First piece of advice: Try not to think about the end. Live in the now. Easier said than done, of course. Cancer is a POS that plays by its own rules. Some dogs got years after the amputation; some only weeks. But whether it's weeks or years, try to enjoy every moment. 

As far as my experience: I remember reading that roughly 90 percent of the time, the disease travels to the lungs. We were one of the 10 percent. Rocky had his right front leg amputated because I didn't want him to suffer through a pathological fracture. He did great for about five months. Then the cancer started spreading down his side. He had several tumors along his side and back, but his lungs were clear. One night, he couldn't walk or stand so I took him the emergency vet. X-rays showed a tumor had formed in his back left leg and it caused a pathological fracture. We had no idea it was broken until the X-rays.

Best of luck. Try to stay positive. 

It was almost 4 weeks between when we first learned Otis' limp was probably due to osteosarcoma and when we amputated (just this Monday!). He had to get x-rays of his chest done the day of amputation to make sure everything looked good, but in between the medications did a fairly good job of helping him. He was limping but still wanted to go on walks and otherwise was his normal good spirited self, in fact the day before amputation he was so bored he came and threw all of his toys at me one by one as if to say "lady, I'm alive and I've got energy to burn!"

I was JUST like you at the beginning, thinking about the end, and prognosis and all of that until this website helped give me a new perspective. 

Hoping for the best for you and your sweet girl! Get all the snuggles you can and appreciate them. Every day with our dogs is a gift and if the meds are keeping her happy, that is great!

-Camille and Otis

Yes, I'll echo what Donna said. We absolutely wanted to avoid a pathological fracture with Otis. Having read of other's experiences, I knew this would be traumatic for both him and us and needlessly painful for him. It was very important for us to have a plan in place and monitor him carefully leading up to his amputation. Our vet told us we had some time because his first x Ray was atypical, but at the time of amputation, our surgeon told us he was glad we did it when we did it because the bone was pretty weak. So do keep that in mind. 

Super Stu! said

 I would ask that you not assume that the pain killers are taking away Annie’s pain, they are just helping her cope better and feel like she can do anything. She may feel like she is back to normal, but the fact of the matter is, she’s not!

All the best and cuddles to Annie!

Petra, Stewie and gang.  

As I read this and also through Sally’s post I am a little embarrassed to see that I came across maybe a little too harsh sounding... and I sincerely apologize for this! I should take more time before I passionately respond! As Sally said, you know Annie best and you are working with your vet in taking excellent care of her! As you say, she is romping around like her old self... I had no right to make such a harsh statement, I didn’t mean for it to come across that way, I’m sorry!

Please accept my opology and all the very best wishes to you and Annie!

Petra. 

Hello and welcome. I am sorry Annie and your family are going thru this. This website and all its contributors have been a life saver (literally) for my golden Abby and me. My Abby has nasal OSA that was treated with pallative radiation last year and then had a complete upper leg fracture from a bone tumor on 1/3 and had amputation on 1/5. We are two weeks post amputation and i do not regret it one bit. I agree with the other posts that you do not want to put off amputation until Annie has a fracture. I had no idea that Abby had a bone tumor until she fractured it and would not put weight on it at all. The vet was amazed that she was not screaming in pain. The vet should be able to look at Annies leg xray and see how much damage there is and how much bone is gone. Pain medication is great but it does also have its own risks. Rimadyl and other anti inflammatorys can be hard on the liver. Deciding to cut off your dogs leg is a heart wrenching decision. I still have nightmares about her leg being put in a trash bin. But then i look at her happy and pain free and i do not regret it. I live in a split level so stairs are a big problem. I was lucky enough that my dad came and built ramps so she can het upstairs to sleep with me and get outside. It took a few days for her to get used to the ramps but shes doing great. Her staples came out on monday and once her fur grows back she will be good as new. I am sorry to hear that you are going thru IVF. You definitely do not need more stress in your life. Try not to focus on the end. Live in the now. When Abby was diagnosed with nasal OSA last year they told me i would get six months. That was 14months ago. One of the posters here reminded me that dogs do not follow a timeline. I believe in quality of life not quantity. We know that we will all out live out dogs so its about loving them everyday. I thought that amputating Abbys leg would change her but it hasnt. They took her leg not her brain and her personality. She has to find new ways to do things like hold her toys to chew on them but dogs are resilient. She adapted way better than i did. I hope all of our experiences can help you and put your mind at ease that amputation does not mean that you are close to the end.