 | | | Photo Cathy Dausman
| | | | | | Midas doesn't listen - that much is clear. Aside from ignoring his human owners, the golden retriever has thoroughly disregarded the life expectancy of a dog diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Eighteen months after diagnosis and 10 months after we reported on his condition (www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue0612/Alternative-Medicine-for-Pets-A-Personal-Look.html) Midas' quality of life is good. The steady, minimal dose of painkillers he's given takes the edge off his limp, allowing him to walk for half a mile in comfort. He still eagerly retrieves the Lamorinda Weekly from the driveway, and still throws his 90 pounds around in a game of roughhouse. And as sore fingers can attest, his appetite and zeal for meals, kitchen scraps and dog biscuits persist. Veterinarian Jamie Peyton shakes her head in wonder when Midas visits for his twice monthly acupuncture treatments. "He has beaten the odds in several ways," she says, noting that even with limb amputation, the median survival rate for a dog with OSA is just three to five months. With palliative care only, the expected survival time drops to about half. "He has actually shown marked improvement in his lameness and [affected leg] muscle mass over time," Peyton says. It might just be time for Midas to buy a lottery ticket...
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA