This is such a hard decision for you.  We had a positive outcome and normal recovery after surgery with Otis, an 8 year old Lab/Dane mix.  But every now and then, someone has experiences like Bonnie's.  I can understand how agonizing this decision must be.   I think there is another St. Bernard pack online - under snuppies I think.  Perhaps PM them for a more breed specific conversation?  And of course, we have Eurydice, the traveling Dane, who shows that big dogs can do great on three.  Whatever you decide, this community supports you!

We are kind of in the same boat with our Tungsten Blue....5 yr old blue heeler, diagnosed with osteosarcoma about 2 months ago.  He still has alot of life left in him but the pain of lugging around a dead limb is overwhelming him...we go in today for chest x-ray to determine if amputation is still an option...if it is we are going to go ahead with it as soon as possible (maybe tomorrow) to get the painful and cumbersome limb off of him...hope he recovers well enough to continue playing and swimming after healing

It's horrendous having to make this decision, especially when it hasn't worked out once before. I was in the same situation as you were about a week ago. I didn't know whether amputation would be the right decision for my 8-yr old lab diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. But when we did an X-ray of his chest, it came out clear, indicating that the spread may not be so wide yet. So we decided to go ahead with it and are due for amputation in under 48 hours.

I can tell you a little story of what helped me be assured of my decision. Maybe you can draw a little something from it.

Gabbar, my 8-yr old lab has been in excruciating pain for the last 2 weeks. He's an extremely lively, hyperactive dog with insane energy, but since this diagnosis, and increase in pain, has been down on his bed. It hurt me, killed me to see him like that. I knew he was in pain. A couple of days ago, when the pain got really unbearable, his vet added a dose of Meloxicam to his pain management . It helped the pain immensely. The same night, and the next morning, I saw that same old energy, the same old drive in him again. He didn't want to be wheeled around in a wheelchair , but started hopping around, jumped off the wheelchair once when he saw his sister run. Was all over the place. He just ignored the affected leg. It was as it if didn't exist.

I realized then what he was trying to tell me. That if I took that pain away, he was ready to fight. It's not the cancer that's keeping him down, it's the pain. I don't know whether he'll live a week or a year after his amputation. But if there's a 10% chance that he can fight this if the pain goes away, I'm going to give it to him.

Nobody here can tell you what to do. But you need to evaluate whether Dixie is in pain or not. Have you done a chest X-Ray or scan yet? This can often show you whether the cancer has spread to the lungs. In Gabbar's case, the vet was very clear. He didn't see anything in the lungs. He told us very clearly that if he had seen some presence in the lungs in the X-Ray, he would have discouraged us from amputation, advised us to manage his pain, spend some quality time, and consider letting him go without suffering. But if there's nothing in the lungs, then it's worth giving him a shot.

I wish your family and Dixie the best. I hope the pain stays away, and that you find the clarity to make an appropriate decision for her.