Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi all- thanks to everyone who participates in this site. I have spent an hour reading posts and stories and now hoping I can get some feedback too.
Our 11.5 yr old german shorthaired pointer Annie was given probable osteosarcoma diagnosis last Wednesday. She had started limping severely the day before and had the (front right) leg and chest x-rayed. The chest looked clear, so we went home with pain meds and the task of thinking about next steps.
We do not plan to go with radiation / chemo. We are considering palliative amputation because even with the pain meds she is still limping and sometimes trembling. I just keep thinking of how long she will make it after amputation until the cancer spreads or comes back, as the vet indicated it will likely do eventually. We live in a rowhouse with three stories and slippery wood steps, so we have been carrying her up and down the stairs, but if/when it spreads to her ribs/chest won't it be painful to her to be carried?
I know there is no given time a dog will live after amputation and it's been helpful to read the stories about how quality of life is improved once the painful limb is gone and healed. But I can't stop thinking about what the eventual end will be like. Does it almost always end with metastasis to the chest? What is that like? Is it usually possible to have someone come to the home to help them pass on, or is it more common that there is a crisis point and they can't come home from the vet?
I would be grateful to read stories from anyone able to share their experience of post-amputation life span and what it was like at the eventual end. My girl has a littermate sister who will still need her walks and exercise if Annie can't, and I'm also having trouble imagining this (leaving Annie home alone, as she's always together with her sister when we aren't around). Sister Haylee also hates to be parted from Annie so I imagine she's going to have a rough time. These girls are my first pets since childhood so I've never had to say goodbye before. Thank you in advance 
Here is a pic from about five years ago, soon after we adopted them. Annie is in front.
Hi Annie and family! Welcome. I wanted to get your post approved so others can see it. I have some feedback but am on my device, so I'll be back in a bit with some thoughts....
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Your Annie is BEAUTIFUL! And so is her sister!!
We know how difficult it is to process everything going on right now. We all understand the fear, the uncertainty, the stress, the laxk of sleep, and in and in! Yeah, we get it!
But we also u derstand the joy if seeing our dogs and cats pain free and getting in with soaking up tummy rubs, loving and spoiling!! 🙂 You are giving Annie the gift of extended pain free time!!! Annie does NOT cou t days on a calendar! Annie does NOT worry about her tomorrows! Annie lives in the PRESENT and effortlessly flows from kne moment to the other with no fear. We call that BEING MORE DOG!!!
Keep things chunked down for now, okay? You've got a treatment plan in place. Focus on getting things like non slip scatter rugs in place for traction if you jarve hardwood floors. Read up on recovery and pain meds, as it's no picnic for about two weeks.
I even hate to address the time when An ie transitions as every dog is different AND, most importantly, you do not want to waste any of your time together NOW worrying about whenever she may crossover....which could actually be years from now!!!
Since I know you need ro put your mind at ease so you can move onto the NOW, ll just say that "generally" IF it spreads it may go to the lungs. "Generally" mets don't start off as painful, just maybe some exhaustion, sometimes (but not always) a cough, allmof which just may cause some "discomfort" but not pain. There ARE palliative things that can be done should that happen, as well as some more aggressive treatments that MAY keep mets from expanding. Many, many dogs live a good quality life for quite awhile even AFTER (and IF) mets are discovered. And ABSOLUTELY a Vet can come to the house for home visits.
Now, time to BE MORE ANNIE and stay in the present with Annie!
Do NOT let that piece of crap disease interfere with yiur glorious time together with Annie!! She sure isnq!
Oh, as far as steps, check out Ruffwear Harnesses in our Gear Blog . They will be extremely helpful with stairs AFTER the incision has healed.
Okay, deep breaths....go grab some CHOCOLATE....give Annie a big smooch and yummy treat and watch her tail wag! 🙂 An ie will be just fine!! 🙂
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!
Hello:
Welcome - while I am sorry you needed to find Tripawds, I am glad you did. We can only offer our own experiences, of course, and my boy actually had a different cancer (peripheral nerve sheath soft tissue sarcoma), but he was 11.5 and a larger dog and we have a two story home, so I think there could be some value in our story to you. Pofi also had a sister (not bio, but they had been together 10 years) who was very bonded with him. Very dependent on him, actually, as she is a less confident dog.
