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Mouse's (Great Dane) amputation/hemipelvectomy scheduled for tomorrow, 11/2
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Cincinnati, OH
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11 September 2009
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1 November 2016 - 1:01 pm
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Hi. This is our second (unfortunate) battle with osteosarcoma in Great Danes. We weren't given the option of amputation with our first boy, Dallas, who we lost in 2009 (due to tumor location, his size/age/other factors). Now, our 7-year-old (this Friday!) boy, Mouse, has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his right rear hip, and we have scheduled amputation and a hemipelvectomy for tomorrow. We feel--given his otherwise good health and vigor--that this is the right option for him, and we are so BLESSED to have the option this time! We hope he makes it through this very complex surgery successfully and that we'll get him home on Friday, 11/4. The plan is to confine him to the first floor of our home (bedroom on second floor, but I'll sleep with him on level 1) in a large ex-pen during his recovery. The surgeon feels confident that Mouse will adapt just fine to three legs, especially because he's already been lugging the lame leg around for nearly two months...but we can't help feeling anxious and a bit overwhelmed at what's to come. We also recognize that the amputation and chemo are not a cure, and that the time we have left with him may not be as much as we hope...But it beats what most certainly would be an almost immediate death sentence, given his rapid decline and the amount of pain he seems to be in. Just looking for a glimmer of hope and some moral support as we navigate through it all. Many thanks in advance.

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20 October 2016
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1 November 2016 - 1:49 pm
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 I am so sorry that you guys are going through this! My seven-year-old golden retriever Rosie had her right front leg and shoulder amputated last Wednesday due to OSA. I was scared to death, not sure if I was doing the right thing, and really worried  that she wouldn't survive life on three legs. One week later, she has adapted to life on three legs just fine and is healing well.

She gets her staples out a week from today, and all signs are pointing up to a good life on three legs. She was in so much pain before, that the pain from the surgery seems to be a blip.

One word of caution, is to really be vigilant about how much hopping you guys do early in recovery.  Rosie overdid it the second day home, and was down for a couple of days after that. In fact our hopping speed was cut in half. After a couple days of rest, she is back to her speedy hop.

We limit it to one five-minute potty break on a leash every four hours. The rest of the time she is either laying on her bed or sitting on the carpet staring at me. I figure the more I keep her quiet now, the more fun we will have a couple of weeks.

Best of luck to you, please keep us posted, and reach out if you need anything at all. I am a new pawrent but there are lots of people with lots of good advice that helped me through this most trying time. 

Kellye and Rosie the Wonder Tripawd ❤️🐕❤️

Livermore, CA




Member Since:
18 October 2009
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1 November 2016 - 4:43 pm
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Hi and welcome, I'm sorry cancer has brought you here.

A Hemipelvectomy is more involved than a usual rear amputation and can seem kind of scary.  Here is Scout's story about his surgery and a link to Eider the Lab's blog about his Hemipelvectomy for OSA.

I have to run now but I'll check back later- just wanted to give you a couple of links for inspiration.

Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls

Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.

1999 to 2010

 

              Maggie's Story                  Amputation and Chemo



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21 May 2016
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1 November 2016 - 6:03 pm
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Hi Mouse and family 💗🐶

I am very sorry to find you here but you can be sure we are all here to guide and support you the best we can. 

Although Dallas sadly could not be helped you now have the chance to do so for Mouse and remove that horribly painful leg so these are already good news!

My girl Eurydice is a very large (77kg before surgery) 5 year old Dane who lost her right front leg to osteosarcoma a few days shy of 6 months ago. 

Just as Rosie's Mom said, you've got to take things slowly during the first stages of recovery and do not get discouraged to see your boy lying down most of the time, this is all normal. 

Terribly important to deal with traction as this is a major issue for Tripawds.

If you have slippery floors you should create large paths with carpet ideally over rubber underlay so he doesn't slip. 

The other crucial item for a large dog is to have a good harness to help him stand up and lead him to have his pee/poop.

As my girl is a front leg amputee I cannot give you specific advice concerning supporting his rear end.

Most pawrents here used some sort of sling to help with movements/balance and underpants with the tail going through the fly, to help protect the incision. 

As Danes are so big and heavy I am not sure which would be the best "sling" option but I'm sure others will come to the rescue and share their experience. 

I would avoid stairs as much as possible, in fact my girl cannot negotiate them even now but most smaller dogs do.

If Mouse stops eating and/or drinking like my girl did, be prepared to be creative in the kitchen, during recovery ANY food is better than NO food.

