and chemotherapy.

Luckily, one friend talked to her friend, a vet, and they referred me to Dr. Chelsea Tripp, an oncologist in Seattle WA.  I went for a consultation on Tues Aug. 3, primarily to gather more information and to get another opinion about strategies.

Dr. Tripp was wonderful!  Full of wisdom and information about all types of canine cancers and amputation.  After a long consultation, more bloodwork and chest x-rays, I decided to proceed with the amputation on Wed. Aug. 4.

Here I have to thank all of my friends for their support.  I was sobbing hysterically for about 3 days straight after the initial preliminary diagnosis and everyone was so kind.  James’ breeder, Candace Hume, offered to come to the oncology consultation with me.  It helped so much having someone else there to listen and to turn to for feedback!

I am so pleased we decided on amputation.  In the hours after the surgery, it was clear that James’ pain was reduced.  I was surprised at how quickly he recovered.  By the morning after his surgery, he was trying to stand up and get his balance.  And now, one week post-op, he has excellent balance when he stands and can walk around with confidence.  I would never have believed how quickly he recovered and adapted to his new situation.  The intense pain is gone and James can now sleep and relax without pain.