Osteosarcoma

Greyhounds are bred to be athletes, and as such tend to be extremely strong, healthy, long-lived dogs. But unfortunately all our hounds will eventually leave us, and for a high percentage of hounds it is osteosarcoma (bone cancer) that is the ultimate cause. For a middle-aged and older greyhounds, a limp that does not go away after a few days is reason for a vet visit. Make sure your vet is aware of the risk for osteosarcoma in greyhounds, because in its early stages it can often be misdiagnosed.

Once your hound is diagnosed, you have a hard decision to make. You can give the hound pain meds and other palliative care for the few remaining months of his life, or you can elect to amputate the affected limb (with or without the addition of chemotherapy). If you are facing this choice, we recommend first consulting Couto Veterinary Consultants (CVC) which provides consultation and second-opinionon clinical patients by e-mail (coutovetconsultants@gmail.com), with follow up by telephone or videoconferencing, as needed. Consultations include review of clinical and clinicopathologic data, cytology and histopathology slides, and images.

MNGR’s Director, Jen Komatsu, has unfortunately had personal experience with osteo in several of her hounds, including two who underwent leg amputations. If you are considering amputation for your hound, please see Jen’s article “What to Expect  with a Leg Amputation” . Please feel free to contact Jen with any questions!

For more information about Dr. Couto and the CVC, click HERE.