Maggie's cancer problem

Maggie is an Australian cattle dog who has previously had operations performed on both of her hind legs due to cruciate ligament damage. After having problems with both of her hind legs, her owners were very worried when she became lame on her right fore leg. To begin with, when coming in to the vet for regular checks, nothing could be detected on physical examination of Maggie, but after being intermittently lame for several months she began to develop a swelling in her leg, just above her carpus, or wrist. Maggie required x-rays to find out what the problem was.

Maggie came in to the hospital and was put under a general anaesthetic for her x-rays. It was found that she had what was termed an "expansile lesion" in her ulna, or that the usual straight margins of the bone had expanded and widened in an unusual manner. As this was recognized by her veterinarian as a sign that here may be cancerous changes to the bone, biopsies were taken to send away to the laboratory for analysis. Also, x-rays were taken of her chest to look for signs if the cancer had spread to her lungs, as this is usually one of the first places for this to happen. Luckily, nothing could be seen in those x-rays and Maggie's lungs were fine.

When the results from the bone biopsies came back from the laboratory, it was found that Maggie had developed parosteal osteosarcoma. This is a malignant cancer, but not as nasty as some of the other bone cancers animals can get. It was necessary to perform surgery and remove Maggie's front leg, to ensure that all the cancerous tissue was removed. She again came in to the hospital and was placed under general anaesthetic and underwent the surgery in which her entire front right leg was amputated.

One of the main concerns for Maggie, apart from the cancer, was how well she would be able to cope with only three legs, especially after her previous hind leg surgeries. Owners are often very surprised by how well their dog copes after the amputation of a limb, and although Maggie had a shaky start after surgery, within a couple of months she was jumping, walking and swimming, and has not looked back.

It was also necessary for Maggie to have a course of chemotherapy, which involved visiting the veterinary hospital on a regular basis for treatment with intravenous injections. Over this time Maggie was very brave as she received her treatment, and became a favourite patient at the clinic. Her excitement when receiving a pig's ear never diminished. At a time of writing we were very happy when Maggie had finished her chemotherapy and was in remission.

Addendum: Maggie did well post leg amputation and chemotherapy. In that time she has toured Australia with her owners attracting attention wherever she went. We received regular postcards from her detailing her exploits. The barbecues en route gave her a few bouts of pancreatitis and she had more vet visits in far flung areas of the country. Her clinical records weigh more than she does. We were delighted to see her on her triumphant return to Adelaide and that she was in excellent health and showed no sign of the cancer (or of pancreatitis).

On September 4th, 2006, Maggie was brought into the clinic because she had suddenly developed paresis, which means that she could not use her back legs. She was very painful. As both of her hind legs were affected it was suspected that she had a problem with her spine, so x-rays were taken. Maggie had what is termed a lytic lesion in one of her vertebrae, which means the bone appeared less dense than usual in a particular area. Unfortunately this is a common appearance of some bone cancers. Everyone in the clinic as well as Maggie's family was dismayed that she had developed another tumour, and unfortunately this one was inoperable. Because Maggie was suffering, her family decided that it was now time for Maggie to be euthanased.

Maggie was always a special dog and a favourite patient to the clinic, she will always be missed. To keep Maggie's memory alive her family has sponsored the "Maggie Porter Memorial Prize". This is a prize given to one member of each puppy class, the puppy that displays the most "Maggie like" attitude. Maggie was always strong willed and determined, through all her hardships she managed to keep her fighting spirit and overcome the many hurdles she had to face in life, she never let anything get her down.