[The Tan Clan]

Hi all! I'm new here (well - I was on here about 2 years ago, but now I'm back - so "sort of" new).
Our 11 year old lab had a mandibulectomy (removal of half of his bottom jaw) today due to canine osteosarcoma (bone cancer). The surgery was definitely the right decision for his situation, but I'm just heart-broken. It just makes me ill to think that the poor guy is wondering why we did this to him! Anyway, the surgeon called an hour ago to let us know he made it through the procedure ok and was sleeping it off with a morphine drip.
I'm just SO nervous about bringing him home, as I'm hoping I can keep myself together in order to take care of him for a week or so. I can't stand to see him like this! Really, I've never had to see one of my pets in this bad of condition before. I hear he'll have a drain, stitches, an e-colllar, swelling, etc. Anyone else experienced with this type of canine surgery?
Keep our lab in your thoughts!
Thank you.

 

[MrsJohnnyG]

Oh goodness, I'm so sorry! I don't have any experience with that but wanted to send my well wishes to you and your lab....

 

[The Tan Clan]

Thanks so much, Mrs JG! Getting ready to call the animal hospital to check on my boy.

 

[3212]

I'm so sorry you have to go through this!

Will you be doing radiation or chemo for your boy? One of my favorite dogs at the clinic I work at just got diagnosed with osteosarcoma and just had a round of chemo...although very sadly they don't think it will give her any more than a year because it has already metastasized to her chest. And she's only 6!!

But anyway, I have never actually witnessed a mandibulectomy, but we have a tech that worked at another clinic who witnessed one. It was hit by a car and lost half (almost all) of his lower jaw. They said he healed amazingly and was able to eat and drink just fine.

I hope your boy is the same way!!

 

[The Tan Clan]

Thanks CrzyBrit! We will most likely start chemo in about 2 - 3 weeks. We've been told that the chemo isn't as hard for dogs as it is for humans. I think I'm more worried about seeing the poor boy when he gets home and is so helpless for a week or so.
Yes, I've heard the same about recovery from mandibulectomies.....they supposedly adapt very well, and most of the time go back to eating dry food in a week or so.
He's 11 years old, so we debated putting him through all of this, but it hadn't spread to his lungs or lymph nodes yet, and his blood tests were totally clean, so the surgeon wasn't worried about his age.
I just really hope I don't regret our decision

 

[3212]

Well it really is good news that it hasn't spread and the bloodwork was clear! The dog I know that's going through this has a tumor in the elbow joint, but it wasn't even worth taking her leg off because of the spreading.

They do seem to have a better time with chemo. From what I know about it, they will be more tired, but don't get as sick as humans do.

It is really hard to see a dog after a surgery like that.

I think the only one I can think of that seems as intense as your dog's was a leg amputation in a ten year old lab mix. He weighed around 160 pounds!!! WAY WAY too much for a lab, but the bones in his leg were shattered. So we had to put him on an intense diet before the surgery and he was immobile for a while afterward. But now he weighs closer to 80-90 pounds!

Even he healed well and made it through okay.

Keep us updated on your baby though! I will keep him in my thoughts!

 

[The Tan Clan]

Will do, CrzyBrit! Thanks for the encouragement!

A friend of ours has a lab mix that had a leg amputated after an accident and adapted amazingly! However, he wasn't 160 lbs!! ha!

Will keep you updated.

Hey - how do you get the pics at the bottom of your posts, btw?

(Can you tell I'm new? )

 

[3212]

Hey - how do you get the pics at the bottom of your posts, btw?

(Can you tell I'm new? )

Lol. You can do that in the UserCP section. You just create a signature.