I gave my girl hot dogs, eggs, grilled and boiled chicken (with olive oil added to the water for extra taste) all hand fed.

As for water intake, I had to get her to drink using a big syringe and made notes of how many ml she had every day after the vet told me the quantity I should aim for. 

I kept a diary for the first 3 weeks and recorded food and water intake, pees and poops and medicine times plus how many walks she would do and how long for.

Poop can take a while so don't be worried, it can take a few days before it happens and that is normal.

Pee should be regular after surgery.

Expect a bit of a crash between days 3-5 as pain medicine from surgery gets out of his system, this is normal.

And do make sure he takes his medicine on time as this is major surgery and is painful!

The first couple of weeks may be challenging for him and you but bear in mind each day that goes by is a day closer to the end of recovery, things will improve a lot from the first landmark date which is when he will have his stitches out. 

Above all try to keep calm, if you are calm so will he be.

And keep your eyes on his and not on the incision when you collect him from hospital, they shave a vast amount of fur and it looks awful but once the hair grows back we don't notice it any more.

A lot of people who see my girl mention she is "limping" they don't even realise she has 3 legs until I point it out. 

We did 6 sessions of carboplatin every 3 weeks (1st session when stitches were removed) and she sailed through it with zero side effects and she is now doing metronomic therapy wich is a combined daily dose of chemo and antibiotics and anti inflammatories every other day.

No need to concentrate on chemo now though, just focus on his surgery and recovery!  

Remember you are NOT alone, we are all here for you!

If you want to contact me directly with any questions regarding your boy please send me a message and I will text my mobile number so we can be in contact during the first few weeks if you so wish, I am very happy to do so. 

We are all sending you a wave of pawsitive energy for tomorrow's surgery and lots of bear hugs to you, please do keep us updated !!!!! 🌬🌬🌬🌬🐾🐾💗😘

Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-) 



Member Since:
21 May 2016
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1 November 2016 - 6:07 pm
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Just another little word to tell you although the first stages of recovery were hard fur her and me, Eurydice is doing tremendously well and enjoying life to the full 🌹🐶💞

You can do this and so can Mouse ♥️🐶

Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-) 

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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1 November 2016 - 6:25 pm
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YOU ARE. IT ALONE!!! We understand like no other can! This is a very stressful and intense time. You probably feel like you're stuck in a nightmare all over again, but there are a couple of differences now!

Again, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! We are here ro help support and guide you thru recovery and onto celebrating all of Mouse's victories as he gets in with living life to the fullest!!

Also, Dallas will be a wonderful Guardian Angel watching over your precious Mouse. So sorry Dallas had to head to the Bridge, but I know he's still watching over you.

This is dreadful for you to have to deal with a second time. Your thought process though is spot on and will go a long way in helping you stay positive for Mouse! This is about hope and about giving Mouse a chance to continue to enjoy life pain free! Yes, itsw a "forced choice" and it's scary and uncertain but, as you basically said, it beats the alternative! Mouse WANTS a chance!

Yes, Mouse's surgery is going to be rougher thsn the "usual rough" surgery, but certainly doable! As you'll see from the links Karen gave you, once healing takes place Mouse will be able to get on with living a pain free life!!

Mouse doesn't care about days on aa calendar, or statistics, or a Vet's diagnosis. Not one bit!! And her certainly does NOT have a timeframe stamped anywhere on his butt!! Vut Mouse DOES care about having a quality pain free life full of loving and spoilng and tummy rubs and treats!! 🙂

Do you have any questions about preparing your home for a tripawd? Just let us know, okay'

Couple of more GREAT DANES for you to check out for inspawration:

QUEEN NOVA! A five year osteo survivor!

ATLAS! Two Vets recommended euthi. because of his size, he had Wobblers and a few things. The THIRD opinion said YES! ATLAS got an additional TWO years of joy and happi ess and loving and spoiling!

EURYDICE! You are gonna love this!! Here is a link to one of her threads while she is currently on a three month vacation through Europe!

Omay, some deep breaths, lots of CHOCOLATE and stay connected! Can't wait to see pictures!!

Love!!

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!

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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1 November 2016 - 6:28 pm
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Oh gosh!!! The whole ti e...looo g ti e it took me to type (typo), Eurydice is here!!!

