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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I joined here back in Dec when Phoebe my 8 year old cocker had her hind leg amputated due to Osteosarcoma and your support was brilliant, thank you.
Phoebe has adjusted fantastic and has been running around with a new lease of life.
That was up until this Friday, she kept looking at me and wimpering so I knew something wasn't right, she also seemed to be tired the whole time. I took her to vets on Monday and they X-rayed her chest and it was clear, I expected as much as she's not coughed or had breathing difficulties. Vet said she may have sprained her one back leg, over doing it.
Now back at home and in not happy with her condition, she's constantly lying down, pops out for quick toilet break and straight back to bed. She's eating okay although not bothering with breakfast just evening meal, she approaches it like " okay if I have to eat"
phoebe has always been an up and at em dog, very active even as a tripaw, if anyone visits she's in their face waiting for a fuss, if she hears a car or another dog she's outside barking her head off, but since Friday nothing.
I have lots of land and we get plenty of wildlife so Phoebe always out there sniffing and chasing.
i agree she may have strained her one hind leg but when she had tumor and was in exruciating pain she still was alert and eating.
My question is can osteosarcoma spread to other parts before it gets to lungs? If chest X-ray clear then could the cancer have spread else where in her body therefore not show on chest X-ray?
sonyajba said
I have lots of land and we get plenty of wildlife so Phoebe always out there sniffing and chasing.i agree she may have strained her one hind leg but when she had tumor and was in exruciating pain she still was alert and eating.
Welcome back! Glad to hear she's done so well. I hope you don't mind I moved your post here, but this is a great place to talk about mobility issues.
So....Bingo. I'm not a vet, but this could be the issue and where her pain signals are coming from. Pain manifests differently all the time. For example, we don't act the same when we pull a back muscle as we do when we have a tooth ache or a cut on our finger, right? It's like that with dogs too.
How much sniffing and chasing is she doing and for how long? Many times we allow our animals to get back to their normal routines, which is great. But with a missing leg, there is a 'new normal' that needs to happen to keep them injury free. Doing core-strengthening work and balance games is the best way to keep our Tripawd fit so they can get back to doing things they love, with moderation. If you haven't been doing them with her, once she has her pain managed this should begin.
Did your vet provide any kind of pain relief for her? If not, your vet may not have the kind of background necessary for coping with the aches and pains a Tripawd sometimes experiences. I recommend finding a veterinary pain management specialist near you who can diagnose and treat with things like dry needling, gentle massage, etc.
Let us know what you find out and keep us posted OK?
Oh and to answer your question, cancer metastasis can happen in a few ways. With osteo it typically goes to the lungs first but can occasionally go to other limbs. It's rare. Don't panic. Talk to a pain management vet first, I believe you'll find your answers to her needs there.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Glad to hear Phoebe has done so well!
My question is has this been a gradual change or very sudden? From your post it sounds like it just happened on Friday, but has she been off her food longer? Think back a bit- has there been a gradual decline in activity level?
If you think there has been a gradual decline then I would do some blood work and check on kidney and liver function. Tri-pug Maggie got picky about food (unheard of for a pug!), at first I thought perhaps it was a function of her age. As it turned out she had some kidney issues. When I found that out and looked back I realized that the pickiness had come on very gradually over several months, and there were some other signs as well- slight weight loss, less energy, etc.
If all the symptoms came on very suddenly then I would lean more toward an injury. OSA does met to other bones but that seems to be very rare.
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
Phoebe - so sorry to hear you're not feeling up to your normal activities. 🙁
Tipper's story sounds similar. I'll tell you about it, not to upset you, but rather to give you the confidence to keep going back at this until you have a more definitive answer.
Yes, osteosarcoma can spread to other places besides the lungs.
Did you see the oncology vet for the X-Rays? I ask because Tipper (7 months post amp) started wincing and yelping a couple months ago. He's had all sorts of trouble with blisters on his feet, so I assumed he was feeling the pain of the extra, extra weight on his remaining front leg. When we went to the oncologist for a check up (following 6 chemo treatments), she really went to town with xrays to find the cause of the pain and didn't stop until she found some evidence of a logical explanation.
Unfortunately, Tipper has one lung met now and even worse, a probable tumor on his scapula. While this has been hard to deal with, at least we're not wondering and now we can look at possible care.
This has been a learning-filled 7 months. That's for darn sure. I don't regret any decisions I've made so far about Tipper's treatment. The only regret I ever seem to have is not speaking LOUDLY when I'm not satisfied or comfortable with an answer. YOU are Phoebe's mommy. YOU GO RIGHT AHEAD and ask for more information or further diagnostics! I've found that it's better to follow my gut and advocate for my pups than to assume that the doctors know everything there is to know. Often, I feel like I'm being a hypochondriac for my dogs, but whenever I think something's up, there's always something. So I'm learning to keep asking.
I hope that Phoebe comes around and peps up soon. And if she doesn't, don't hesitate to take her in again. And again. Trust your instincts. 
Did anything else happen on Friday? (or Thursday?) Sometimes Murphy runs after a squirrel or a dog in the park behind our yard and then the next day or two he's off a little bit. Just a little sore and achy - he may not whine or cry, maybe not eat quite as much as normal, but might walk a little stiffer or sleep a little more than normal, and act "just not right." So anytime we notice him run more than his normal, we make sure to give him a pain pill (we have a supply of Rimadyl for just in case days). Maybe just keep an eye on Phoebe for a day or two and see what happens. Especially since she is eating and her x-rays were good. You could also try some gentle massage along her back and see if that helps some.
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
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