Tripawds Three Legged Dog & Cat Forum Archives

Our sweet Gracie Blue was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in June of 2021 after we found a bump on her front right leg.  We were devastated as all I had ever read about Great Danes was how they died mostly from gastric dilation volvulus (GDV) syndrome so we were very careful about her eating & playing habits.  This was a shock.  Danes are so big that typically the amputation of a front leg is much harder to recover from since they carry most of their weight in their chest.  She was only 4 1/2 years old and we had insurance on her so it really was a no brainer.  After the xray showed her lungs clear of any cancer, we decided to proceed with the amputation and followed that up with 4 rounds of chemo.  We were told that with amputation & chemo, the average life span was 12-15 months.  That was enough for us.  The amputation was July 16, 2021.   I won't lie, the first 3 weeks after the amputation were brutal.  I really thought we had made the wrong decision.  She wouldn't eat or really get up and around.  We had to force her to go outside to potty with a harness.  She was most definitely depressed.  We switched her to chicken & rice and she slowly started eating again and weaned her off the trazadone and that was a world of difference.  She slowly started moving around and trying to get used to not having that other front leg. 

It's now January of 2022 and she seriously hasn't missed a beat.  She's happy, probably more loveable now than before and is back to playing tug o war with her little brother Max (Black Great Dane).  She also is back to stealing food off the counter.  I guess you only need one leg to jump up on the counter. HA!  I would do it over, over and over again. Even if we only get her one more year.  I'm happy to help with any questions or just offer mental support.  I know how hard of a decision this is for our fur babies.