Okay...Here's the link

http://tripawds.....mputation/

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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1 November 2016 - 8:42 pm
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Ok, first step- deep breaths. You have found the best resource for information and support anywhere! I second everything Eurydice said. Since Mouse is a rear leg amp I think a Ruffwear harness would work right from the start rather than a sling. My 85# golden retriever had a front amp and the harness got in the way of his incision so we used a sling and he HATED it. Had to use it for support going down a few stairs to potty for the first few days whether he liked it or not! We can now use the harness and it is SO much easier to use especially for a big dog.It won't get in the way of urination either. I chronicled the first 2 weeks post op every day on my blog. There are gross pictures of his incision (Mouse's may be even larger) and videos and what worked and didn't. The first week especially is exhausting, but they bounce back quicker than you can imagine (it won't feel like that but they DO, I PROMISE). The link to my blog is in my signature.

Here's to a successful surgery tomorrow and a fast recovery. And here's to getting rid of the PAIN. We'll be waiting for updates and PICTURES. We MUST have pictures of Mouseheart

Nancy- mom to the FABULOUS Fionn. He rescued me in 2015 when he was 6. 

Right front leg amputation at age 7 for osteosarcoma 10/6/16. Taken too soon 6/12/17. Read about our journey here:

http://fionnsjo.....pawds.com/

Cincinnati, OH
Member Since:
11 September 2009
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2 November 2016 - 7:08 am
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Thank you all, so very much. We dropped him off at 7:30am, and the poor boy was so scared he couldn't get his OTHER leg to work either. We were ALL a wreck. I'm going to use the next 48 hours while they keep him to get my proverbial sh%t together, so he doesn't see us worrying. (I'd love to post pics, but I have no idea how to do that in this online tool!)

Virginia







Member Since:
22 February 2013
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2 November 2016 - 8:59 am
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This link may help as far as pics

http://tripawds.....-photos-1/

Grab lots of CHOCOLATE, lots and lots! Then follow up your chocolate binge with some ice cream and cupcakes! You'll have such a tummy ache you won't be able to worry about a thing except your belly ache!

Update us when surgery is done, oma?

We are all sending healing energy to that sweet boy!!

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!

Schofield, WI
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13 August 2015
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2 November 2016 - 10:05 am
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Sending healing energy today and going forward.   I agree with Nancy in that the roughwear harness might work right away on a rear amp.  We used it very early in our big boys rear amp and found it very valuable to help him up and for guidance.  It came nowhere near his incision being a rear amp.  You've gotten so much great advice already here from all these amazing people I can't think of anything to even add.  Please keep us posted on your beautiful Mouse.  Hugs!

On The Road


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24 September 2009
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2 November 2016 - 10:35 am
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dalliesmom said
I'd love to post pics, but I have no idea how to do that...

Here are detailed instructions for adding photos to forum posts . If you don't already share photos online somewhere, you can start a free Tripawds blog any time and upload them there.

Need further help? Post in the Tech Support forum !

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet



Member Since:
21 May 2016
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2 November 2016 - 3:21 pm
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Any feedback on Mouse's surgery yet ???????

We are thinking about you all and send you clouds and clouds of pawsitive energy 🌬🌬🌬🌬💗🐶

Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-) 

Cincinnati, OH
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11 September 2009
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3 November 2016 - 6:39 am
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Thank you, everyone, for the encouragement and prayers. I am so sad to report that we had to let Mouse go last night. The pre-surgery scans were grim--the osteosarcoma had metastasized to his lungs. His decline had been so rapid in the past week, that we truly felt that--without the option of surgery--there really was no quality of life remaining for him. He was unable to get up on his own, in a great deal of pain, and--when we *could* convince him to eat--he did so lying down. He wasn't taking in enough water. He hadn't had a bowel movement in days. We couldn't watch him suffer, and we made a heartwrenching decision. We are lucky enough to have a pet hospice service here in Cincinnati, and they came to our home last night. Mouse spent the afternoon outside in the sunshine, and enjoyed a steak and lots of cuddles. His pitbull sister, Violet, and we are lost without him. Please continue to keep us all in your thoughts and prayers. And many blessings to you all and your tripawds and packs! xoxox

Schofield, WI
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13 August 2015
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3 November 2016 - 9:01 am
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I'm so sorry!  Sometimes we have only one decision we can make and with great love you gave your Mouse the last gift you had left to give him, the gift of release.  I'm so glad you were able to bring him home and shower him with love and spoiling.  We know this is the absolute worst part of this journey and today we surround you and your pack with love.  May the joy of having had this gentle giant in your lives overcome someday the pain you experience at this hardest of times.  Fly free sweet Angel!

Linda, Riley & Spirits Mighty Max & Ollie

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