Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi everyone, my 11.5 senior Luna just got her back leg amputated on June6th. Surgery went amazing, we got the clearance from the surgeon that she can go back to normal routine. However, the biopsy results came back as a presumed articular histiolytic sarcoma with a very poor and unlikely for osteosarcoma. I am not sure how they have such a poor diagnosis when they had to whole leg/tumor. However, the lymph node and her lungs and and ultrasound are clear for spread. The Doctor recommended chemotherapy as the next step, and to order some extra stain exams to rule out osteosarcoma. She said however, if chemo wasn’t an option to just leave it as is, and do follow up scans to make sure her lungs are clear and monitor for spread.
I am hear because I am honestly devastated, we all thought it would be a low grade synovial cell sarcoma, even the Doctors, surgeon and oncologist were very shocked at the biopsy results.
I think Luna had this cooking for a while, but we were treating it as arthritis..I’m thinking maybe it was just a really slow growing tumor..
Chemotherapy is beyond my budget and I always said I would never put her through that especially at her age..
I was wondering if anyone here has had experience with this kind of sarcoma and if they did or didn’t do chemo and what was their time post amputation..
thank you again !
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Hi Maria and Luna, welcome! So sorry you had to join our club but are super glad you found us. This kind of diagnosis is always a shock and especially when everyone is thinking it's another type of cancer entirely.
So I think you mean histiocytic sarcoma, right? If so, check out these stories of dogs who have had it and gone on to enjoy a great quality of life. Although nobody can guess the future, and some lived longer and some didn't, the important thing is they were enjoying a pain-free life on three legs.
I am not sure how they have such a poor diagnosis when they had to whole leg/tumor.
Many things play into this, but cancer does some unpredictable things that nobody expects. It's great that the other diagnostics came back with good reports.
Chemotherapy is beyond my budget and I always said I would never put her through that especially at her age..
That is perfectly OK, you are not a bad person if you don't do it. Many people opt out for different reasons, myself included. Do keep in mind that dogs handle chemo very, very differently than people, and generally tolerate it really well. But if you can't afford it that's totally fine. Chemo still can't guarantee longevity, although the studies out there show that in many cases with certain cancers, it can increase the odds. But again, there is no crystal ball and nobody can say for sure how Luna would do.
I was wondering if anyone here has had experience with this kind of sarcoma and if they did or didn’t do chemo and what was their time post amputation..
So check out the stories I linked to above, and know that time after amputation is bonus time no matter what. Dogs don't keep track of calendars, they don't obsess over time, only we do. It's a human thing! Whether Luna has one great year or a few great months, what matters is she gets to do what she enjoys most, without pain, and with her favorite people. It's a very good lesson for us about living in the now and following our dog's example (aka learning how to Be More Dog !).
Whatever you decide to do, we will support you! Please keep us posted.
I’ve read a couple but couldn’t really find any that didn’t do chemo. We ordered the extra stains just to confirm the diagnosis and after reading a lot regarding the CCNU chemo pill treatment I am leaning more towards it but still have some time to think about it while we get the stain results
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