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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Good morning,
I just joined this impressive community this morning. Our 8 year old Golden Retriever is scheduled to have her front left limb amputated on Wednesday. We are still confused about her diagnosis and have a call planned with her surgeon on Monday to go over details and ask questions.
First, the road to a diagnosis has been long and frustrating. My husband has had our sweet girl at the vet at least once a week since she started limping on her front left leg 6 months ago. An X-ray was done early on, which showed nothing. The vet told us that her leg did not present as cancer, she was clearly not in pain, and that it was likely a sprain or arthritis. On one visit early on, we were told that if this was indeed cancer, we would know within weeks, because Greta would deteriorate quickly. In the meantime, we were advised to restrict her activity to allow her limb to heal. This did not work, but Greta did not worsen. She continued to have an appetite and to play and run around our yard. Exams again did not give any clear indication of pain. Greta was then put on joint supplements and started receiving weekly shots. This helped very slightly, but her limp never went away. Still, she continued to be her usual happy self, eating, playing, greeting visitors. My husband took her to a specialist at a local Vet hospital in October. As at our vet, we were told that the specialist did not believe this was cancer from the physical exam and because she was did not have any symptoms other than a limp. A CT was offered at this time, and we now regret not scheduling it. We were told we could get the CT or give her arthritis management plan more time to work. We decided to wait.
Last week, Greta was chasing a repairman down our basement stairs and slipped. She let out the first yelp we have heard since her limp started and her limb looked distended. She settled down quickly and went back to her normal limp, but we were concerned and got her back to the specialist. A CT and biopsies were done this week and the specialist called with the bad news that she has cancer.
I am confused, however, by the cytology report we received. It notes that atypical cells were seen in the sample from her left elbow and that these cells are concerning. It states that they may represent a periarticular histolytic sarcoma or other poorly differentiated sarcoma. However, it then states "However, these atypical cells could simply represent large reactive macrophages as part of the inflammatory reaction." It then states that a culture with sensitivity may be helpful to role out an occult bacterial infection. This does not sound like a clear finding of sarcoma to me? The doctor may be basing his diagnosis on the cytology report combined with the scans and his examination of Greta. Still, we want to be absolutely certain that this is cancer before we proceed. She did have a tick last summer that I removed. I am assuming somewhere in her work-up she was tested for tick borne illnesses, but my husband did not mention the tick when he brought her in for appointments. Also, she did fall last week and her leg looked almost out of joint after her fall. Her CT showed a lot of inflammation, but there has been no mention of a tumor.
At this time, the plan is to scan her lungs and abdomen on Wednesday morning and, if these scans are clear, proceed with the amputation. I have purchased an orthopedic bed , harness and amputation recovery suit. We have time off work and have read all we can about what to expect after Greta's procedure. We are ready, if this surgery is what is needed.
We will have our questions answered on Monday. Still, I am wondering if anyone on this forum has had an amputation recommended when a cytology report seemed uncertain? My gut feeling is this is cancer, I am not fooling myself. I have been worried that this is cancer all along. I just want to make sure we know exactly what we have here before we proceed.
Thank you for any help.
Hi to you and your pup. Your future posts won't need approval so post away.
Thanks for sharing such detail. First, don't beat yourself up about not catching this sooner. There are many cases when something like this happens, we see it all the time and went through a similar situation diagnosing our Jerry's osteosarcoma. You do the best you can with the information you have at the time. That's exactly what you did, and based on the price of CT scans, if I was presented with a choice of wait or do a CT when a situation wasn't clear-cut, I would have likely taken the same kind of approach in our own dog too. At least now you have a plan to move forward.
Still, I am wondering if anyone on this forum has had an amputation recommended when a cytology report seemed uncertain?
Oh yeah that's not uncommon at all. Just look at our Forums search results for the phrase "uncertain diagnosis." There are way more but for some reason I'm not finding them right now. Must need more coffee lol!
Yes, you'll get more answers on Monday. Try not to obsess or Google like crazy right now. I think you'll have a clearer picture of how much or how little uncertainty surrounds the diagnosis. Regarding the path report that says
"However, these atypical cells could simply represent large reactive macrophages as part of the inflammatory reaction."
