Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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We are heartbroken and devastated. We just found out our spirited girl, Liberty (Libby) has OSC in her right front leg. Like so many stories I've read, we thought she just twisted it or landed wrong as she loves to run and play. We have been going back and forth and agonizing over the decision of whether or not to amputate. We took another step today to help in our decision. Xrays were taken of her lungs. Our vet had informed us that it could already be in there but not visible to the eye at this point. He also xrayed her hips to see if they would support the loss of a limb. He has been careful to give us the pros and cons of either decision.
Her lungs were clear. No visible spots or dots to be suspicious of......for now. Good news. Her right hip is perfect, her left hip has advanced arthritis which really surprised us. Before the limping she was able to jump from the floor to our bed from a sitting position. She's never exhibited any trouble getting up so that's why we were so surprised to see the deterioration of that hip. She is high spirited and very active. She'd rather play than eat. She swims in the pool in the summer and took long walks in the woods (before the limp).
So here is our dilemma and we would be ever so grateful for your knowledgeable opinions. Do we go through with the amputation and take a chance that her hip will deteriorate faster? OR do we continue to just love her and keep her comfortable as possible until it's time to let go? We hate having to keep her calm and restrained, unable to run and do the things she loves to do.
We just can't believe this is happening. We thought for sure, with her active spirit, she would live to be at least 15 and now this. Thank you for your help.
Bret & Amy
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Welcome, please consider registering to take full advantage of these forums. Then your posts will not require moderation. Best wishes in the decision you face. Bookmark Jerry's Required Reading List for lots of helpful tips and advice!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Bret & Amy, I'm so sorry to hear about Liberty. She sounds like a wonderful girl, and you are really terrific pawrents for getting her the care she needs right away.
The fact that she is young and active and sounds very fit, is a big bonus to have on her side. Does her vet think she is a good candidate for being a Tripawd, despite that arthritis? What is their opinion? There are lots of dogs here who also have arthritis before surgery, and as long as you manage her activity to avoid stressing her joints (see our CARE Rehab Interviews & Videos for tips) and make sure you help her out with joint support supplements, she should be fine. Most dogs will get arthritis as they get older; Tripawds will have it worse, that's a certainty. But you can manage it just as you would any other dog, and you sound like you're up for the task.
Whatever you decide to do, always remember that cancer doesn't always play by the rules, and many times it plays in our favor. Lots of dogs have outlived those depressing osteosarcoma statistics! You just have to keep hope in your heart that Liberty will too.
We are here for you no matter what you decide, so keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you, Jerry. Our vet is admittedly conservative and he expressed concern about that hip and its ability to carry the extra weight. She has been on Glycoflex III for her joints for 2 years and we can't rave about it enough. She is also on Soloxin for her thyroid which has served her well, also. Our vet won't tell us what to do, but we both get the feeling if it were his dog he would end it now. We've had our vet for a very long time and he will support our decision. Another vet in the practice would actually do the surgery and he definitely is not conservative. I trust them both.
Part of this equation is the heartache. We have cried every day and night since the diagnosis (last Tuesday). My husband is taking it extremely hard. The two of them have a bond like I've never seen. He's afraid if we go ahead with the amputation and we get lucky enough to have her another several months or even a year, we then have to go through this agonizing heartbreak all over again.
We know a decision needs to be made quickly. My husband feels he doesn't want to put her through any more trauma but he said if we and our sons feel strongly the other way, he is willing. No one wants to be the so called "bad guy" in this decision. *sigh*
FYI...we have another Chocolate Lab, Sammie, who is around 7 years old. She's also a sweetheart but a totally submissive dog to Libby's alpha personality.
Thank you again for caring.
Something I forgot to mention. We are pretty sure, if we were to go through with the amputation we would not put her through chemotherapy. When discussing the options with our vet, in his opinion, he would not follow up with chemotherapy. Sadly, he lost his son to leukemia and he said he put his son through it but would not put his dog through it, after experiencing it with his son. That was a powerful statement to hear.
Amy Angel said
Thank you again for caring.
That's what we're all here for. We've all been where you are and totally understand what you and your husband are feeling. Thank you for caring so much for Liberty! Please try to keep in mind that this journey is all about quality of life now, not quantity. Tumor pain will only get worse while surgery recovery usually only takes a couple weeks.
PS: Remember to log in (amya) or your posts will continue to require moderation.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I have registered and am logged in. I'm just testing to see if it worked.
Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13. Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14. She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self. Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14
amya said
...testing to see if it worked.
Yup! Future posts will not require moderation if you are logged in. 
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
It is a tough decision to make. I will tell you this- Chili Dawg was my heart dog. I had a bond with him that I will NEVER have with any other dog. He was just a little over 9 years old when we found out he had osteosarcoma. We cried a lot as we struggled to make our decision- do we amputate, do we just keep him comfy, do we just end his pain? It is a tough decision. You need to do what is best for you and for Liberty- no one here is going to judge you.
With Chili Dawg, he had arthritis in his hips. We did do the amputation, because we didn't want him to be in pain anymore (my husband made the decision thinking only of me and Chili Dawg, because I didn't want to- it was a lot of money, and we don't have a lot of money laying around since we have 2 young kids). We did not do chemo- we couldn't afford it, and I honestly don't know if we would have done it if we could have anyways. The first 2 weeks were tough on us. He was on a lot of pain meds and his personality wasn't there. He couldn't get comfortable the first few nights. I thought we had made the worst decision ever. BUT then, his staples came out and he came off of his pain meds and there was my Chili Dawg again. After 1 month post amp he was wrestling with his Boxer brother. At 2 months post amp he was running full speed again in the back yard, and if you didn't know he was missing a leg, you wouldn't have noticed it when he was running.
