Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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Hi everyone,
I am in some serious need of advice. My seven year old Great Pyrenees has bone cancer in her left back femur. She got diagnosed back in July. We have had her on a home made anti inflammatory diet and pain pills, but recently her leg swelled up to about double! She can still scoot around and is acting normal (eating, drinking, happy self!) but I can tell she is in pain.
My question is, is it time to lay her to rest or should we consider amputation? I feel like it is a huge surgery and she is old/heavy. The surgery would be about $1000-$1200, which also is a factor in the decision. I don't want her to be in pain and I feel like maybe we waited a little too long to amputate, but the vet says there are no signs of the cancer in her chest or brain. Help, please!
Welcome to Tripawds, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I'm sorry you are dealing with cancer in your girl, what's her name?
Things on the plus side: she is still enjoying life, she would lose a back leg which is easier for dogs to cope with, her xrays are clear.
Things on the down side: financial concerns, age and size.
First I want to say that don't feel bad about considering finances. It would be great if we all had endless source of dollars, but that is just not the case.
Is your girl overweight or just big? My local friend Cemil is a 150 lb Anatolian Shepard front amp who is 7 years past his cancer diagnosis and amputation. Sally should be along soon to tell you about her Happy Hannah.
You know your girl the best, none of us can tell you what to do. We can share our experiences and hopefully help you make your decision. My cancer tripawd was a little pug girl who lost her back leg to mast cell cancer at 7.5 years of age. Maggie lived almost 4 years and did not pass from that cancer.
No matter what you decide to do we will support you and help any way we can.
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
Welcome to the club that no one wants to join. Let me just start by saying if that is Osteoscaroma you are dealing with it is very painful and did the vet say if it had fractured. If it doubled in size that would be my concern. Sassy was a 138 pound 6 year old Rottie when she had her amputation. My vet was concerned that she wouldn't be able support her weight. That was the only concern. Well Sassy proved them wrong. Woke up and hopped out to pee and was going to keep on going home. She tried to pull the vet tech out of the parking lot.
Sassy did really well on 3 legs we did trim down about 10 pounds. Weighing less for a Tripawd is easier on the joints. I understand the cost etc. Like Karen said that if we didn't have to worry about that it would be awesome.
Michelle & Angel Sassy
Sassy is a proud member of the Winter Warriors. Live long, & strong Winter Warriors.
sassysugarbear.tripawds.com
07/26/2006 - Sassy earned her wings 08/20/2013
05/04/2006 - Bosch, Sassy's pal, earned his wings 03/29/19 fought cancer for 4 months.
"You aren't doing it TO her, you are doing it FOR her. Give her a chance at life."
Otis is a 106 lb lab/Dane mix. Right front leg amputated due to osteosarcoma three weeks ago. First two weeks are hard, but he is doing great today. Was able to hop outdoors and to his food bowl as soon as he got home (although we are all still living on the first floor to avoid the stairs). There is also a harness which a lot of folks on the site use which could help you assist him post amp. Will be thinking of you both! I know it is a really really hard decision.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Is your girl overweight or just big? My local friend Cemil is a 150 lb Anatolian Shepard front amp who is 7 years past his cancer diagnosis and amputation. Sally should be along soon to tell you about her Happy Hannah.
she is just big! Her leg is pretty much just dead weight right now and she's been getting around fine on three paws. It is just such a major surgery! Secondly, I'm worried about her hips post surgery. The vet said they can get hip problems since all the weight will be on one leg.
Hello and welcome. Hope you don't mind I moved your post here but this is a great place to read about dogs as big, if not bigger (many are) than your sweet pup.
Amputation isn't always the right path for every dog, especially larger ones, but in our years of being online we've seen many dogs larger than 120 pounds do great on three legs. It sounds like your vet is OK with amputation, which is great, as many will immediately dismiss a dog her size.
I'll just be honest here: osteosarcoma is a horribly painful disease. It's hard to imagine what a slowly disintegrating bone feels like because our dogs are so great at hiding pain. We had no idea our dog was in pain with it until we looked at post surgery photos and could really see the difference in his eyes, his ears, his posture. He was so relieved!
The pain of osteo is awful, even worse than the surgery recovery. It's really amazing your pup has gone this long and there are no visible signs of cancer mets. I'm sure your vet told you, but if you don't do something soon, that leg is very likely going to fracture into pieces and then you will need to make a decision on the spot, in a very awful, emotional setting. For both of your sake, decide on something before it gets to that point.
If she doesn't already have arthritis signs now, chances are she could go a while on 3 before it shows up. Now, recovery with a dog that size is not easy, others will tell you that, so there will be challenges. You must be prepared. But in the end, almost every pet parent who's gone forward with surgery has been glad they did it.
Please check out Jerry's Required Reading List , it will put your mind at ease about a lot of things. If you decide to proceed, just make sure your vet is qualified to perform the procedure. See this blog post for details about low cost clinics versus full service ones.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
My goal is to make a decision by tomorrow. I want to do what's best for her and right now I just don't know what that is! I've never had to make this decision before and I just don't know what to do.