Remember, cancer is inflammation, so that is probably why this is mentioned. There is a tiny chance this could be something other than hemangiosarcoma, and alternative diagnostics like this are usually included in a path report, just to cover all bases. Even more obvious cancers like osteosarcoma often come back with a report that mentions a chance of infection.
I really hope it's not cancer, we all do. But whether or not it is, the question you want answered is, is the leg or joint beyond saving? Is there any coming back from the state it's in now if this is not cancer but an infection of some sort?
Here are some questions to ask your oncologist that might be helpful in your conversation.
https://tripawd.....ncologist/
Please keep us posted on what they say. If you have to move forward, you have an excellent attitude and that will go a long way in this journey!
Thank you for your quick and informative response! This all makes sense. I did not think the surgeon would be scheduling the amputation if he was not certain it is needed. We were shocked by the diagnosis, but now that we have had time to process, we are anxious to get this done and have Greta feeling better. We will be praying that the additional scans do not show spread and that the procedure can proceed on Wednesday as planned. There is so much information on this site. I continue to read the stories, posts and blogs. I appreciate your answer and kind words! I will post after the surgery to update as to how it went.
Jerry's story is an inspiration! It is amazing that he lived and lived well for two years after his diagnosis with osteosarcoma. It gives me so much hope for our Greta. It has taken a few days to come around from thinking, poor Greta, she is going to be so upset to lose her limb, to realizing she will not miss it if her pain is gone! I lost both of my parents to cancer during the pandemic. When my mom went home on hospice, she told us, I am not going to die tomorrow. And that is how we lived each day. Just appreciating the days as they came. She lived four months after going home and we treasured every moment. It was a true lesson in the beauty in each day and moment we have with those we love.
Right now we are focused on getting the gear we will need to take care of Greta and working on logistics for some upcoming trips we have. We have a senior year trip planned with our high school senior's friends' families in March. The company we reserved our VRBO from has been so kind in working out an exception to the no pets policy on the rental so that we can bring our sweet girl with us. She loves a road trip and we usually travel with her. This was going to be the first time we took a trip where we needed to board her in a few years. Looking to make memories during the time we have left.
I have more reading to do about handling amputation with kids at home. My girls are all teenagers, but are squeamish at the thought of seeing their beloved pet with a limb gone. We are talking about how Greta will take her cues from us, that she will be happy to have the pain gone and will just want to be loved and taken care of. I know they will rise to the challenge, but I do not want her coming home to upset or scared family members. I am sure there is ample advice on the topic to be found on these boards.
Thank you again!
So glad Jerry responded with all her wisdom and thoughtfulness. As you can tell, you are definitely in the right place for support and information from those of us who understand every aspect of this journey.
Sweet Greta is very lucky to have hoomans who adore her and who know how important a pawsitive energy is for her to heal and get on with being Greta!
As far as the incision and your kids, you can maybe put a tee shirt on Greta at first. Honestly, the amount of fur they shave is more of a shock than the incision! Your kids also need to see this "incision " as a way to free Greta from a painful leg and give her a ,chance at an extended QUALITY life for more apoiling, more tummy rubs, more treats! It gives her an opportunity to go in this fun road trip adventure with her family where she can enjoy being Greta again!😎
I'm so very, very, very sorry both your parents left their earthly presence. I k ow they felt your love and that's really what this earth journey is about....enter it being loved and exit it being loved♥️
What you have said below is so full of wisdom and enlightenment. Not sure if this makes sense, but you a clearly an "advanced Soul", as was your Mom. The life lessons and Soul's growth are very evident!
. It gives me so much hope for our Greta. It has taken a few days to come around from thinking, poor Greta, she is going to be so upset to lose her limb, to realizing she will not miss it if her pain is gone! I lost both of my parents to cancer during the pandemic. When my mom went home on hospice, she told us, I am not going to die tomorrow. And that is how we lived each day. Just appreciating the days as they came. She lived four months after going home and we treasured every moment. It was a true lesson in the beauty in each day and moment we have with those we love.
STAY CONNECTED! We are all right by your side and look forward to celebrating all of Greta's victories as she achieves one milestone after another!
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!
Paw shucks you are very welcome! We are here to help however we can.
