Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Today Blaze and I met with the surgeon for the second time since his bone cancer dx last March. My questions were essentially is Blaze physically fit enough for life as a tripaw at 11 yrs old? I posted a while back to introduce us so I will summarize his history.
Blaze is 11 year old golden retriever 'rescued' at 1 yr from a golden rescue. He developed anxiety at age 7 requiring a consult with Dr. Dodman's behavioral clinic at Tufts. I have controlled this behavior with Prozac and careful management however he has bitten every member of the household. An elderly member required stitches. Blaze has some arthritis in his hips and is developing cataracts. Since the bone cancer dx in March 2014 in his upper right front leg a bone biopsy was negative for OSA. Blaze was treated with monthly pamidronate infusions and daily rimadyl and tramadol. After the 7th infusion the catheter slipped out of his vein causing the medicine to infuse under his skin. Blaze had severe swelling and lameness in the back leg too. An infection developed at the infusion site. Now two months later there is residual pain in the back leg. He doesn't use his front leg at all. Pain meds now include gabapentin and amantadine plus tramadol and rimadyl. Pamidronate is no longer working to control pain.
The surgeon said he could see no orthopedic reasons to avoid surgery. Age is just a number that is not predictive of eminent demise. We discussed how involved his post op card would be and the surgeon assured us that was manageable. So now the remaining question is that of blazes anxiety and behavior. The surgeon thought it would not be worse with the removal of the leg, but might be better. He mentioned something interesting about the country of Bhutan and its assessment of Gross National Happiness as a measure of the quality of living of the people of that nation. He asked us to consider the happiness quotient of all members of the family, including pets, now and in the future with either option.
We have more talking to do.
Mary and Blaze
Good gracious, bless your heart!
Yes, a very heart-breaking decision, but that's the way it is when you love someone as much as you love Blaze. There will always be questions. The thing is, there are no right or wrong answers. It's what you feel in your heart.
I believe I've read somewhere on this site of dogs older than Blaze who came through just fine.
When we were going through these similar decisions with Harmony I had to keep reminding myself that a dog year is such a short time for us. Months of pain-free life is a blessing for both the household and him.
Once you make your decision, stand by it and never, ever regret what you do.
<3
Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.
"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."
- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey
Maybe he would actually be less anxious pain free. Just don't second guess yourself. You know your pup better than anybody. Know that the decisions you make are out of love and you are doing this for him, not to him. Thinking of you, Lori, Ty,C,L& D Man
TY GUY, Best Black Lab ever! Diagnosed and had amp in January, 2014. Kicked MRSA's butt. Earned his angel wings on April 16, 2014. Run Free my boy and don't forget a shoe. Ty is a proud member of the " April Angels". Ty sent us Daryl, a Tripawd rescue in Sept. of 2016. Daryl is 5 +or -. We are also Pawrents to Chandler, a Border Collie mix who is 15 and 1/2, Lucy, a Corgi who is 7, 2 minis, 2 horses, and a feisty cat named Zoe. Zoe had a non skeletal Osteosarcoma removed in July 2015. No Chemo, she was at least 16. She is going strong although she is now completely blind. She is now close to 20 and her hobbies are eating and sleeping in front of her personal heater.
Harmony and 4Myty thank you for your thoughts. I see you both lost your pups shortly after their surgery. Can I ask what finally happened?
mary
Mary, welcome back and thanks for posting the recap. Blaze has had soooo many challenges, poor pup, but you have been an AMAZING pawrent, my hats off to you. Dr. Dodman is an incredible vet (behaviorist right?), I read his book about senior dogs (How to Be Good to Your Good Old Dog) and highly recommend it to all doggie pawrents.
Your oncologist also sounds fantastic. Can you remind me who that is? I really like their approach to your situation, and I agree completely. Physically if he makes the grade there's no reason why he can't live a good life on 3 legs, but as the pawrent of a very anxious dog myself I TOTALLY understand your concerns about surgery. However I do think as your onco does, that Blaze may feel so much better when that bum leg is gone, that a more sparkly pawsonality just might shine through. Pain makes dogs feel soo crappy as it does for us.
In my non-vet opinion, and based on my convos with vets and pain management specialists, I think the key to managing the situation is to have GREAT pre and post-op pain management for him. This article by the fantastic vet pain management specialist, Dr. Mike Petty, explains the latest pain management protocols for surgery and beyond. I would discuss this with your surgeon to make sure they're on top of it and can manage Blaze's pain before and after his leg is removed, if you proceed.
I hope this helps. Keep us posted OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
You are very sweet to ask. We miss her so much.
She was diagnosed with MCT (Mast Cell Tumor) cancer back in May of 2014. We didn't know it had spread to the rest of her body when she had her amputation. They also removed her spleen during the surgery where they found the cancer in her liver as well.
We knew there were no guarantees, but our vet felt Harmony had a 50/50 chance and we trusted his opinion. A 50/50 chance is better any day than watching your fur-baby suffer. We took our clues from Harmony as to whether she wanted to go on or give up and she definitely wasn't ready to leave this world quite yet.
She went down-hill very quickly around 5 days post-surgery.
