Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello. My 3 year old goldendoodle Marley was just diagnosed with cancer. This is certainly not the diagnosis we expected. We've been battling a persistent limp since September. The initial diagnosis was mild elbow dysplasia but she got much worse. The next diagnosis was atypical valley fever as she improved a lot with fluconazole despite a negative test. She also had 3 days of excessive nosebleeds that stopped just as suddenly as they started which have yet to be explained. She has seen numerous vets and has had 2 clear X-rays. She has since developed a very obvious tumor on her effected shoulder blade. She recently had a CT done along with a needle biopsy. The needle biopsy only concluded it was cancer. The radiologist that read the CT believes the diagnosis is hemangiosarcoma. However, the vet has not seen that destroy bone like it has with Marley and thinks it could be chrondrosarcoma. We have made the decision to amputate as that leg has been a source of pain for months now and we at least want her time left to be as pain free as possible. It will also hopefully allow the cancer type to be pinpointed. I was wondering if any other tripawds have had the hemangiosarcoma diagnosis as well. Thank you.
Hi Marley and family, welcome. I wanted to get your post approved so others can see it and will be back later with more detailed thoughts.
Quickly though, yes lots of members have coped with hemangiosarcoma but if you don’t know for sure that is what you are dealing with then try not to focus on that right now.
Instead check our Jerry’s Required Reading List and our What to Expect articles so you can wrap your head around amputation care and recovery.
Back soon with more feedback, stay turned for thoughts from the community!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Just dropped Marley off for her big surgery. The surgeon doesn't think he can get clean margins of the tumor as it's near her spine and ribs too. However, he also disagrees with the hemangiosarcoma diagnosis the radiologist is saying. So here's to hoping it's anything but hemangioma. The biopsy won't be back for a couple weeks though. This is going to be a long two weeks but I feel like it can't get worse than hemangiosarcoma so news can only get better and not worse.
Online
Jist catching g up in ti e to send pawsitive healing vibes to your sweet Marley.
One day at a time.......get surgery done and get that bum leg gone! Sounds like this is an overnight clinic,yes? So try and get some rest tonight. She'll be seeing pink ele and enjoying the view! Update when surfery is done. Then we can start in on some good recovery tips we've learned here.
Extra 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!
Best wishes and lots of 
to you and Marley! Paws crossed that it's not HSA, keep us posted!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
She is staying overnight. They called about an hour ago and said we can go get her around 9am. The surgeon said it went really well and he only had issues with likely not getting a clean margin on one section and but was initially worried about multiple sections.
You guys and this site are the best though. I feel like we're as prepared as we can be. I know the first week will be rough, especially day 4 when that 3 day shot wears off but the surgery is over so we'll just take it one day at a time.
I’m so glad everything went well! Yay! The biggest obstacle is behind you, and now you have a plan to get through the rest. You can do this!
Recovery isn’t always rough, sometimes a Tripawd will surprise you and go through recovery without major issues. We hope with all our heart that you have the same experience! Keep us posted and holler with any questions.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
YAAAAQY!!! Surgery is done!!!! Marley is in excellent handstand now it's time for rest for you!!
When you go to pick Marley up tomrrow, don't even bother to look at his jncision or draw atten to it. Marley just wants to see your smiling face telling him he's a good boy and he's going home!
Drinking and peeing will be important, but he may not feel like eating right away and pooping may take a few days. Mobility may be a bit wobbly and he may need assistance with towel sling.
As you noted, when the hospital meds wear off, there may be a bit of a crash. Tweaking the meds usuaally takes care of that with adjustments.
If you have hardwood floors you'll want to make sure you have non slip scatter rugs for traction .
Just short leashed potty breaks, and back to bed for more resr. No stairs at all if possible for now.
We're here for you and want to help in any way we can. Every dog is different. Every recovery is different. But we all celebrate the same when the sparkle starts to come back and recovery is over!!!
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!
She's home and doing well. She has been drinking water which is good but she hasn't figured out how to do the 3 leg squat outside yet so that's our current issue. We live in the Southwest so our yard is rocks and no grass so I think that's hindering her some as well with the lack of traction .
So sorry to hear that your girl is going through this 
. My 10 year old Boxer Wally was diagnosed with HSA right before Christmas and had his left hind leg amputated due to the size and location of the tumor, which was well embedded in his muscle right above his knee. He's had a couple of blips (including one last night) but overall things have gone well. My biggest challenge actually was trying to keep his activity level down and keep him off of the furniture for the 2 weeks after the procedure. He also didn't do well with the cone of shame
, so I got him one of the inflatable donut cones that worked out much better. Let me know if you need a suggestion on one of those.
You're right that this site is great. Jerry, Sally, and Karen have had some great advice and have been super supportive. They really helped me out, especially during the first week or so. I'm by no means an expert and learning as I go, but feel free to ask me any questions.
Also, if you haven't already I recommend signing up for the below Facebook group. Not going to lie, the posts can be pretty depressing, but they have a wealth of knowledge on the page and a lot of the members there have been dealing with HSA and can give great support and advice.
https://www.fac.....4568087083
Glad to hear that Marley's procedure went well and hope she has a speedy recovery!!
Rich and Wally
My 10 year old Boxer Wally was diagnosed with HSA right before Christmas and had his left hind leg amputated due to the size and location of the tumor
I'm so sorry to hear about your diagnosis as well. HSA is so heart breaking.
My biggest challenge actually was trying to keep his activity level down and keep him off of the furniture for the 2 weeks after the procedure. He also didn’t do well with the cone of shame , so I got him one of the inflatable donut cones that worked out much better. Let me know if you need a suggestion on one of those.
Yes! I am already having issues with her activity levels which I did not expect on the first day. I had to get the kennel out to get her to stop walking around. She can't really reach her incision since it was her front leg so the vet just recommended a t-shirt.
Thanks so much for all the info. Best of luck to you and Wally.
Aww so glad she is home and on the mend. Have you tried assisting her with a sling? Here's a link for a DIY dog sling, that should help.
Oh, please start a new topic in Treatment and Recovery now that you've graduated from the diagnosis phase.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi! I am so sorry for anyone that is going through this absolutley aweful diagnosis! Our girl Presley (Golden Retriever) started limping Christmas Eve, after putting her on anit inflamation meds, which seemed like they helped at first, she started limping again. Took her back in for x-rays. The top of her femor is eaten away. Radiologist believes it is Osteosarcoma. Had her leg amputated as we didn't want her in pain. That was four weeks ago today. We got pathology reports back a week ago and the diagnosis is hemangiosarcoma. She will be turning two on April 1st! she is just so young!! We are heartbroken!
I am so sorry and I hope it doesn't come back as hemangiosarcoma!! If you get any advice on your next steps, please let me know. Our vet, who we have been going to for over 20 years told us he would not reccommend chemo. All of her blood tests prior to surgery were normal as were her chest x-ray and heart. We will be scheduling an ultrasound on her abdomen in about a month as reccommended by our vet.
Best regards!!
@mom2presley, I'm so sorry you find yourself here, and faced with such a tough situation. Hemangio is an especially cruel cancer, but it doesn't have to mean the end of the road. We have seen some Tripawds here outlive the worst case scenarios.
I know your vet meant well, but I would absolutely speak with an oncologist to get all your options on the table. Many general practice vets don't see enough cancer patients to know what the latest treatments are, so hopefully an oncologist can come up with some treatments for Presley.
Please consider starting a new topic all your own so we can help you better OK? We are here for you.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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