You and your family have been through a lot the last few years, I'm so sorry about your parents. As if 2020 wasn't hard enough. Ugh! My heart goes out to you.
You are very right, kids, even older ones, will follow the lead of those around them. So yeah, if you have a good attitude and remain hopeful, they will reflect that too around Greta. We once did this post about young kids and Tripawds, and you might be able to take some of that input from Griffin's mom and apply it to older kids. I'd love to hear how it goes with the kids, so that we can do another Tripawds and kids type of post.
Stay strong as you are doing. Greta's situation is one that she will handle with the most incredible grace and resilience, just like your mom did! And she will amaze you more than you can ever imagine. We have so much to learn from the animals in our lives, you are just at the beginning of an incredible journey with her.
Hi lots of love and prayers to you and sweet Greta. We are in the same spot please see Nova's Story in the forum. She's our beloved American Bulldog due for surgery on Friday we are all devastated but I too found this group of wonderful people within the last few days sooo supportive. All the love and prayers going Greta's way xo
I am so sorry to hear about Nova! I hope her surgery goes well today.
Greta had her amputation on Wednesday as planned. She did remarkably well! First, the good news. The scans of her lungs and abdomen were clear. I find this remarkable considering it took 6 months from when she started limping to her preliminary diagnosis and surgery. I was fearful that the scans would show spread. We will not have the full picture until we get the biopsy results from her surgery in a week or so.
Greta was able to walk out of the vet hospital and was in good spirits and happy to see us. My husband had a very hard time. He was more upset by seeing her without her front left limb than our kids were. It is very hard to see, but I honestly thought she would look worse. They did not shave as much of her fur as I have seen in some photos on the web and she was more alert and her normal self than I expected. I sat in the back with her and she just wanted her usual pets. When we got home, she got up to hop out of the car. We did not let her. We lifted her. At first she stood there looking at me like, "how am I supposed to get to the house?" But then she started hopping along and got herself through the gate and into the yard. She sat down in the grass and wanted to hang out outside as usual. We got her inside, she did the three steps herself with us supporting her, and she went right to her water bowl. She drank from her bowl that we have not tried to raise up yet with no issue. She was very interested in seeing our girls and checking out the basket of toys and treats a friend surprised us with.
My husband slept on the couch and we put the new Big Barker dog bed we bought for her in the living room. This morning I found her on the couch, her usual preferred sleeping spot. My husband said she got up there with no issue herself and that he also took her out to go potty this morning.
So, so far, so good! We did purchase the vet med suit and that is keeping her surgical site protected so that she cannot get at her incision. She would not be able to reach it with her mouth, but she did try scratching with her hind leg last night, so we removed the t shirt she had on and put the vet med suit on her. She has not had to wear her cone yet.
She also ate dinner last night and is interested in treats, as usual.
Hoping this was not just good luck and that today goes smoothly. Both my husband and I are home from work today to look after her.
I am off to read the posts about Nova. Thinking good thoughts for your sweet girl today.
YAY Greta! Welcome home! 
I'm so happy things are going great so far. It's the ideal scenario, and I hope it stays that way too. Don't be surprised if she has a little slowdown sometime soon. That is not uncommon at all, and it's just her body catching up with her brain that still thinks she can do everything as usual. Rest is medicinal so the more she gets right now the better, her body is working hard to heal from surgery.
So happy the suit is working out for her. I'd love to see photos! Let us know if you need help adding images .
Oh and I would definitely raise the food and water bowls. Having to bend down with one less leg is trickier than it looks, it's similar to holding a kettlebell out with one arm and trying to bend forward without falling over. They can do it, but raised bowls make getting to the food and water much easier on the body and neck muscles.
Keep us posted on how things are going!
That's the ki d of homecoming we like to celebrate! Greta clearly is a resilient and determined doggy!
Now, there may be a bit of a crash when all the hospital meds are out of her system. Slooooow and easy. Short leashed potty breaks and back in for more rest.
Tha ks for the update and keep these good kne coming 👍
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!
An update on our Greta. First, the good news. Greta is recovering from surgery and gaining mobility every day. She had her staples removed today and ran/ hopped around the vet hospital waiting room greeting all of the people. She seems happier that she has in months. It is really clear how much her diseased limb was hurting her.
