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
First I must say this is such a wonderful forum for people who need the support. Getting a cancer diagnosis for our 8.5 year old golden retriever is so heartbreaking. It also seems that our course of treatment is a little fuzzy. Let me explain. Sampson has been diagnosed with a Mast Cell Tumor in his leg. We have had THREE + opinions on this because it has presented very strangely where his leg just swells up and we treat with prendisone and it goes away for a while.The vets suspected it could be autoimmune, but the oncologist called us this evening and has confirmed it is cancer. The tumor is not a discrete tumor, so he is not a candidate for radiation. After his last swelling episode, the prendisone worked and he he now temporarily ok. The oncologist said we can begin chemo when his leg flares again, or we can consider being more aggressive and amputate his limb. Right now I look at him and his leg is normal. I know there is cancer in his leg and fortunately it has not spread as far as we know at this point, but I am not sure we can get to that place where we take his leg.
He is a big boy, about 115 pounds. We have two little ones at home. I am nervous he would have the surgery and we would not be able to provide all the attention he would need to thrive on three legs. What happens when he gets arthritis in his other front leg? Will he be able to climb the stairs and snuggle with us? Play in the snow, swim? I know the answers to many of these questions are yes, but it seems so radical to me.
Any support is appreciated.
We are sad. He is sweetest boy.
Jamie
Hello and welcome to Tripawds, your future posts will not require moderation.
Also- I hope you don't mind I moved your post here to Presentation and Diagnosis, it fits a little better with where you are with diagnosis.
I'm sorry you had to find us here. My little pug Maggie lost a leg to a mast cell tumor in her knee. Amputation was really our only option. It is very hard to come to grips with though- Maggie had almost no pain in her leg, her knee was a little stiff, but I never noticed she favored it at all until I found the tumor. I chose amputation because if the tumor got big enough to ulcerate the skin the wound might never heal- but mostly because I was hoping that amputation would be curative. Unfortunately in our case cancerous mast cells were found in the lymph node removed with the leg. However- Mag really beat the odds, she lived almost 4 years and did not pass from mast cell. We did do chemo- you can read Maggie's Story in her blog, there is also a page on her Amputation and Chemo.
Given all I know now I would amputate without as much hesitation as I had before. I have lots of Tripawd friends and the all get along fine, even my local pal Cemil who is a 150 pound front amp Anatolian Shepard. He has bone cancer and is almost 4 years past his amp!!
Mast cell is hard though- unpredictable. Mag had recurring cutaneous tumors after her amp, but aside from some suspicious lesions on her liver she didn't show any other signs of mast cell spread. We have another new member who is at the same place as you are- Marta and Suki, she posts as sukimarta. Here is a link to their thread. We haven't heard from them in a couple of days.
You might also check out a blog called Rosie's Road. Rosie is a lab who has fought mast cell for a few years. No amputation, but there is some information there on meds and treatments. Also our Angel Rio fought mast cell for years, and did all kinds of treatment. Here is her Blog.
You guys know Sampson best. Get all the information you can, then decide on which path is the best for the whole pack. We are here to help and support any way we can, no matter which path you choose.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Hi Jamie, I'm so sorry. This is a tough decision to make, for sure. You've done your homework though, which is terrific, and it sounds like you have a great oncology team on your side. Know this, that whatever you chose to do, you've done all you can to make the best decision for your pack.
Yes, your pup is a big boy, but we've had many dogs larger than him get around just fine. If your vet believes he can stand to lose a few pounds and you can help him lose weight, that would be critical for a great life on three legs. The slimmer the tripawd, the better.
While there are some accommodations all households have to make when bringing in a tripawd, like putting runners down on slippery floors, for the most part tripawds can do whatever their quadpawd counterparts can do, only under closer supervision. Yes, he'll be able to go on walks and play in the snow (check our videos page for some great examples!), but you'll need to make sure he doesn't overdo it and wear himself out too badly. That is the best way to avoid exacerbating any arthritis he may get in the future. Our CARE videos and interviews talk about this in detail.
I hope this helps you in your decision. Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you so much for the support and links to other stories and blogs. This is extremely helpful to my husband and I as we are trying to make this decision.
I will keep you posted.
Jamie
Hi Jamie,
I know how you feel with all the questions and information running around in your head. You have found a great place here and Im sure after reading people's stories, they will put your mind at ease. During the start of my journey and my continuing journey, the advice and support from everyone here has been incredible.
You will be amazed at how well your baby will do on three legs. Cadence had her surgery back in October ( she is 8 years old and 95 at time of surgery) and when we went to pick her up she was walking and ready to go on a walk. The recovery time for Cadence was about 2 weeks. Luckily, I had a planned vacation for that time, so I was able to stay home with her. There were a few times that I had to assist her getting up, but other than that, she just wanted to rest and be by our side. The pain medication kind of knocks them out. After she got the stitches out, we let her use the doggy door and she went right out and then back in when she was done. So far she is still doing all the things she loved to do before. We are planning on taking her to the snow soon and in the summer she will be basking in the sun and cooling off in the lake.
The only difference is that now our walks arent as long as they were before but we still go on them. Cadence will have to sometimes rest but she still loves to be outdoors. I hope this helps. If you have any other questions dont be afraid to ask. We are all in this together.
“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace.” ― Milan Kundera
Sorry you had to find us here. We didn't deal with mast cell cancer, so I don't know much about that, but we did the amp due to osteosarcoma with our Abby. It's a hard time - the recovery can be rough, but once you get through it (note - your pup will probably get through it better than you!) things will get better.
We've seen many large dogs do well here. Hopefully yours will be one of them. It might also be a great experience for your little ones. It's truly amazing how dogs adapt. It's very inspirational and you and your kids will be so proud of your pup.
Keep us posted,
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
HI!! My puppy Suki has the exact same problem. What state do you guys live in? The reason I ask is there is a trial study going on in Colorado for mast cell tumors and Suki is going to be part of it. The tumor on her paw is to larger for surgery and per three vet opinions Suki is not a candidate for amputation because of her age and the way she carries her weight. But again we are very hopeful for a good outcome through chemo. We found out on the 22nd that Suki had the mast cell tumor. Had our first oncology visit on the 3rd with the vet basically telling us that euthanasia is our only option. The visit on Friday (a 2nd opinion) gave us some hope. The weird thing is that Suki also had the bulge go up and down for the last 8 years. Sampson sounds to have the same thing. With Suki, the last time the swelling didn't go down and that is when we found out it was cancer. So we went to the vet, then got a second opinion and now we are trying to join the clinical trial. The latest visit had many diagnostic tools. The ultrasound was clear, the x-rays were clear, the cytology of the lymph nodes was also clear. We are now waiting on blood work and another biopsy result to check for the formation and DNA of the tumor. Has Sampson had any of these studies done yet? With Suki, the only bad news is that they found an additional to mast cell tumors on her skin. I've done so much research in the last few weeks I would gladly assist in any way I can. This site is wonderful and the people here are amazing. I'm glad you joined. It helps to have people to talk to on here. Welcome!
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