Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi,
Thank you in advance for any advice you can give. Our household is a little overwhelmed by what is going on 🙂
Monday, our 11-year-old Lab mix, Loa, pulled up lame. I got her to the vet, they did x-rays, and diagnosed bone cancer in her right front leg. She has quite a lump at her "wrist." Her chest x-ray was clear, but the vet says he assumes it's metastizied, as by the time there are symptoms, this is usually the case.
She has pain meds and is pretty perky. Eating well and even playing.
The vet presented us with four choices:
-Continue the pain meds and wait for the end (doesn't sound like an option we want to take)
-Palliative radiation ( to treat the pain but not cure the cancer)
-Amputation (to remove the pain)
-Amputation and chemotherapy (to remove the pain and potentially give her another couple of years)
I understand that the average survival rate for amputation without chemo is approximately 4 months (this from the vet). I would like her to be pain-free, but how much of those four months will be spent learning how to function again? She's already doing pretty well hopping about on three legs (it clearly hurts her to bear weight on the leg with the tumor).
Is amputation the right choice for a dog her age? Will the recovery time take up so much of the remaining survival time that it is not worth it?
Thanks for your help. We want what is best for our dog.
Hi,
My Great Dane had both the amputation and chemo. The vet who diagnosed her was leery about an amputation (left front) on 130 lb dog. Yet when I picked her up from surgery she hopped right out to the car and jumped in to the van like it was no big deal. It was a matter of a week and she was back to jumping on the beds and furniture. She was just so happy to be pain free. And her oncologist gave her a year or so yet here we are 3.5 YEARS later, still with clear, cancer free lungs. My girl is now 8.5 (senior) for a Dane, and the amp and chemo extended her life well over 40% (and counting).
So there is plenty of hope for the big dawgs! Looking forward to hearing more about Loa.
Dane Mom Sue and Queen Nova
Dane Mom Sue at nova.tripawds.com and Mom to Beautiful Great Dane Queen Nova, a Blind Tripawd, who kicked cancer's butt from 11/08-03/13. The Queen is Spirit Nova now, but her legacy lives on here at Tripawds!
Oh, I forgot to add that I also had a Dalmation with osteosarcoma years ago who had a rear leg amp and no chemo. He was a senior at the time of the amp, and nearly 100 lbs. He lived the predicted 4 months before the cancer spread to his spleen. But all but the last few days of those 4 months he was running, swimming, playing, and enjoying life. Once the pain was gone he was revitalized.... A new man! Even though we only had him for those 4 months, they were full of joy and memories. I have never regretted doing the amputation.
Dane Mom Sue
Dane Mom Sue at nova.tripawds.com and Mom to Beautiful Great Dane Queen Nova, a Blind Tripawd, who kicked cancer's butt from 11/08-03/13. The Queen is Spirit Nova now, but her legacy lives on here at Tripawds!
Thank you so much, Dane Mom. Your replies give me a lot of hope. Can I ask you, regarding your Dalmation--no pain from the spread of the cancer? I'm worried about Loa having the amputation and then just being in pain again shortly afterwards if the cancer spreads.
He did not appear to have any noticeable pain or distress other than the last few days he was with us. You will find many dogs here who survived a year or more with lung mets. If you are curious to read about those first few days, check out Nova's blog at nova.tripawds.com, and go back to the posts I have archived there from November 2008. I have a day-to-day account of her recovery. I think you will be surprised how quickly they bounce back from the surgery.
Sue
Dane Mom Sue at nova.tripawds.com and Mom to Beautiful Great Dane Queen Nova, a Blind Tripawd, who kicked cancer's butt from 11/08-03/13. The Queen is Spirit Nova now, but her legacy lives on here at Tripawds!
Hi Melissa, welcome. We're so sorry about Loa's diagnosis, we know what a shock it is. It sounds like your vet thinks she is a good candidate for amputation? If so, that's great news! With her being a Lab mix the biggest issue is usually a dog's weight. But if she's not overweight, has no pre-existing conditions and is overall healthy, she should do just fine. 11 is an advanced age but it's not unheard of for a Tripawd to go through surgery and have a good life afterward.
We always recommend folks start reading about their options in our Required Reading List, as well as our e-book, "Three Legs & a Spare." Our Size and Age matters forum topic also has tons of experiences you can read about. These should answer most of your immediate questions but I know folks here will have a ton of great advice and perspective for you.
