hollyv said
Hi All,

Thanks for this support network, it looks like it will be really helpful.

My 4-year-old Golden Retriever, Ellie, has dealt with limping on and off for several years after an injury wrestling with her litter mate. After increased activity she'd limp for a few days but return to normal, the vet thought it was just a ligament or muscle pull. This July the limping persisted past a few days and is now near constant. X-rays showed a lesion on her radius and a visit to the oncologist confirmed it was likely osteosarcoma and recommends amputation followed by chemo. She also is already noticing chest muscle atrophy around her affected leg. Good news is they did a CT scan and there are no visible tumors elsewhere.

This has been quite a gut punch, especially since Ellie is so young. She's been my adventure buddy (hiking- over 100 miles last year, backpacking, swimming, etc) and was my pandemic pal- I lived alone so she was the only living being I could hug for months during isolation. 

I want to give Ellie, the best, longest possible life I can so definately plan on chemo. Right now, I'm wrestling over when to amputate. My oncologist recommends as soon, but my general vet warned me that 3-legged dog life is a big change and to maybe delay surgery to get a few more good months of 4-legged life. It feels like a hard decision because, even though she's limping, Ellie still loves to go for walks, chase critters, go swimming. It's hard for me to judge how much pain she's in and if amputation and chemo will make her feel that much better. I'm worried amputating too soon will take away some of the things she loves. While the limping is near constant, she only limps really hard after running or long walks. 

Any advice on this? Do folks have dogs that are able to get back to activities they loved post amputation? I just don't want to take away her joy. 

I'm also wondering what folks think about amputating at a specialty clinic vs their vet. The oncology / surgery vet quoted me for around $5500. I've read that you get what you pay for, is the care at the specialty vet that much more comfortable for the dog? 

Thanks,

Holly

hi there, our Husky is currently recovering from a put surgery. We were told since there was no other option or way to avoid it, that faster was better. We were told on a Friday and did the surgery on the Tuesday. He is currently in recovery having just had the surgery on the 19th. His mobility is very good. He hadn’t been using the leg prior so he had good practice.