Hi There,
I'm so sorry your Pyr girl is in pain w/ this awful disease. I think if you can tell she's in pain then you must of course make a decision. As Jerry says, the pain of OSA is terrible so that is why many of us choose to amputate. At least it gets rid of the pain. Of course none of us knows how much time we'll get afterwards but chances are she'd have time to recover from the amp and still have time to enjoy life and be pain-free. Sometimes it doesn't happen that way, so there are no guarantees of course. But usually the post-amp recovery takes a few weeks and your girl may have a lot more time than that left in her! The big guys and gals do seem to take longer and the post-amp period can be a real roller-coaster but most dogs do recover and adapt well on three legs.
Our Ellie was a Pyr mix, about 100 lbs and at least 10 yrs old. She did have a rough recovery (she was very nauseated and would not eat), but we had 10 months more with her. We did do chemo but not everyone does and it certainly isn't required even if you decide on the amputation. Amputation is really only to relieve the pain (and prevent a fracture).
Good luck. I know it is a hard decision. But any decision you make will be made out of love, so it can't be the wrong decision.
Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie.
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
Sorry you find yourself in this horrid space where you have ro make such "forced choice" decision because of this piece of crap disease. We understand like no others can.
You clearly have the best interest of your pup at heart. You will make a decision out of love for her and, whater that is, it is the right decision.
Putting finances aside for a moment, lets try and chunk things down. This is about you, your dog, your belief systems and your knowledge of your dog.
I'll share my thought processes in making the decision. This was before I found this incredible site.
My beloved Happy Hannah, a big and somewhat fluffy 125 lb Bull Mastiff (8 1/2 yrs...considered somewhat "older" for that breed), had been limping off and on for a couple of months with a sprain". Rimadyl made it "appear better" ...until it didn't. Then the xray...then the "diagnosis"...then the mention of amputation! My first response was "Absolutely not!" I would not put my dog "through that"! I would not do that TO my dog!"
The vey wisely set up an appointment for me with a Surgeon. I did my research.
Happy Hannah was living her life fully and happily.....except for that painful leg. At rhis point, she was now on Tramadol....limping steadily. And here's where I decided on amputation.......I was nust starting to have to increase her pain meds...and she held in leg up for the first time and walked without putting it on the ground!!
I knew she could not live like this and her time was almost up.....yet she was so full of life!! We had a "conversation"...".off with the leg and give me a chance" was her response! Well, that's what I thought I heard her say anyway!!
My thought process from thst point forward....and this was just me knowing myself...everyone is different and certainly no right or wrong.....
*** Which decision wpuld cause me the least second vuessing, the least "regret"......To do the surgery and things not go well and she couldn't really recover, or to not do it and end her earthly journey knowing, one way or another, she would be out of pain.
****What if I did her surgery and we got some great extended time? I would never know if I didn't try and, for me, that would "bother " me.
Please know that we all understand how personal and individual this decision is. Finances have to be considered too. I will add that I was able to work on a payment plan. Also, which I didn't know enough to do at the time, go over any expenses beforehand and see what can be eliminated. A $25 charge was automatically out in my bill for a huger plastic cone..When picking her up, they said, "And here's a cone for Happy Hannah!" Not only did I think they were "giving" it to me, Hannah woukd never in a million years have worn that thing! It truly was huge!
BTW, Happy Hannah and I had the most glorious extended bonus days of one year and two months! Many dogs get more rime...many dogs get less...it's basically a crap shoot!
We are right by your side supporting you np matter what. Oddly, making a decision will bring you relief. You can then move forward with whatever that might be.
Sending you love and clarity and lots of 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!
Thanks for your thoughts everyone. I'm really happy to hear that I'm not alone in the struggle to make the decision. My husband thinks the best option is to put her down and I have to admit I'm leaning that way too. I just don't know how well she would recover and I'm worried about her hips; I don't want to trade leg pain for hip pain...
We understand, and will support you no matter what you decide. So much of a dog's recovery is dependent on the human's attitude and beliefs. Without a positive, hopeful outlook, recovery can be very difficult. Only you know your dog and your pack well enough to decide.
If it will make a difference for your husband or you, consider a consult with a board-certified orthopedic veterinarian, oftentimes that extra opinion can be a game changer.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
You are absolutely not alone! We understand what an agonizing decision this is like no others can! Again, no right or wrong, no "judgement s" here, okay?
As Jerry said, maybe get a second opinion from an Orthopedic Surgeon if you are concerned about hip issues. If I read your post right, she is NOT showing any issues with her hips now, correct? The vet is just concerned she "may" have issues with her hips in the future?
Merely throwing that out there since you mentioned her hips. Not trying to suggest going one way or another as far as amputation or not. We all know how mich you love yoir girl, that's evident.
Sending you continud clarity and strength and surrounding you with lots of hugs and love from the tripawd community! We would love to see some pictures!
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!
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