The procedure takes a dedicated effort. The surgery itself is the shortest, smallest part. We want to see them before they have any spread of the cancer to other bones or to their lungs. They have to be healthy enough so that if they didn't have cancer they would survive for at least another year anyway. By the time most affected dogs are diagnosed, they will live only about two months, she said.
Early symptoms are lameness and swelling.
Beginning treatment before swelling begins increases a dog's chances for recovery, Ehrhart said. Ehrhart received her surgical and oncological training at Colorado State University, where she took part in more than 100 limb-sparing surgeries. She recently completed the procedure successfully on the first U. of I. case, a Rottweiler. Another Rottweiler will have the surgery after July 4. More than 300 bone-sparing operations on front legs have been performed at CSU, Ehrhart said, with a success rate of 90 percent.