To start, I'll point you to this forum post with a video, Pofi Hopping & Stairs. You did not say which leg Annie has osteo in, but Pofi's amp was to left front leg. This post and video is from 6 weeks post amp, but, and I do NOT recommend this, Pofi insisted on going up the stairs the night he came home (2 days post amp). His cancer, a less obvious one due to its location and type than osteo, did not get diagnosed for at least a year from when signs first presented themselves. So he had been lame or partly lame on that leg for many, many months before amputation and that is part of the reason he adapted so easily, quickly and strongly to being a tripawd. Also of note, I only assisted him with harness on the stairs the first few days and the last day he did stairs, when his cancer had returned in his spine and neuro symptoms were popping up. He was strong, but he was also SO RELIEVED to be free of that pain. He wanted to get back to his life. It was not exactly the same, of course, but he did go on shorter walks and he raced to the car every time we were headed to dog park. At the off leash, where he could pace himself and did not have me slowing him down, he really held his own all summer.
It was an adjustment for all of us to take Mia on walks without him. She did need more exercise. There were times when we would ask if he wanted to go and he would stay put, but would watch from his outpost on our upper deck. I won't kid you - that was heart wrenching. My husband especially had a very hard time with that. But I think it was good for Mia to slowly transition to life without him. She still misses him. It is still hard. But the only thing I would change is to have had the cancer diagnosed sooner and the amp done sooner. We may have had more time, ultimately (with his cancer that is almost certain) and he would not have stoically endured pain for as long as he did.
Happy to share more if you like. Or answer specific questions. Oh, and yes, we did have home euth when it was time. We could have let him go under anesthesia when an MRI revealed the return of the cancer, but I think that would have been the wrong choice for all of us. We needed one more night and morning together. Mia needed it, we needed it, the cats did (the cats were really bonded with him) and I think he needed to be at home.
You can also look at our blog (in my sig) for more info.
Sending good thoughts for Annie and all of you.
Lisa
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.
Hi Annie, Haylee and Mum
im very sorry to hear that you find yourself in a very difficult time with your girl. I’m glad you found this site. You will find all sorts of useful information, shoulders to lean on and a brilliant place to vent.
You have received some wonderful advice from everyone, especially about the amount of time we are given with our loved ones. None of us know when our time stamp is up... 6 months ago our big boy Stewie was limping badly (he was already in training to become a Super Tripawd!) and he was in terrible pain. When we saw the X-rays of his leg and heard the diagnosis of Osteosarcoma, we were devasted, to say the least! We were sent home with palliative medicine, as amputation was out of the question for us (that day...) and we were preparing to have to say goodbye to our boy in a very few short weeks!
We were directed to Tripawds through our vet and what a godsend this site has been! We did an X-ray on Stewie’s lungs and they came back clear. At first we were only going to go ahead with the (very scary thought) of amputation, but upon further investigation, we decided to go ahead with 6 rounds of Carboplatin chemotherapy. (typically 4-6 rounds of Carboplatin are suggested and we decided to go the full gambit.) We were told to expect at the very least 4 precious months with our boy. (No guarantees on anything right?!) We have just spent a beautiful Christmas with him and hope with all our hearts that he will still be with us to celebrate not just this birthday coming up in February, but many more Christmas’s and birthdays to come! There are many Tripawd Hero’s that have been blessed with many years and sadly some Hero’s that were taken way too soon! I say again, no guarantees in life right?!
Stewie had his own set of issues with his amputation, but ultimate he did incredibly well. He also sailed through his chemotherapy like a trooper. We are still learning what his limits are and he is all dog, every day, living in the moment, not worried about tomorrow’s (that’s such a hoooman thing!) and teaching us every day, that LOVE is what it’s all about.
We hope to hear from you soon and know that you are surrounded by a lot of people who care and understand totally what you are going through! You have support from all corners of the globe!
All the very best from Stewie, his band of pesky felines and his Mum & Dad.
Remember...“live in the moment!“
Do you love the people here or what? I sure do! You've gotten spectacular, spot-on input from our Tripawds family, so I'll just add a bit more of our own thoughts about your questions.
We live in a rowhouse with three stories and slippery wood steps, so we have been carrying her up and down the stairs, but if/when it spreads to her ribs/chest won't it be painful to her to be carried?
