Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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I just stumbled across this site after returning home from the vet. My 10 yr old Rottie has been limping on his front leg for about a week, so I took him in and they took X-rays, which showed bone deterioration on his right scalpula. Now because they just did the X-ray, he didn't specify The kind of cancer. He said it was likely osteosarcoma due to breed and size. He had mentioned the possibility of amputation, but also mentioned that my guy is a little old. Now he is 90 lbs, but the vet said that everything else of his (lung, heart, abdominal region) all seemed healthy. As you can imagine I'm pretty devistated, but after reading some entries here, I'm beginning to feel some hope of maybe exploring the amputation option. But I'm a little lost as to where to go from here. I assume to find a specialist? I am fortunate enough to live in a town with a major university with a fairly reputable vet program (University of Georgia if anyone has a recommendation). Thank you all for your time and opinions!
Hi and welcome. We're so sorry you got the bad news, we know it comes as such a shock. What's your dog's name?
At ten, your dog wouldn't be the oldest large breed Tripawd we've ever had here. Just visit our Size and Age Matters forum to read about them. The vast majority do great on three legs. It also sounds like at 90 pounds, he's a very fit doggie for his breed, that's terrific. If you want more reassurance, then yeah, a consult with UGA would be great. We love vet teaching hospitals and a second opinion from them will give you the peace of mind you need to m ake an informed decision on whether or not to proceed.
Have you seen Jerry's Required Reading List yet? Hop on over and check it out, you'll find lots of tips that can help with many questions. And whatever else you're wondering about, just come on over here and we'll do our best to answer those questions too OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
jerry said
Hi and welcome. We're so sorry you got the bad news, we know it comes as such a shock. What's your dog's name?At ten, your dog wouldn't be the oldest large breed Tripawd we've ever had here. Just visit our Size and Age Matters forum to read about them. The vast majority do great on three legs. It also sounds like at 90 pounds, he's a very fit doggie for his breed, that's terrific. If you want more reassurance, then yeah, a consult with UGA would be great. We love vet teaching hospitals and a second opinion from them will give you the peace of mind you need to m ake an informed decision on whether or not to proceed.
Have you seen Jerry's Required Reading List yet? Hop on over and check it out, you'll find lots of tips that can help with many questions. And whatever else you're wondering about, just come on over here and we'll do our best to answer those questions too OK?
Sorry for forgetting, but his name is Sampson. Thanks so much for your help!
Sampson! What a great name!
We all know the devastation that comes with such a diagnosis. Ten is really just a number. If Sampson is fit and healthy otherwise he should usually make a good candidate. If it really is osteosarcoma you may want to be sure that nothing has metastasized in his lungs maybe, but even then amputation has been given as an option before.
I personally prefer to get second opinions if possible but I also know that it's sometimes hard to do. Maybe even your vet can give you a recommendation on who to turn to. -from my experience most of them don't mind if we 'stray elsewhere '. He might even be able to get you an appointment quicker at the vet school?
Keep us posted and all the best
tina & Manni
Guardian of Manni the Wonderdog. -Or was it the other way around?
Osteo and amputation in Dec 2015. Second, inoperable, primary osteosarcoma found in June 2017.
The end of our adventures came Dec 10, 2017. 2 years to the day.
Has your vet had UGA's radiology department look at the X-rays? When our vet suspected osteo, he had Auburn's radiology department look at the X-rays for a second opinion. When they agreed the X-rays were a cause for concern, our vet referred us to a specialist and we went from there.
Good luck!
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
Ohhhhhhh gosh. So sorry to hear of everything that Sampson has been going through. He sounds like an absolute gem! And is obviously loved beyond words!
(And, phoey. really, age?!?! That is just a number! Really, does not have much of a bearing on anything other than it may...and ONLY may...take a bit longer to recover.)
Have been to UGA for decades (and decades...) and know many, many of the folks there. If you ever have any UGA questions, feel free to PM me and I will try to answer. Have been there specifically with OSA. And brain tumors. And thyroid cancer. And a "three-legged" horse. And, and , and... ad nauseam. Really, they have a stellar program and a beautiful "new" facility and are, in general, very committed to client and patient care. Given everything in balance, I could not recommend the Vet School more highly. (And several local vets as well
)
Best wishes, hugs, and PyrPaws all around! Please continue to update us with Sampson's story and pictures!
You've gotten GREAT advice from everyone and GREAT suggestions on how to move forward!!
Just want to add my support and ro let you know, as you've already seen, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!
And Rotties are a rough breed! Yes, giant teddy bears, but still tough pups!! And yes, age is just a number! It sounds like Sampson is srill full of spunk and very healthy otherwise.
Sure, it is MAJOR surgery and recovery is no picnic. Sometimes our larger pups take a bit longer to get all their sparkle back. But when they do you will be amazed at how good they feel without that vum leg!
One of of best known Rottie experts Michelle, Angel Sassy's mom, will chime in and give some insight.
Hang in there! Grab bags of CHOCOLATE and eat as much as you can! 🙂 It helps!
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Very sorry to hear you and your sweet pup are going through this. But I agree with everyone here, you have a HUGE support system ready to share their stories with you. Here is mine in a nutshell...
Belle was 14 at the time of her amputation, weighing in at roughly 50 lbs. We were told her age was a major risk factor and even had a couple of docs say we shouldn't proceed...but you know what, we knew Belle would be her normal self again if we could just get rid of the pain, so we decided to amputate.
She definitely beat the odds and here we are 7 months later. She's done incredibly well and still bounces around the house happy as can be. She even goes for 2 walks every day! Not bad for a now 14 1/2 year old dog!
The point? Everyone's experiences are different and it's good to listen to your options but listen to your gut more! We are so glad that we did!
We have no idea how much more time we have with Belle but I am very much at peace with our decision because we have had 7 extra, beautiful months of quality time with her so far.
Hope this helps!
Brittney and Belle
Hey y'all. I just wanted to thank you guys for all of the support and give a quick update. I am taking Sampson to the Vet Hospital this morning for a CT scan for further diagnosis and planning. His bloodwork looks really good, so we are trying stay positive. As soon as we get more news from today, I'll update with pictures. Thanks again to everyone
Thanks for the update! We'll keep all paws crossed for a positive outcome!
YAY for good bloodwork! 🙂
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
PS....Brittney, so thrilled to hear how well Belle is doing!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Sorry for the delay once again. I have primarily been using my phone, so posting a picture was not working. Sampson had surgery last Thursday and was able to come home on Saturday. It took him a few days, but he's beginning to get the hang of hopping around on 3 legs. We still are waiting on pathology to come back and to figure out the follow up treatment. Thanks once again to this amazing community. I will likely have plenty of questions once we have our follow up. But for now, we are staying hopeful. Here's a puicture of Sampson post surgery. Thanks once again!
Aw, isn't he handsome with his t-shirt! Glad that he is home and getting around
DO. NOT HIT THAT LINK!! I THINK I JUST GOT SPAMMED!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Oh wow Sally. When I looked at it earlier it was a pic of a Tripawd Rottweiler in a t-shirt!
So you saw what I saw?? Or what I tried NOT to see?? It wasn't a picture of a dog! I clicked off really fast so I don't know wnat the ramifications are
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
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