Never would I have believed that a spot on her flank back in May would be her demise just 6 months later. It was the cancer that took our sweet girl, not the amputation.
Cancer is an evil, devious disease. It will cause you to question your decisions. It will make you feel guilty when the fault is really on cancer, not you. Remember to put those negative feelings where they belong, on cancer's ugly, treacherous head. Take those awful, destructive emotions and turn them into hate for cancer. Hate and despise a cure for your innocent fur-baby, Blaze.
xoxoxoxo
Harmony became a Tripawd on 10/21/14 (MCT). She left us way too soon on 11/1/14.
"We miss you so much; our love, our heart, our Harmony."
- Pam, Ron and Melody, Meesha, Doublestuff and Mariah Carey
Great advice from everyone.
Your love for Blaze is strong and your bond is unbreakable. It is such a personal choice with NO right a wrong. You will make a decision based out of love...and Blaze knows that.
It is major surgery and it does have risks. For me....and this was just for me.....I felt like I had to "try". My Happy Hannah's attitude...except for the blankey blank painful leg...was happy and bright and full of life. Having been opposed to amputation at first...and as it became more and more clear the pain meds would not be effective much longer....she and I decided to take the risk. For the first three weeks of receovery I thought I had made a horrible decision....and then she bounced back brighter and with more pep than before! Her painful leg was gone! Happy Hannah and I were grateful beyond words for the most blissful one year and two months of bonus time of loving and spoiling that anyone could imagine possible!
From what I understand....and I'm no vet...even though recovery from amputation surgery "hurts"...the dogs and cats still feel better almost right after surgery than they did with the painful leg.
You are not alone, okay? We all understand the agony of this decision like no others can. Talk it over with Blaze...he'll let you know what he wants!
We are all here for you and sending love and clarity.....
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
Mary,
Welcome to Tripawds to you and your Blaze....Goldens are such great dogs! You have gotten so much great advice already, so I can't add too much more, but I do want to say that we have all been in your shoes when deciding on amputation....it is a very difficult decision no matter what, but I totally agree with Sally, no decision you make will be the wrong one, and if you decide on amp, getting rid of a very painful leg is worth the quality of time you will get afterwards regardless if it is long-term or shorter term.
Most everyone here agrees, that the "ugly c" is a crap shoot, and we really just want the best quality time possible for our beloved pups and kitties, quality trumps quantity always.....most of know we made the best decision possible with amputation.
Keeping you and Blaze in my thoughts, and keep us updated on any decisions you make for him, we are all here for you.
Bonnie & Angel Polly
After much discussion and soul searching my husband and I have decided to give Blaze the benefit of the doubt and move forward with surgery. We will call the vet Monday to take the next steps. With any luck we can get him off five prescription meds and live out his life without pain.
Mary
Best wishes! Please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Glad you made a decision. Keep us updated on the progress. You will find tons of advice here on what to expect in the post-op period. Good luck to Blaze!
Daniela & Johnnie
Our awesome Golden Boy was diagnosed for OSA in April 2014 in the proximal humerus, front-leg amp on 05/20/2014. Finished chemo (Carbo6) on 07/10/2014. Ongoing treatment: acupuncture + K-9 Immunity Plus ( 3chews) and home-cooked no-grain diet. Stopped Apocaps because of liver issues. Liver issues: controlling altered enzymes with SAM-e and Milk Thistle. October 17: started having seizures. Taking fenobarbital for seizures. April 18: started prednisone.
Good! A decision has been made and you can move forward!!
Remember, Blaze isnt worried about a thing...not statistics...not prognosis...not tomorrow....he is blissfully unaware and is just living in the moment!!
Stay connected....EAT LOTS OF CHOCOLATE.....sleep while you can....EAT LOTS OF CHOCOLATE.........keep us posted and don't hesitate to let us know how we can help!
Looking forward to seeing pictures of y our wonderful Blaze!
Sending lots of love and hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
Hello Mary. Just adding my best wishes for Blaze and you and your family. You've made your best decision out of love for Blaze, and let that continue to guide you. In our case, we had an 11-year old Samoyed/GSD mix with osteosarcoma in a back leg. We had the gift of only 6 months of the year we'd hoped for post-amputation, but she was happy and howling through most of that time, and she taught us much about the value of living a full life in that brief space. She made it past her 12th birthday and a great old party in her honor. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, especially with the support of the Tripawds community.
Keeping you all in our prayers,
Liz and Angel Roxie Lou
Mary...Sometimes just coming to a decision is a weight lifted. Enjoy Blaze and know that you are doing this for him, not to him. I agree with Sally. Have you had the talk with Blaze??? Please keep us posted. I will be thing of you.
Blaze and I had a talk. He grabbed some toys from the toy basket and wrestled with them. He hopped out to the yard and rolled in the grass. He jumped up on the sofa and made himself comfy. He told me he likes his life but hates all the pain meds that make him sleepy and see pink elephants.
My my husband took a bit longer to hear Blaze say that. My husband was very traumatized by the passing of another golden a few years back and was fearful of reliving another horrific event. But we have found the quality of life scale and know we have that as a tool to assess Blaze's happiness. Right now his QOL is low because of the pain.
If I can figure out how to post photos I will.
mary
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