Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

Here's part of what is influencing my decision. I spent time looking for a very well bred pup from solid working and champion lines (the long coat is a recessive gene and can happen in the most carefully considered litters; since I didn't care about conformation showing or breeding, just working ability, good structure and temperament, I didn't care and think it's cool.) He came from a very ethical breeding, parents and forebears all health tested up the wazoo, proven workng dogs, show champions blah blah, and what happens - at a year old I find he has dysplastic elbows. Oh well, this can also happen in the most careful of breedings…but I've had Rottweilers for 23 years and most have been shelter/poorly bred dogs and none were dysplastic. I have another Rottweiler here - she's a shelter dog but about the same age. Dumb as a box of rocks with a temperament more like a Golden Retriever than a Rottweiler, but she doesn't have dysplasia or cancer…

I went to a raw diet from the start because Dr Oglivie at Colorado State had just come out with his paper on grains feeding cancer etc, and Rottweiler people were jumping on this. I'd just lost an almost-ten year old Rottweiler to osteo and was open to anything possible to lower the chance of cancer. So he's been raw fed his whole life, and I have to say has been an amazingly well conditioned and healthy dog up until last fall. I'm also not a big believer in supplements, but he's been on joint support sups, fish oil and vit E his whole life as well on the premise that it can't hurt/may help. Now I was told that he'd be arthritic by three because of his bad elbows, but he wasn't and in fact went on to become an agility champion with many titles and never a day's limping until last fall, so maybe some of what I did helped.

I delayed neutering because there are several large studies strongly suggesting that early neutering (before growth plates close, in a dog this size about 14-16 months old) significantly increases the chance of osteosarcoma, as well as many studies indicating generally higher risk of a variety of orthopedic problems. Actually I was told not only by his breeder but by two orthopedic vets to delay neutering, for the above reasons.

I went to minimal vaccines for several reasons; one was the theory they can over stimulate the immune system and “wake up” cancer cells.

In short, I did what I could with the best of my knowledge, and responsibly, to decrease the chance of cancer and what happens - the dog gets diagnosed with fatal cancer at barely eight years old. At an earlier age than then the previous early-neutered, kibble-fed, vaccinated every year Rottweiler. I realise that you can't make any determinations on a sample size of just one dog, but I'm in a bit of a snit I guess!

Also he's had one expensive and difficult unsuccessful surgery on this same leg/elbow back in October, (I knew there was a good chance the surgery wouldn't work but he was limping because of some loose bone fragments in the elbow and something needed to be done) - was incipient cancer missed then? I don't know. A subsequent needle biopsy in early January came back negative for cancer cells. It wasn't until February 9 that the cancer diagnosis was made and by that time it was really obvious, so the leg was amputated and here I am.

I've tried to make as many right decisions for him (and my other dogs) as I could, I've relied on vets' advice and diagnostics through this whole process and been led down the wrong path more than once. In fact back in October I asked about the possibility of amputation for the bad elbow and was steered towards surgery instead. Too big, too old, already some arthritis in the other elbow, etc. And in every decision I've made I have gotten at least two opinions from specialists before proceeding.

So yeah, I have lost a bit of faith and wondering how many more thousands of dollars I should keep shelling out for iffy advice, surgery or procedures, or how much more reliance I should give to the results of highly funded studies! And no, it's not about the money, it's about what's right for my dog. Had I amputated back in October I might now have a cancer free, healed up, tripawd Rottweiler.

Small rant over. It's occured to me that I might be in the "anger" phase of the five stages of death, (by proxy)!

I should say that I probably wouldn't have done anything differently, I think I made good decisions based on advice of experts etc. Also I am NOT blaming any of my vets or the veterinary community…but realise more than ever that medicine is a terribly inexact science at times, certainly when it comes to cancer.

Thanks...well it occured to me when I re-read that just now I was probably sounding a bit bratty and whiny and "why my dog." I'm sure pretty much everyone on these forums has gone through just the same feelings, nothing special about me and my dog!

And you are right - none of that stuff matters.

Cooper is back to his bossy self tonight with the other dogs which is sort of nice to see. My female Rottweiler Daphne has been copping a bit of a sly attitude with him being compromised and doing some half-assed challenging, which he's ignored because she's not really serious (and I'm not letting her get away with stuff like body blocking him) and tonight he let out a marvellous growl which made her jump backwards into her crate and look very nervous LOL.