Ranee’s original biopsy in August 2011 came back inconclusive and all 5 doctors (2 vets, 2 surgeons, and 1 surgical specialist) could not give a 100% diagnosis. They all agreed it was a bone tumor and 90% of bone tumors in large dogs are osteosarcoma. My veterinaian sent Ranee’s leg to be examined fully so we could determine what tumor we were dealing with. The university lab contacted my vet asking for Ranee’s file and x-rays because the bone mass is extremely rare (possibly not seen before) and cannot be conclusively determined. They could not find any osteosarcoma cells (I don’t even think they found osteochondroma either), they classified it as an “Expanding bone lesion” or something like that. Apparently, the university is going to write a paper on this for a medical journal. The good news is that it looks like it’s benign, and amputation has cured her. Ranee’s prognosis of living for months is now years – her whole life. We are going to continue to monitor her and check her lungs just in case (because of the rare condition), but the outlook is hopeful.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.