Help my rottie has bone cancer and I’m not sure what to do

by Angela
(Coateville pa)

I’m not looking for a medical answer just a bit of an opinion ad maybe advice. My 10 year old rott has recently been diagnosed with bone cancer.

She seemed fine for a while just limped around. Now she has a bit of trouble getting up so we have excused her need to go outside because of the steps being too difficult for her to get up and down.

So we have her comfortably staying in the part of our house where the mess of her going to the bathroom isn’t causing a problem. Besides that she hasn’t physically gotten up even to just walk to her food bowl today and she also hasn’t urinated in a day and a half.

Hi Angela
First of all I want to tell you how sorry I am to hear about your Rottweiler’s cancer. Unfortunately this breed is predisposed to many forms of cancer and it’s not nearly as unusual as we would like it to be.

I know you are not asking for a medical answer, but you really do need to talk to your veterinarian about these concerns and ask for his/her advice. If your Rottie hasn’t urinated for over a day, and isn’t drinking then she’s probably considerably dehydrated – this is dangerous in itself and needs veterinary attention.

I have no idea what the prognosis or recommendations of your vet have been for her and obviously you are doing everything you can to keep her at home and comfortable. However, there may be suggestions your vet can make to help ease her such as painkillers if she’s in pain, nutritional supplements if she can’t eat and so on.

It is so incredibly difficult when you have a dog in this situation because it’s heartbreaking to see and very difficult to make any sort of objective assessment or decision yourself. 10 years of healthy life is good for a Rottweiler, because at the moment their lifespan averages around 9 years. Big dogs live shorter lives and purebred dogs have certain hereditary tendencies to diseases that make them less long-lived and with a lower level of overall health than mixed breeds.

Figuring out what the quality of life is for a dog who is terminally ill, or just very old and suffering from degenerative conditions, is difficult because they can’t tell you how they feel. You will need to rely on your vet to give you an idea of what her condition is like for her and what the prognosis is, then decide how to handle it yourselves.

I wish I could help more, but this is really a situation where you need advice from a professional and your Rottie needs to be examined regularly. Best wishes to you all.

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Feb 17, 2017

11 yr old with bone cancer NEW
by: Anonymous

Our 11 yr old Rottie was diagnosed with bone cancer in his right front leg. This diagnosis was made when he was 10. We chose not to amputate his arm (which may have been a mistake) however, he turned 11 in December and he is still lively, playful, eating, drinking and going outside to relieve himself and guarding. He is on pain medication once a day and also takes a half pill which is an anti-inflamatory. We also sent to Germany and bought a brace which we put on when he is outside. His disposition is fantastic and we are lucky to have him as long as we have. My question is how do I know when its time to put him down….?


Dec 09, 2016

Cancer in rottie’s NEW
by: Donna

My Rottie Indianna was diagnose with Bone cancer on a Friday and in less than a week I had to have her put to sleep.I was told she could fracture her leg easily because of the bone cancer.I was up all night with her and everytime she tried to get up she cried in pain.I contacted the vet the next morning and she came to my house and put my beloved Indy to sleep.She was 2 months away from her 10 th birthday.I am totally devistated and everything reminds me of her.I put aside my feelings about not wanting to loose her and let her go peacefully.She will always hold a special place in my heart..Don’t know if I will get another Rottie as this has really hit me hard I cry a lot but I know I did the right thing for Indianna.Having her cremated so if I ever move house she will always be with me. Rest in peace Indy xxxxx


Dec 01, 2016

BONE CANCER NEW
by: TED

MY VET TOLD ME TODAY MY FRIEND AND LOYAL COMPANION, TYSON HAS SHOULDER CANCER.HES ONLY 6, AND HAS TOUCHED SO MAHY HEARTS.BOTH YOUNG AND OLD.PEOPLE ASK ME ALWAYS,WHY DO YOU GET A DOG SO BIG WITH SUCH A SHORT LIFE SPAND? THOSE PEOPLE NEVER HAD A ROTTIE! IF YOU DID, YOU WOULD KNOW THAT ROTTIES ARE THE BREED IN THE WORLD!I CAN NOT SAY ENOUGH, THERE ARE SO MANY POSITIVES I CANT EVEN BEGIN TO LIST ALL OF THEM. I JUST WANT TO GIVE ALL MY PRAYERS TO ALL THE FAMILIES THAT ARE GOING THROUGH THE SAME.GOD BLESS OUR ROTTIES,FAMILIES,CHILDREN. MERRY CHRISTMAS


