Could I have done something?

[SarahB79]

My dog took a hard fall on the wood floor last month.  After a trip to the emergency vet we learned that her femur was broken and caused by bone cancer.  After a lot of crying and discussing options with vet on duty we put her down.  Is there anything I could have done to prevent her break?  How can pet owners detect cancer earlier?  This has been really hard on our family.

[Dan Sims, DVM]

You did nothing to feel guilty about.
Typically bone cancer is caught earlier but sometimes there are no outward signs such as limping and pain.
I had a similar case this week but once again , not typical.
Dobies are a stoic breed which participated in the belated diagnosis.

[SarahB79]

Thank you Dr. Sims, I appreciate your input on this.  I just want to make sure that in the future, I am able to catch illness in my pets before something like this happens.  

[SarahB79]

I should mention that she was still very active, happy and eating well.  She had no signs of illness.  When she fell she was really excited we had gotten home and we were letting her outside.  I feel like I should have made her settle down a little. :-(