My Friend: Standing Strong on Canine Osteosarcoma (Bone Cancer)
Because of the aggressiveness of OSA, many owners are faced with very frightening choices. Amputation of the affected limb is quite often necessary, leaving owners in turmoil. Chemotherapy is needed due to cancer’s high rate of metastasis. The average life expectancy with amputation and chemotherapy is about one human year, but the equivalent of seven dog years.
We want to show dog owners that there is more to this disease than amputation. Dogs are resilient and as some say are born with three legs and a spare. Osteosarcoma is not the end of the world for your dog, it is just a new beginning, whether it is amputation or limb-sparing there is a solution and an option for everyone. |
My Friend: Standing Strong is an award-winning documentary and an innovative journey through the lives of families and their dogs afflicted with canine bone cancer. The most common form of bone cancer is osteosarcoma (OSA), which accounts for approximately 5% of all canine tumors, and 80% of all dogs with OSA will die of their disease. But pet owners have options; not everything is a death sentence and not everything is a death sentence tomorrow.
My Friend: Standing Strong interweaves stories of life and hard-fought decisions for a family’s best friend, along with information from highly respected veterinarians and oncologists. These stories will inspire the dog owner, educate and give them hope. Better treatments for the disease are just around the corner, and there truly is a solution and an option for everyone. Viewers will walk away knowing that there is always hope; that hope can give the courage to move forward, hope can inspire us to never give up, and hope can help us make the hard decisions in life. Click here to see statement from the director. As stated above, osteosarcoma (OSA) makes up about 5% of all canine tumors but is by far the most common bone tumor of the dog. Signs of this aggressive bone cancer are subtle, such as minor lameness, a hitch in the dog’s gate, a bit of swelling, and maybe even some joint pain. As in all cancers, early detection is important, so shining a light on symptoms so that owners can be proactive is one of the many reasons we decided to tackle OSA in this, our third canine cancer project. |