Sep 19, 2016

Rotty NEW
by: Dawn

My 10yr old rotty has started to limp and drag his back right let we bathed him the other day and he could not stand while we did it.
My worried he may have the big C


Apr 07, 2016

Our Rottie Sky NEW
by: Anonymous

Our lovely dog Sky has bone cancer, although she is ten still hurts, she has had trouble for a while now getting up as the cancer is in her back left leg on the joint. We only brought her home from the Vets so she could say goodbuy to all her friends. On Tuesday she will go to doggie heaven. I will miss her so so much. The thing is she still wants to play and is eating fine but lost alot of weight


Jan 15, 2016

You have to think of your dog’s pain NEW
by: Rachel Schwartz

I just had to put to sleep my 9.5 yr old Rottie because of bone cancer. I’m devastated and everywhere I go in the house, I’m reminded of him.But, when the vet explained to me the pain that my little boy was going through, I put aside my feelings and concerned myself with alleviating his pain. I have comfort in knowing that I gave him the best life any dog could have. He had a better life than most children have. Most importantly, I take comfort in knowing that I didn’t allow him to suffer but, let him go in his sleep.

Let him go. Hug him one last time and let him go.He deserves not to be in pain.


Dec 27, 2015

my 8 year old rottweiller has bone caner his brain is lively he is being put to sleep soon i dont know what to do NEW
by: Anonymous

my rottewiller is getting put to sleep in two days time the vets say his brain is active .but his body is shutting down he has bone cancer in the leg .he is still eating he is lively his breathing is very heavy


May 16, 2013

Bone cancer NEW
by: Caesar

My girl, Machen went to Rainbow Bridge due to bone cancer in her right hind leg. Our breed is so stoic, that by the time it’s obvious that something is dreadfully wrong, it’s usually too late. In my case, I didn’t let Machen go until I knew that her daily life would be more struggle than pleasure for her and I didn’t want her to linger just for me. It’s a bitter pill, but never fear, they’ll be waiting for us at the Bridge.


Mar 15, 2012

my heart is with you.. NEW
by: Judy

I am deeply saddened to read your post.It is never easy when the time comes and it sounds like you need to prepared yourself for the inevitable:( As Debby stated you will know..you just will..We had to let our girl Precious go at 9.5 yrs in Oct 2010 and it was the hardest thing we had to do.She just kept looking at us and we knew what she was saying..I have tears in my eyes and pain in my heart for you as I write this..God bless you and cherish memories..they never fade..


Mar 15, 2012

Heartbreak NEW
by: Debby Kendall

OMG Iam so sad & so sorry to read your story that it has put me into tears.I have lived through this with my son & his first Rottie & this is what i can tell you,just as I told my son first you see a vet than if the cancer is @ a point where we can do this or that to make him comfortable which may buy him some time but still he will become worse,than the question becomes this! How much do I really love my dog & what is the best I can do for him if he can no longer have a good quality of life.Than the answer to that is to have hime put to sleep.Because the pride & respect of this breed will mentally suffer as well as painfuly suffer if they have no quality of life.Please don’t let that happen let him go he will tell you through his eyes when it is his time just watch for that look my son’s dog did that he layed on the floor by my son’s side & stared @ him for hours & the next I took him in & had him put to sleep.I hope this can help you My prayers are with you


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About The Rotty lover 2159 Articles
My name is Dr. Winnie. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Duke University, a Masters of Science in Biology from St Georges University, and graduated from the University of Pretoria Veterinary School in South Africa. I have been an animal lover and owners all my life having owned a Rottweiler named Duke, a Pekingese named Athena and now a Bull Mastiff named George, also known as big G! I'm also an amateur equestrian and love working with horses. I'm a full-time Veterinarian in South Africa specializing in internal medicine for large breed dogs. I enjoy spending time with my husband, 2 kids and Big G in my free time. Author and Contribturor at SeniorTailWaggers, A Love of Rottweilers, DogsCatsPets and TheDogsBone