Now the terrible news. Greta's official diagnosis is histiocytic sarcoma, and the lymph node they believed was cancer free after the needle biopsy actually is metastatic cancer. The surgeon was saddened by the results and said he had hoped her cancer was localized and possibly not histolytic sarcoma. She will need chemo and I am reading her prognosis is very poor, even with chemo. Survival rates seem to be measured in months, not years.
We are especially devastated because we are reading that had this been caught sooner, having originated in her limb, it could have been removed without spread and surgery alone may have been curative. We feel we failed her in taking so long to get a CT scan done, though her doctors were not pushing it.
Any stories giving us hope that our sweet girl may live more than a few months are welcome. Everything on the internet is so heartbreaking.
Please keep our girl in your prayers.
This news is not what anyone wanted, I'm so sorry for that. Stupid cancer! 
How is your husband taking it?
I see you put the good news about Greta first, and that is awesome. As you can see, she is still Greta, happy and enjoying life again! That is such a big lesson walking around right in front of you! I'm guessing that you are a good student, because you put her good news above the diagnosis, and that says so much about your awesome attitude at a time like this!
Histiocytic sarcoma sucks, no doubt. But when we saw more than one long-term survivor in our community, I had to do this post to give others hope. Let me know if it works!
Tripawd Tuesday: Canine Histiocytic Sarcoma Heroes
To know how Happy Greta is and how being pain free has brought her sparkle back is such good news.
I'm soooo glad Jerry posted the links about dogs who beat all odds against this horrid disease. I've been on the site long enough to follow the journey of many of these dogs....TRUE stories...TRUE victories!!! So when you have a chance to catch your breath, absorb these stories and know that Greta can also beat the odds. 👍
Also, please know that many dogs are not diagnosed immediately when lumps first appear. Many months go by with treatment for "sprains" of "arthritis ", etc. Also, as far as CT scans , many people cannot afford those and can only rely on xrays. Xrays generally are a good indication of osteo and relied upon by many Vets.
You've taken away Greta's pain, you've restored her quality, you've given her a chance at extended love filled life full of of tummy rubs, treats and spoiling.
Keep is posted, okay? We'll be cheering for Greta!
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!
My Pug Maggie had a different kind of cancer but her story is just like Greta's.
Mag had mast cell cancer, a tumor in her knee, which led to her losing a back leg. I went into the surgery thinking the amp would be curative her official prognosis was 'good'. When the path report came back there were cancerous cells in the lymph node removed with the leg and her prognosis was down graded to 'fair' with a life expectancy of 6 to 9 months with chemo.
I was also beating myself up thinking I should have found the tumor sooner. Mag had a mast cell tumor removed from her side about 6 months before her amp. No treatment was needed and I don't remember being told to check for lumps and bumps. Could she have kept her leg if I found it sooner? Would her prognosis have been better?
I know getting bad news after the amp leads to lots of doubt and questions. I finally realized I had to let that go, there is no way to know what would have happened if I had found the tumor sooner. While I was wondering and doubting Maggie was busy getting on with her life! I realized I had to focus on her, help her through chemo and make every day her very best day.
We were the lucky ones, at least with mast cell cancer. Mag lived almost 4 more years and did not pass from that cancer. Of course it doesn't happen every time but what I realized was that by choosing amputation I had given Maggie a chance. If I had not done the amp she would most likely passed within 2 to 3 months.
I hope Greta has lots and lots of pain free, quality time with you!
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
I was remiss to update my initial post this past year. We just lost our Greta this weekend. She survived 14 months as a tri-pawd and at least two years with histiocytic sarcoma. It has been a sad weekend but I did think to update my initial post to let others know that there is life after this diagnosis and after amputation. During her 14 months post-amputation Greta quickly learned to run and swim and do all of the things she enjoyed before her procedure. She traveled with us to Florida, our summer vacation in Wisconsin and took multiple trips to visit our daughter at her college during her freshman year. She was her happy, friendly self until a few weeks ago, when we understood that she was ready. We are heartbroken but want others to know that there is so much life after this procedure and diagnosis.
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