Olli

Hello – I have looked around this page a few times since we received the news that our 4 year old Berner Olli has histiocytic cancer in his left front leg.  I am so scared for him and am looking for any advice support we can get.

A note about our Olli,  he provides us with laughs on a daily basis and is the most lovable furball around.  He likes to sit on the couch like he is a person with his arm on the back checking out what everyone is doing.  If he wants to go outside and we aren’t fast enough he will take us by the arm and drag us to the door to let him out. If he feels like we aren’t giving him enough attention he will bite us in the butt.  He talks to us constantly and makes noises like chewbacka(sp).  At 121 lbs he thinks he is a lap dog and given the chance will attempt and usually succeed at, climbing into our laps.

Olli has already had 2 total hip replacements in his short life and that is one of the issues that we are facing in deciding if going ahead with an amputation is worth it for him. Not for us but for him.

We had him in last week to do testing (ultrasound, lymph node & bone marrow aspirate) tonight we received the news that it had indeed spread to the lymph node in the armpit of that same leg. This really sucks as I’m sure many of you know.

Olli currently shows no signs of the cancer except for the lump on his elbow and limping on that leg.  He currently is on tramadol for the pain in his front leg. He has been on gabapentin for his hips for a while now (if he doesn’t take this he will do some chewing at his back leg) we were told this was a type of “phantom pain”  from having the hip dysplasia for so long.

Does anyone have any experience with amputations of large dogs with hip replacements. I am awaiting a call back from the surgeon that did both of these for his thoughts of course but would love to have input from someone that has dealt with this before.

I hate having to have his leg amputated but if his chances are better that way and his quality of life will still be good, I can see going that route.  I am just concerned about his hip replacements being able to handle it.

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