Remember, there are no "right" answers. The only one that's "right" is the one that works for Loa, and you. Not everyone is meant to walk the same path, especially where chemo is concerned (I didn't go through chemo), so you'll need to figure out what works best for you and your pack.
As for me, I didn't do chemo and I lived two years, defying all odds. And even my story isn't unusual, we've got lots of members who also had cancer that didn't read the book.
When it comes to cancer metastasis, it's different for every dog. Sometimes it will cause pain, if a dog gets metastasis in the bones (rare, but it happens), while other times it doesn't cause pain if it goes to the lungs (it simply creates exhaustion). But please, don't worry about that now. The thing about cancer is, it really teaches you how to live one day at a time, and not to focus on the "what ifs." The only way cancer can "win" is if you allow it to let worry and fear take over your life. Don't let it rob you of your time together.
Hope this helps!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Melissa. Zeus (husky mix) was 11 at the time of amputation due to osteosarcoma (front right leg). Six and a half months later he is still doing great! He isn't running marathons, but he wasn't doing that before the surgery either.
I completely understand your concerns. Our story was a bit more complicated b/c we chose to have a CT of the lungs and it did show a tiny met. We were also scared of putting him through the pain of amp and recovery just to lose him soon after. But we realized that the met was small enough that it would not have shown on x-rays which is what all the stats are based on (I detailed this in the very first entry of Zeus' blog link below). Anyway, we decided to give it a shot and amputate. Most dogs are better after a couple of weeks but Zeus took about a month. We did six rounds of chemo (carboplatin) which he tolerated okay but it was definitely hard on him. The chemo is cumulative so you see more side effects as you continue treatment. I could see that the fifth treatment really hit him hard and, in hindsight, I wish we had stopped at five because the sixth one really knocked him on his rear. But, that is the good thing about chemo; if the dog doesn't tolerate it well you can always stop.
Almost seven months post amp, the met is still only one met and has not noticeably changed in size so we are very grateful. Every dog, family and situation is different. We have many dogs on here that do great with chemo and some that don't have chemo and still live years. You have to decide what is best for your family unit - emotionally, financially and time-wise, but it's obvious that you love Loa so I'm sure you guys will be fine! Good luck-
Lisa
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
Welcome to you and Loa, Sorry you had to find us here. We know exactly how overwhelmed you feel. We did amp + chemo and got 15 months with our girl before losing her at 2 1/2 yrs old. (Sucks, eh? That's freakin' cancer for you...). Anyway, those 15 months were awesome.
I would definitely go for the amp. As for the chemo, that decision doesn't have to happen immediately, and there are lots of factors to consider (finances, your pup's reaction to vet visits, your own thoughts about it, etc.) We've seen dogs here do well with or without chemo, so I know the stats they give say you'll theoretically get more time with chemo, but we've seen what seems like lots of dogs defy those odds.
I would say focus on getting that painful leg off first of all. As you say, your pup is already getting around on 3 legs, so she should adapt quickly. MANY pup pawrents say they see the old painfree light back in their pup's eyes after the surgery.
Keep us posted. We're here if you have more questions,
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!
Hello Melissaw, so sorry for your pup and you. I know what a difficult time it is for you and the family. My story is similar to the others posted. We have a large female Golden Retriever (90 pounds and just under 7 years) We found a cancer tumor in her front right leg at the wrist late february. I had the same concerns you have and had no idea what to do.
We visited with several vets, a surgeon and an oncologist. Decided to go through with the amputation. All of the doctors told us this is a very painfull disease and the best course of action was amputation. Maggie had her amp on 3/22 and if you want to know more details, please read about her journey titled "Maggie's amputation 3/22".
Today we are 12 weeks post op and I have no regrets. She is doing just super and is pain free. She does all of the things she did be the amp. except for the long walks in the neighborhood. Maggie swims, with the aid of a life jacket, climbs stairs, plays ball and runs very well. She runs better than she walks!! We also have her going through Chemo treatments, she just had her forth treatment last Friday. One more to go. Little to no side effects for our Maggie with the Chemo. A little more tired if anything.
It is expensive and time consuming at first. Tough decision to say the least and only you can make that call. As for me, I'm glad we took this course with Maggie. It was the right thing for us. Good luck and please keep us posted.