Unfortunately his cancer did come back in his hip and he had developed some lung mets just after the 3 month mark post-amputation, and we had to send him across the rainbow bridge, but I wouldn't trade those extra 3 months for anything in the world and I would do the amputation again if I had to. There are dogs who have lived much longer than Chili Dawg's 3 months- Nova is 4 years past her amputation and is still going strong. Cancer doesn't play by anyone's rules but their own.
I'm not telling you to do the amputation- I'm just telling you a little bit of our story. No one here is going to judge you for whatever decision you make. You have to do what is best for your family. We all understand- this is a tough decision to make.
Diagnosed with OSA: 5/2/2011 Ampuversary: 5/11/2011 OSA returned in hip: 8/26/2011
Chili Dawg crossed the Rainbow Bridge on 8/30/2011 & is now pain free. He was my heart dog, and I miss him every day.
Thank you so much for your input chilidawg (cute name). I understand no one can make the decision for us (although I think it might be easier!). It has helped so much to read other dog owners' stories. One thing, among many, that has stuck in my mind....someone said their dog just didn't tell them they were ready to cross the rainbow bridge. That's how we feel about Libby. As I type, my husband is walking her outside as they have done every day, rain or shine, no matter how bad the weather. It's just what they do. Lately she cannot go very far, but she's telling us she doesn't want to give up. So we're not giving up on her.
We are 99% sure we are going to pursue amputation. The FAQ's provided here were very helpful. I'm scared...I know the post amp recovery will be tough. Thank you for being so honest about your experience. I appreciate everyone's input. I will post updates as we progress along here.
Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13. Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14. She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self. Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14
My Daisy is a front amp. She lost her leg a little over 13 months ago. She has arthritis in both hips and some in her spine. The arthritis in her hips is pretty advanced and basically bone on bone. Arthritis is why Daisy lost her front leg. The elbow joint was totally destroyed by arthritis and she could not walk on it anymore.
I was concerned about mobility post amp since it does put extra stress on the remaining legs and spine. Daisy is a big girl weighing in around 80 lbs. She really gets around just as well post amp as before. Because of the arthritis she is not a very agile dog but hasn't been since she was diagnosed at 5 years old -- she's almost 8 now. My vets were not hesitant at all about removing her leg, in fact they recommended it.
I have to give her an NSAID daily for pain and inflammation. Right now I am giving her Meloxicam but I also use Deramaxx. She gets Dasuquin with MSM (glucosimine/chondrotin supplement) every day for her remaining joints.
I know someday the arthritis will become too painful and I'll have to let her go but for now she is still my happy girl and still loving life so I know I did the right thing.
Marla and Daisy
My Two Tripawds...Biscuit 
and Spirit Daisy 
It sounds like you're on the verge of going forth with it. B/c of that, here are my two cents: Jackson is an active, lively guy. He didn't know he had cancer (or really and ACL tear). He is full of life and to let a nasty tumor eat away his limb and slow him down....we couldn't. He needs to chase balls and bang his squeeker toys on every surface. Oddly enough, we weren't concerned about him managing on 3 legs. It was the cancer bit that scared (and scares!) the crap out of us. We went with the amp (rear leg). His first night was tough. The first few nights were also tough as we were learning how to modify. Some tips: sleep now. Make up rice and ground meats for after the Sx, as kibble isn't very exciting. Make sure you've got other temping foods, too, in case rice and grnd chicken isn't going down. I slept on the floor with J the first night. After that, he wanted to sleep in the bedroom with us (which he normally never does!), so we moved a bed in there for him. For the first 1.5 weeks, he was pretty sleepy and maybe a little depressed. We had some of his favorite people come over 9d post-op and that helped a lot! He woke up, played a lot, relished in their hugs and kisses! 1.5 weeks out, we began pain med draw down and his personality started to come back! Then when staples came out, we let him move more freely and that brought more of him out! It's a tough 2 weeks, but they do come back AND without that darn leg pain anymore...
Keep us posted! Your pup sounds so sweet, so perfect, and so loved. She's a fighter! And so are you two, bipeds!
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
Thank you so much Marla, Daisy and fetchon3! Marla, reading your post about the arthritic condition of Daisy is very encouraging to us. I'm glad your little girl is happy and living life.
fetchon3....my husband and I laughed about banging the squeaky toys. Libby loves her squeaky ball! I can't wait for her to be able to play with it again. Thanks for the post amp tips, they are so welcomed and appreciated. I actually bought a can of wet dog food today (grain free buffalo!) thinking I may need it post amp. I would cook her a 4 course meal if it would help. The thought of her not eating or drinking after, scares me. I'm interested in your holistic approach as well. I have been doing some research on diets for dogs with cancer. It's been very interesting.
Our next big decision would be about chemo, although we had pretty much thought we would not put her through it, now I don't know. I don't even know how soon they would start chemo after the amputation. Since we haven't told our vet our decision yet, we are thinking they will amputate the leg, send it to Purdue University for biopsy and then we will know for sure what kind of cancer it is. I don't know if that discovery will impact treatment or not. One step at a time (or hop) 
Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13. Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14. She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self. Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14
Hey - before I write back, come on over to CHAT. Click on the link, just under the banner. I'm there!
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
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