All dogs are different (you'll here that a lot) so there's no predicting how a dog will react. But in general lung mets make breathing difficult, and in themselves are not painful to the touch since they're inside the lungs. We had to hoist our Jerry up and down our steps using his Ruffwear Webmaster harness . When he had mets, doing so didn't bother him as much as laying down on the one lung that had the larger met growing in it.
But I can't stop thinking about what the eventual end will be like. Does it almost always end with metastasis to the chest? What is that like? Is it usually possible to have someone come to the home to help them pass on, or is it more common that there is a crisis point and they can't come home from the vet?
Totally get where you're coming from. For most of us, this news was the first time that our animal's mortality smacked us in the face. It's hard not to think about the end but here's how you need to reframe that; we ALL will have an ending at some point, but nobody can predict when. With or without cancer, there's no expiration date stamped on any of us, pets included. So why not focus on today, this moment, because that's all any of us really have after all, right? You can't do anything about the past, or predict the future. And NOW is all we've got, so make the most of it. It's what Annie wants, it's what all animals are here to teach us. Cancer has a weird way of driving home that point.
And yes, you can have a hospice veterinarian come to your home. Here's an interview we did with a hospice vet a while back:
http://www.blog.....heila-kirt
I hope this helps. Remember, the best thing you can do is to Be More Dog , and make the most of each day with Annie. The only way cancer can win is if we allow it to steal the present moments away from us.
Also be sure to check out the Tripawds e-books library and Jerry's Required Reading List for more tips on coping with life on three legs and cancer.
Keep us posted on how you're both doing OK? We're here to help.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello and thank you Lisa, Sally, and Jerry & Stewie's pawrents.
Your comments were helpful, especially learning that it is actually the lungs that may be affected later (not ribcage as I was imagining) and the idea that without amputation, it would be the pain that could lead to an earlier euthanasia.
I've spent all day thinking and reading about this, now that the holidays are over. My husband and I spent a couple hours discussing it too. I realized my worry about taking care of her during recovery and beyond was playing into my hesitation more than I thought, because I'm about to embark on my second attempt at IVF next month too, another hugely emotional procedure colored with the risk of loss. But in February I had plans to drive my girls up to Michigan to my parents' house where they get to run through 40 acres of woods and fields, and if I can help Annie to be able to enjoy that one more time it will be worth it!!!
I've also read some more of the blogs on here that discuss the way their dog friends passed on and honestly it has definitely helped just to be able to imagine what it might be like. I checked out the gear and traction aids too. I'm thinking it might be a good thing to get one of those harnesses asap so that she can start to get used to wearing it even before her leg is gone.
I think I will call the vet tomorrow to try and schedule the surgery. Even though it's only been a week since her x-rays, they said they would want to run chest x-rays again to make sure nothing had changed. She also has had a swollen bulge near one of her lymph nodes on her back right leg. I took her to get it checked out several months ago when she seemed to not want to sit down anymore, and then started limping on that back leg. They didn't find anything at that time but will test it again to make sure there is no lymphoma (she took some anti-inflammatory meds at that time and the limp and sitting problems went away after a few days).
Annie is such a sensitive girl, always watching me like a hawk and jumping up to follow me wherever I go. We've now been spoiling her as you can imagine. It's really hard to keep this stress/pain inside but I am trying to stay calm so that she stays calm too. She's always been a cuddly baby thinking she's a lap dog even at 50 lbs, so she definitely humors me getting into her bed and spooning her, etc. Earlier today when I was looking for a photo to post, I was comforted just seeing so many photos of her I'd forgotten about from the past five years since they came into our lives. Here's another one of my favorites
First of all I would like to say the very best of luck for your future IVF treatment! Worrying is not in your prescription these days I would imagine, so let us try to take some of the worry off your shoulders in regards to your darling Annie.
Your decision to go ahead with the amputation is commendable! Know that your new mantra is that you are doing this for her and not to her! You can expect a few long nights ahead, but the worst is over and done with in the first couple of weeks! Get lots of rest together and eat lots of comfort foods together. Make it a girlie pyjama Pawty!
In all seriousness though, reach out when you need a friend and somebody will be around to offer you an understanding ear. Good luck with the pre-tests, all paws crossed!
Sloppy kisses from Stewie and all the best from his Mum, Petra.
p.s. Great picture Annie! Very keen looking girl!
