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!
I am new here and was really happy to see this forum as i really don't know anyone else who has gone through this with their dog (though I am very happy to say that for their sakes!). So thanks in advance for the support!
My lil Andy is a mixed breed (shep/husky/collie) who is 12.5 yrs old (13 in august). He started limping in January and the vet suspected osteosarcoma. xrays showed some bone change, and the lump on his knee area was smallish. we did go ahead with the bone biopsy, and it indeed was cancer. Since January his lump on his leg has become HUGE, he is on Metacam and Tramadol, but because of his age and some weakness/arthritis in his other back leg amputation wasn't recommended. It was decided we would let him live out his next few months as painfree as possible and doing all the things he loved (food, brushing, seeing his dog friends) She estimated about 2 months from January.
She thought he would start showing signs of more pain and just general unhappiness by this point; not wanting to eat, drink, not getting up to see us when we came home, not wanting to go for walks....but he is showing NONE of that! He doesn't seem like he is in worse pain, but we don't know if he's just that tough or...? He still wants to go for walks but we don't let him because we don't want it to fracture...he eats anything and everything we give him.....still likes to chew on his bones.....drinks water, gets up every time we walk in the house, still gets outside to go to the bathroom...
Question is: Have there ever been incidents where dogs with this kind of cancer plateau and don't get worse? Has anyone ever not sought treatment and had their dog live for a long time without it? We feel badly because he is just not showing signs that we had hoped would give us an indication that he is doing worse, and we can't tell if his quality of life is bad enough to...arrrggh. Frustating. We love him and want him around as long as possible, but not if he is suffering (though he really seems not to be)
Sorry so long and rambling - it was just nice to get his story out. Thanks and any advice/thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Tasha,
Thank you for finding us and sharing Andy's story. He sounds like an awesome dog.
There have been quite a few dogs here who have not showed signs of osteosarcoma for many months. Eventually most do have the amputation done. Because the thing is, dogs are incredibly strong creatures who will do anything to hide the pain from their pack. Many people didn't even know their dogs had OS until the bone shattered to pieces. The pain from OS is unlike anything any human would ever tolerate. But eventually, OS pain will always get worse. So the question is, why wait until it does if you can do something to help him now?
As you found out, a prognosis is just a guess based on statistics. Many dogs beat the odds, and many senior tripawds were initially told they weren't candidates for amputation. But after their humans got a second opinion and were told it was worth a try, most of these tripawds went on to show the world what they could really do. We've had tripawds as old as 15 here!
The thing is, remember that it's not about how much time amputation will buy, but about the quality of life that it can give Andy. A three legged dog can play and run and go for walks again, even if they are much shorter. They can get out and enjoy life and not be cooped up out of fear that their leg will shatter.
Sure, there are risks. Sometimes dogs don't make it through the surgery. Sometimes the OS will come back with a vengeance immediately after surgery. It's up to you whether you want to take that gamble or not, only you can decide what is right for you and Andy.
Have you taken him to get a second opinion from a board certified surgeon? It might be worth a shot, and could help you make a decision.
Good luck. Please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Tasha! I think I echo what Jerry said...many old, even very senior, dogs do just fine with an amputation. That said, you will also find support here if you decide on palliative care for Andy. It's awesome he's doing so well, still!
I can't answer your question in generailities....I have had two dogs with osteosarcoma - stoic dogs, too - and in both cases unfortunately it progressed very fast. One Rottweiler it progressed blazingly fast and I helped him pass within a week of diagnosis (it was in his spine already by the time he started limping.) The other dog, I did amputate and he lived nine weeks...I have to say for the most part they were GOOD weeks (he played, he went for walks, went to the beach, spent time with friends), and I will not hesitate to make the same decision again.
In my limited experience it's a very unpredictable disease and your vet probably can't do much more than give you statistics, while not wanting to raise your hopes too much. If my dog was almost 13? I don't know...it would depend on the dog. I've known medium-large dogs to live to 15, 16, 17 and beyond.
My bottom line - if Andy is a good candidate for amputation (per an oncologist) and you can afford it, you have little to lose. Recuperation for many dogs is very fast (Cooper was walking the day of surgery, running on day 6, hanging out at an agility trial on day 7) and for other dogs it takes a couple of weeks for them to get up to speed. If there is pain from the tumor, it is absolutely gone after amputation.
But there really are no wrong decisions, as long as your decision doesn't cause extra pain or suffering. Andy doesn't give a hoot how long he has left, he just cares about how he is feeling today.
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