Hi - we’re new to Tripawds, not sure where to start, so I guess I’ll just give you the short(er)-story version to bring you up to today.  

Since her diagnosis, we’ve treated her with the best options available to avoid  or delay amputation because of Molly’s specific situation, and hoped to keep her happy and healthy as long as was feasible (and thankful every damned day that we have Trupanion insurance!)

Molly, our 9.5 yr old English Bulldog was diagnosed with osteosarcoma on her front L humerus in early March, just 10 days after she started limping.  Just over a week later, she was on a plane to a hospital in Calgary for Stereotactic Radio Surgery (the only vet in Canada equipped to perform SRS), and then home to recover for a few weeks before starting chemo.  Every three weeks since then, I take her 1.5 hrs down to Victoria for chemo, and rounds 1 & 2 went great with no real negative effects, just a bit tired for a few days.  Round #3 was a very rough night with her very very sick and vomiting and refusing food for the first time in her 9.5 yrs.  The week following that was a very rough one for her, she seemed to be very tired and in more pain, and we had conversations about whether or not it was “time”.  I emailed our vets (our vet here & the oncologist in Victoria) to explain her decline, and asking about the different options and advice.  They came up with a plan, and last week we took her down for an overnight trip to Victoria for not only chemo #4 but also a FLK drip to assess how much of her limp was from pain and how much was from the bone having changed shape as a result of SRS.  She also was examined by the surgeon to see how well she might do as a tripawd - this has always been one of the options on the table, but given A) she’s a bulldog (barrel-chested breed) and dogs bear 60% of their weight on their front legs and B) her x-rays from her initial diagnosis showed she has osteoarthritis in both front elbows, she was never considered and “ideal candidate”.  The results came back that  Molly’s limp definitely has a mechanical element to it and she would very likely adapt well to amputation should it come to that.  Good, we thought, to know what options are and aren’t available to us in the future…. fast forward to 1 whole week later and we are now facing amputation as an almost certainty.  Good news though, that the cancer does not appear to have spread to any other bones or her lungs or anywhere else for that matter….

Molly has never stopped limping completely, though 2 weeks after SRS it was significantly improved.  Since then, her limp gradually worsened and then seemed to level off where it stayed for a couple of months.  Then we had a very sudden and steep decline.  Thursday she had chemo, Saturday her limp seemed heavier, and after talking to the vet we adjusted her pain meds.  Tuesday, she’s using the leg differently off and on, kind of “peg-legging” it a bit.  Wednesday morning she’s peg-legging more, I send video of it to the vet, and she consults with our oncologist.  I hear back that they suspect a neuropathy, but she will call me later that day to discuss. Nine HOURS later we come home from work and she runs to greet us using 3 legs….  I’m panicked that she fell and injured or broke her leg while we were at work, but then hubby calms me down and I realize she’s super happy - she RUNNING on 3 legs, chasing after her toy, shaking her bum like a happy bully, super happy that mama and dad are home.  This is not a dog in pain.  Still, I text our vet (our incredibly amazing vet who has been absolutely incredible through this entire ordeal - I seriously cannot say enough about how wonderful her and her team have been) and let her know this new development, and she asks be to bring Molly by the next day for a re-check.  A thorough exam and some X-rays, and sends them off to the oncologist for a second opinion… and its the weekend so we’re waiting.  Hopefully Monday we’ll have some word.

Since Wednesday, she peg-legs a bit, she uses the leg and limps a bit and she tripawds a fair bit.  She seems tired, sore (not in pain, but sore from a pretty intensive physical exam and using only 3 legs and all that goes with using your body differently).  As of Thursday, the plan was to keep the leg as long as it still helps her for support, balance and more or less as a crutch, but only as long as she doesn’t injure it when dragging that paw.  In the past three days I’ve come to accept that we are pretty definitely looking at amputation, quite possibly even in the next week.  

So now it’s a new batch of What-If’s.  Phantom pain? How do we deal with that? How long can that last? What is a reasonable recovery time? Should we get her a wheelchair ? Do they even make wheelchairs for front amuptees? And the  big question: Will this give her back more quality of life or are we dangerously close to the territory of risking her being in more pain because my heart can’t bear to let her go?  Seriously, we’ve had three dogs, and if I could get this little girl to live another 30 happy and healthy years I’d do it.  That would make her a 40 year old Bulldog, seems reasonable enough to expect, right?  Kidding of course, but she is an incredibly special girl, and there hasn’t been anyone who met her that did’t fall in love with her wiggly butt and infectious personality.  I also know I’m not the only pet-owner here who feels that way about their 3 or 4 legged babies - if I were, then this who organization wouldn’t even exist….  

So Tripawders, any advice? Any insight you can offer into what Molly’s future looks like?  I have only seen a couple of front-amputee bulldogs on here, but if you have or had one, I’d love to hear from you for the simple reason that they have their own challenges.