Hello and welcome.
My pug Maggie lost a leg to mast cell cancer so a bit different than OSA. After her amp her prognosis was 6 to 9 months with chemo as they found lots of cancerous mast cells in the lymph node removed with her leg (lymph node involvement is really bad in mast cell cancer). Maggie lived almost 4 years and did not pass from mast cell cancer. We were very lucky to beat the prognosis but it does happen- if I hadn't given her a chance with the amputation she would definitely not have made it that long.
Sounds like you are in a little better place now when thinking about where this journey might end. I wanted to share a big mistake I made when I was told Maggie had 6 to 9 months. I fixated on that time frame and spent way too much time imagining the end. I finally realized that while I was anticipating the worst Maggie was figuring out how to do everything she wanted to do and was happily hopping though her spoiled pug life.
Something else to consider with your other pup Haylee. I also had two pug sisters, Tani was Maggie's younger sister from a different litter. After surgery Tani still needed to get out for longer walks and park time than Maggie was able to manage. I got Maggie a stroller (I NEVER imagined myself as a doggie stroller mom!) so was able to accommodate both their needs on one outing. Of course it's easier with pug sized dogs, but they do make strollers for bigger dogs.
Keep us posted on scheduling.
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
Our Sam was 13 when we made the decision to amputate for pain relief, and then to just enjoy the rest of the ride. I will never for one second regret that journey. Remember this...life should be long. Not death. They don't, and won't regret what they've lost, nor should you. And they don't spend their days waiting for the end. Take every second you have, and live the crap out of it. Let them have their cake and eat it, too...and get your well-meaning human fingers out of the frosting 😉
For real, don't waste time now worrying about what might be or will be. Don't waste a second grieving for what is not lost. We had six more months with Sampson, and while of course there were ups and downs...what I walked away from it with was an entirely different perspective.
Feel free to read our blog--everyone's story is not the same, of course, but for us, as a senior large breed dog... you may find some comfort in it. Sam lived life, HIS life, up until the end.
But really...don't focus on the end. Focus on the practicalities of life, sure. But don't dwell on someday when today is still right here <3 Hugs to you...I know how hard this is. <3
"Let us think the unthinkable, let us do the undoable, let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all."
-Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
"May I recommend serenity to you? A life that is burdened with expectations is a heavy life. Its fruit is sorrow and disappointment. Learn to be one with the joy of the moment."
-Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
mmrocker13 said
Remember this...life should be long. Not death. They don't, and won't regret what they've lost, nor should you. And they don't spend their days waiting for the end. Take every second you have, and live the crap out of it. Let them have their cake and eat it, too...and get your well-meaning human fingers out of the frosting 😉
Very well said! If I may quote you in the future, this is a beautiful statement!
Feel free to read our blog--everyone's story is not the same, of course, but for us, as a senior large breed dog... you may find some comfort in it. Sam lived life, HIS life, up until the end.
Could you copy Sam’s blog link here. I can’t seem to do the search properly.
thank you for such brilliant quotes!
Petra, Stewie and his Pride
Sorry to hear about Annie, just chiming in with our experience with OSA. My Dobe, Nitro, was 8 1/2 when diagnosed and had his right front leg amputated in June 2014. We were not ready to say goodbye to him, didn't want the leg to pathologically fracture, and made the decision (heartbreaking) to amputate. The first couple weeks were hard, but we got throught it and he went on to enjoy life on 3 legs for over 3 years! In fact, cancer is not what took him from us, old age did! Every story, every dog is different, and we were one of the lucky ones; statistics ARE just numbers, and while no one can predict the outcome, bottom line is dogs do great on 3 legs. Good luck, stay pawsitive, and keep us updated.
Paula and Warrior Angel Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
http://tripawds.....psons-mom/
MEGAN!!!! IT IS SOOOO GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU AND SEE THST FIESTY SAM'S AVATAR!!!
Here is a blog thst Megan did.....And I hope I'm copying it right. She always had such wisdom and insight, as well as a delightful wit!! She and Same were/are two peas in a pod. YOU TWO ARE STILL SUCH AN INSPIRATIONAL FORCE FOR US!!
Lots of love ALWAYS
Sally and My Chunky Spiritual Being 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!
PS Petra....a link to Sammy's blog is embedded in that post.
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!
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