Silver
Hi,
Im so sorry you are going through this,
Our pup is 7 (which is starting to get old for his breed) and was not an ideal candidate for amputation, he is a Pyrenean Mastiff called Porthos who was dx with OS front right wrist, he is 110lbs, he has Hip dysplasia and had both knees operated on, he has been given 2-3 months left with just palliative care, but the tumor swelled up so big in 3 weeks and the pain became intolerable for him, even though he was on the highest dose of pain killers we could give him, that we started looking at amputation.
Our vet here told us that if we amputated he would never stand up again let alone walk. We sent a video of Porthos walking to a specialist at Colorado state University (they give a free consultation) and they said that he would walk after amputation!
Well, a few hours after his surgery he was standing and eating, the next day he was walking! he is already on less painkillers than when he had the leg. I know he is not as old as your pup but he has definite challenges and I just thought his story might inspire you.
We have him home now (its been 3 days since amputation) and he is walking, eating, barking! we are not sure if we are going to do chemo at this point (i need to do some more research first) but there is something called Artimisinin that is like a natural chemo, also there is metronomic chemo which I believe is in tablet form and can be given at home.
There is a yahoo group 'artimisinin cancer' they are a group of people using artimisinin to help their dogs fight cancer, and another yahoo group is 'bone cancer dogs' there is every type of treatment being discussed from natural, chemo, amputation and palliative.
The people on Tripawds have been wonderful during our journey, I doubt very much we would have chosen amputation if it wasnt for the information and support from these people. The only regret I have is not amputating earlier.
Sending warmth and positive energy to you, your family and of course Loa.
Angel Porthos, Pyrenean Mastiff, 7 years old Os front right leg, DX 18 May 2012, Amputation 14 June 2012, Hip Dysplasia, Two TPLO surgeries. Is now somewhere over the rainbow, 21 November 2013.
Hi,
Sorry you have to go through this, but wanted to add my story for some hope. In the Fall of 2010 our then 5 year old yellow lab, Bella had a limp, we thought she just pulled something playing with her sister, few days go by.. no limp.. weeks go by.. a limp one day nothing the next.. our bad we basically ignore it for months. As it did not seem to bother her, until November 2010 and her once in a while limp was everyday. So, we took her in and first vet said.. overweight, front leg, bone caner.. will not do well with amputation.. here is some pain meds.. and gave her two weeks to two months. Second Vet said.. we can do amputation, might have more trouble with her weight but it will take the pain immediately away and see how it goes ... amputation with chemo.. he said most are still gone within 9 months.. We decide and within a week she had the amputation. Started Chemo not long after that and here were are heading into July 2012.
She was back to herself after two weeks. She was not going for long walks .. but she never did that in the past either. I would honestly say everything was back to normal, the summer came and she loved swimming, going on boat rides etc.. 9 months came and went and someone forget to tell her she is not supposed to be here. We did have a set back a few weeks ago when she was limping on her back leg. They put her on some medicine which seems to have done the trick.. and bella was swimming all weekend again. She has slowed down... a day of swimming and up many stairs .. she is tired . But, I have been given almost 20 months with her that I did not think i would have.. and she is still loving life.
I know what the statics say... I am grateful they are not always right. I wish you all the best.
Karen and Bella
Heartfelt thanks to all of you have shared your stories and experiences. Loa goes in Monday for a biopsy and bloodwork to determine if she is a good candidate for the amputation. One day at a time!
Good luck Loa! Have a great day today and I hope tomorrow is even better.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you--we are all a little sad today, thinking today is the last day we might see her healthy and well for a while (I'm worried she'll be even more gimpy after the biopsy tomorrow). She's doing remarkably well for a dog with bone cancer--eating, playing, sleeping well--seems like her normal old self. We are grateful for that.
A quick update on Loa for all you helpful people...yesterday was a little rough when she came home from the biopsy. She was not happy with the post-surgical morphine, I think, and wouldn't put any weight at all on her lame leg.
This afternoon she is herself again. She ran outside when I opened the door, (unfortunately) jumped up on the couch (forbidden by the vet), and seems to be very comfortable (she is still, of course on pain meds). It is such a relief to see her back to herself.
We are waiting for the biopsy results and have tentatively scheduled her amputation for 7/2. Her bloodwork was fine, and her chest x-ray, as I mentioned in my initial post, was clear. I am feeling very confident about that decision, thanks largely to all of you sharing your experiences. Thank you.
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