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.
Join The Tripawds Community
Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:
Instant post approval.
Private messages to members.
Subscribe to favorite topics.
Live Chat and much more!
Register
Log In
Members
Add Topic
Offline
We recently found out that our 8yr old Brittany Spaniel named Sadie has osteosarcoma in her front right leg. Before this, she has also had a variety of other health problems- liver disease, pancreatitis, but has always miraculously recovered or endured and continued in good health. Twice we have been told that she may not have long to live, and yet she is still here with us. Most of the time the vet cannot say what has caused her health problems, but this time with an x-ray we know for sure of the bone cancer.
She is a dog full of personality and very active, but we have seen her start limping and get worse in just a matter of a week and we have to make a decision on what will be best for her. As a family, we have discussed both ways- getting an amputation/going through chemo or living the rest of her time to the fullest- and there are pro's and con's to both. As we know, either decision will be a difficult one. Any advice from those who have been through this, especially in consideration of her additional health problems? Any advice, suggestions, help is very much appreciated!
Hi Sadie and family, welcome. We are so sorry to hear about the diagnosis, especially after all you've been through.
First, look at it like this; You know what you're dealing with. So now, you can make a plan and move forward. I'm not sure if that's comforting, but lots of folks here get an uncertain diagnosis for weeks and that makes things much tougher to deal with.
Have you check ed out Jerry's Required Reading List or the Tripawds e-books yet? You'll find lots of insight there. And of course from our amazing community.
What I will say is this: with or without pre-existing conditions many dogs here have defied expectations and lived incredible lives on three legs. Sadie could definitely be one of them! And with or without chemo, it's all a crapshoot. But if you can get rid of that terrible pain she is in, you're already ahead of the game and enjoying icing on the cake. She will surprise you with how well she can do once she's feeling better.
I'll be back with more, and so will others. Stay tuned.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello and welcome.
I'm sorry you are dealing with OSA, Sadie sounds like quite a trooper!
What are her liver numbers like? Can she undergo anesthesia? What about chemo? If she is healthy enough for surgery then I would consider the surgery. Even if you don't do chemo you are giving your girl a chance at additional pain free time with you.
It is harder to decide when there are other health issues. But here is how I think about it...if the other health issues are not immediately life threatening then you deal with the most dire health issue and plan on being able to manage the other issues.
The pain in the leg will only get worse, you know where that path will lead. If the vets think her liver will tolerate surgery it may be worth the risk to give her more time with you.
No matter what you decide we are here to help and support you.
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
Hi Sadie and family,
So sorry that you are going through a diagnosis like this. You have found the right place to find support for your situation. My Sweet Ted (9 year old labrador/SharPei rescue mix) was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his front left leg a few months ago. He is also very active and full of personality like your sweet Sadie. His surgery was on 8 August and he has been doing really well. At 13 days he was running. He is now (+one month later) bouncing around as usual. His cancer was in his ulna and we initially had the bone removed, thinking that it would enable us to save the leg. Unfortunately, 3 months later he had a tumor in the soft tissue in the same leg right where the ulna was removed. We then decided that we would do nothing and try to make him comfortable but the leg became very painful for him and he wasn't using it. He is still so full of life and personality so I made the decision to amputate. It was a really hard decision and I did struggle with it - but after scouring this site and looking at videos here and on youtube of three legged dogs I decided that he could do well minus the leg and it would hopefully buy us more time together. Only you know what the best choice is for Sadie and your family. I will say that, although the first few days were hard, I have no regrets about my decision and am so glad to have our sweet joyful pup hanging out with us for as long as possible and comfortable for him.
Wanda
Online
Well,as you can see, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!! If you have to be in this journey, there is no better place ro be for support and information and understanding.
This is MAJOR surgery and, with or without any "issues", it does have risks, so discuss all that with your vet. Guess I'm trying to say there are no guarantees and no crystal ball..
However, once surgery is over and the recovery process is complete, Sadie will be so glad to have that painful leg gone! Most dogs are mobile within the first 24 hrs. Some may take a day or two longer.
