Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Mac my 9 year old (nearly 10 year old) Lab has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma. He is very lame in his right front leg but his chest x rays have come back clear. He is booked in for amputation tomorrow but I'm still not sure what to do.
He is fit and lean (27kg), x rays of his hips and spine have shown no problems with arthritis. He's been on a raw food diet for the last 10 months. So I guess he's a good candidate for surgery. This weekend the pain seems to have got worse despite the rimadyl and he's very quiet (although the sound of food being prepared in the kitchen still gets the same labrador reaction). I have no doubt that he will cope with 3 legs- but should we be putting him through the trauma of the surgery- is it best for him or just easier for us to postpone the day when we have to let him go?
So hard to know what to do.
Sue and Mac
Hi Sue,
We're sorry you're going through this difficult and heartbreaking decision. It's definitely not easy and many of us have been there. Those pawrents who've gone through the amputation process always second guess themselves, it's normal. I'm guessing though that your instinct said to go ahead and proceed, which is why you have the appointment, right? Well, we're big on listening to our intuition. For some folks, that means not proceeding, for others, it means to take that leap of faith and do it.
I will say that the pain of osteosarcoma is far, far worse than amputation recovery. And if you don't do it, you run the risk of a pathologic fracture that could be so devastating, it will break your heart more than anything. We've seen it happen, and it's awful.
I can't tell you that you should do anything, because the only person who knows what's best is you. Based on your description of your pup, it does sound like he is a good candidate. As long as you keep his weight down (super critical for Tripawds), he should be just fine. Nine years old is not that old, we've had older dogs go through surgery and recovery and do well.
The biggest thing to remember is that no matter how much time you have together after surgery, every day is icing on the cake. Cancer has a strange way of showing us that every day is so special, we need to make the most of it. And we also learn that dogs don't count days or have a concept of time...they just want to be with us, loving every minute.
I hope this helps. Remember that we are here for you, if you proceed, you are definitely in good company. Keep us posted OK?
And your future posts won't require moderation. Thanks for joining.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh my, we were exactly where you were last spring. Is it for him or is it for us? Tate needed a hemipelvectomy, his rear left leg and half his pelvis. How could we disfigure him like that? All that for what, maybe a year? Maybe? We were horrified at the thought.
Well, I way overthought it and never came up with "the answer". I was so in shock (Tate was only 4 at the time) I couldn't bear the thought of losing him and had to try to save him. So I guess I did it for me. But I did search on "regret" here on this website and after viewing pages of responses, I only found one person that regretted it.
All I can say is I'm glad we went forward with it. The recovery is all a distant memory and Tate is doing fine. We're enjoying each day with him. He's having fun.
The alternative was to keep him on leash to avoid a pathological fracture and wait until they couldn't do anything more for the pain. They said it wouldn't be the cancer, it would be the pain management . Tate has histiocytic sarcoma, but the bone was compromised like it is with osteosarcoma. Tate's rarely on leash, he would have thought he was under constant punishment.
Okay, so that's my story. But I also know people that chose to put their dog down rather than try to treat the cancer. They are true dog-lovers, too. So it's very much a personal decision.
Best of luck to you, I know you will make the right decision for you and for Max.
Jan & Tate
http://tate.tripawds.com/
August 16, 2006 to November 28, 2011
TATE ~ Forever in our hearts.
We struggled with the decision to amputate too. We thought we would be doing something awful to our sweet Bo. But, the bottom line was that he was in pain. I'll never forget the pain in his eyes when I loaded him in the car on the day of surgery. I never saw that pain again, not even on the day he died.
Surgery recovery is not a cake walk, but after the first couple of weeks, your boy will amaze you with what he can do on 3 legs!
The decision is yours and whatever you decide will be right for your family. Bo lived for 3 months after surgery. We don't regret our decision to amputate at all because Bo lived out his days happy and pain-free.
Good luck and keep us posted!!
Welcome to the family. For me the decision was a no-brainer because Gus was in so much pain I couldn't wait to have the surgery done, and even thought we only had him 3 1/2 months after every day was worth it, so try not to second guess yourself, which in the following week or 2 after some poeple do, but once you get throught the rough part of healing, you will be amazed at how well Mac will so. Gus was a lab-rott mix, and at about 4 weeks was doing pretty much everything he was before, maybe a modification or two, but he didn't miss abeat. Good luck and Paws Up, Spirit Gus and Dan
My buddy Gus had a left front amputation on April 7, 2010 and lived a great life until July 26,2010
For us it was also a fairly easy decision. Abby was only 15 mo. old, very energetic and her lung xrays were clear. It sounds like your pup, although older, is still otherwise healthy and loving life. He does indeed sound like a good candidate. Try not to think of it as "putting him through" the surgery. You are helping him to get rid of that painful leg. If you do the amp, he will probably get through it easier than you will. 🙂 that is usually the way.
If you decide not to do the surgery, I do know of a woman who opted not to amp her older dog and they are now 8 mo post Dx and the dog is no longer at a risk for fracture. She gives her dog a VERY long list of supplements and I can't point you to her protocol if you are interested. However, I will say that from what I've seen, she is definitely not the norm for dogs who do not go through with the amp. Most dogs end up with restrictions on movement and trying to just manage the pain, which is not a lot of fun for anybody...
Hang in there and let us know what you decide. You know your dog best and of course any surgery has risks. We are here for you either way!
Jackie, 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!
Kess' amputation surgery was prolonged because they took forever to properly diagnose the problem. In the end we amputated w/o knowing whether or not she had cancer. She was in a lot of pain for almost two years, it started to change her personality. For us the amputation allowed Kess to return to a pain free life, and now she's the same happy dog she was before.
Chili Dawg was 9 when he had his amputation. Like Meghan said, the pain in his eyes is something I remember. After the amputation, I never saw that pain return again. Not even when the cancer returned 3 1/2 months later. To me, the amputation was worth it. We had extra time with our boy, and he was pain free. No time is ever going to be enough, and I still miss him, but I am proud to say that his last months were pain free. I will also say this, if our other dog is ever diagnosed with OSA, we wouldn't hesitate to do the amputation to take away the pain. The first couple weeks aren't easy, but you get through that and you enjoy every single minute you get with your special furry friend 🙂
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.
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