Sad Day
Today Max went in for surgery and Sienna went in for her knee.
After Dr. Duplissis looked at Sienna, she decided that Sienna needed X-rays. When she came back in the room she showed me the x-rays. Sienna’s knee is definitely the problem and has weird pock marks and swirls in it. Dr. Duplissis said that two things could cause it; Valley Fever (which she was tested for last week) and bone cancer. Since Sienna was tested for valley fever already, that only leaves bone cancer. We were given options and sent home to think about what we want to do.
Unfortunately, the most common treatment is amputation and then radiation and chemotherapy. With Sienna’s advanced arthritis, Dr. Duplissis doesn’t think Sienna will do well with only three legs. She advised that we either go see a surgeon to have a biopsy done to be 100% sure or keep her medicated (with the same medications she uses for her arthritis) and comfortable for as long as we can.
When I came home I read up on bone cancer in dogs and found that it is common in older large breed dogs. Rottweilers are also more likely to get this type of cancer.
I’m still not sure if we want to do the biopsy. Dr. Duplissis said she was 99.9% sure it was bone cancer, but that if we want to know for sure she can send us to a surgeon to the biopsy. She also assured me that it was ok to just want to keep her happy for the short time she has left with us. From what I’ve read and what Dr. Duplissis has said, she has 2-6 months.
Sophie and Max are going to be a mess without her. They don’t like each other all that much and Sienna is best friends of both of them. Of course we will be lost without her, but if she only has a few months, I want them to be happy and pain free. We’ll see what we decide.