The amputation removes the painful leg and so our dogs and cats can live a QUALITY life and have more time for loving and spoiling and treats and tummy rubs and sunbathing!
It sounds like Sadie is full of life and not ready to throw in the towel just yet! Have a "conversation" with Sadie..really! You clearly are connected to Sadie and have her best interest at heart
Any decision made out of love is the right ddecision
Love a d 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!
Hi Sadie and Mom 🐶❤️
We all know how hard it is to make the painful decision to amputate but most of us followed that route as osteosarcoma is excruciatingly painful, no amount of painkillers can completely remove the pain and sadly it will never get better... there is also the risk of a pathological fracture which never heals ... and when that happens it will be amputation or saying goodbye.
My girl Eurydice is a 5 year old Great Dane who lost her right front leg to osteosarcoma 4 1/2 months ago and I can say I have zero regrets.
The first weeks of recovery can be difficult but generally after stitches come out everything gets better and better.
My baby is enjoying life to the full and does everything she did before (except stairs but that is because she is really huge) she is digging a hole in the garden using her remaining front leg as we speak!
I would ask the surgeon whether she is a good candidate for surgery and if so, I would personally move forward.
We are all here to help and support you no matter what your decision might be!
Please keep us updated !
Sending you and Sadie hugs and cuddles ❤️🐾😘
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Thank you SO much to everyone who replied and supported with thoughts and advice. This website has been extremely helpful and uplifting- and has honestly influences our thoughts and decisions. We've decided to go ahead with an amputation. We take Sadie in tomorrow morning and praying everything will go smoothly. It's been heartbreaking seeing her grow in pain the last few weeks so we hope this will eventually give her her happy self back. I'm sure we'll be seeking more advice as we go through recovery, but thank you again for all who took the time to reply. What an amazing community.
Good Luck Sadie and best wishes to Sadie's family!
Surgery day and the recovery is tough, but Sadie will just be happy to not have the painful leg, and for the first few days will be high as a kite so hopefully she won't even notice any pain!
Stay connected on tripawds - it really is a great community, and the support and advice from everyone who "gets it" is invaluable!
I am sure it was not at all easy to come to your decision, but one thing you also know about Sadie from her other health problems: she is a trooper and she is tough!
We also had a significant health issue just a few months before Pofi's diagnosis (soft tissue sarcoma rather than osteosarcoma) - he developed gall bladder mucoceal and it had great impact to his liver. We didn't think surgical solution (gall bladder removal) was the best option for him at his age (over 11 at that point). So even though some doctors don't believe it works or that it works as anything other than a short term solution, we opted to treat it with meds. My vet thought it was caught early and hoped it might work out for him. And it really did - he responded quickly to meds, but we were regimented in him getting every dosage through the whole course on time to make sure it was good and gone. And it has been nearly a year with no sign of return. Fortunately, the liver also recovered, but we watch values for liver carefully as he has had to undergo GA a number of times in relation to his cancer and the amputation.
My point was that my own vet, who did not perform the amputation, but helped confirm the diagnosis made by the U of MN Vet Hospital, said that even though it was a tough decision to put a nearly 12 year old dog through the amputation and cancer therapies, he had really proven how strong he was and that gave him more confidence that it was a good option.
Sending very best smooth surgery and recovery thoughts for sweet Sadie. Looking forward to hearing an update.
Lisa, Minneapolis
On October 27, 2016, nearly 6 months after amputation, and 18 months since his cancer likely started, we lost Pofi to a recurrence of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his spine quite suddenly. His canine sister also succumbed to cancer on March 1, 2019 - we lavished her with our love in the interim, but life was never quite the same without her only real canine friend. Cliff kitty had to leave us, too, suddenly, in August 2019. Lucia kitty grieved all these losses, but helped us welcome two new Lurchers into our home and our lives, Shae and Barley.
Sending all the positive energy the Tripawd Universe has to offer!
Update us when you can. We're here with you.
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!
1 Guest(s)
