Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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I'm glad you decided to see an oncologist, it doesn't mean you have to change your treatment plan.
One thing the Oncologist should help you with is deciding what tests to before proceeding with amputation. Usually for OSA there is at least a chest x-ray to check for metastasis.
Will you have a path report done on the tumor removed with the leg? Another thing the onc can help you decide. If you are not doing any traditional treatments then maybe it doesn't matter- but you need to decide before the surgery.
The onc can also help you sort through all the options available and make sure there isn't an option you might want to try that you didn't know about. There could also be something new available like a treatment study near you that might be something you want to try.
I'm the type that want's to be sure to know my options when making these tough decisions. When my Tri-Pug Maggie was diagnosed with her second cancer I was pretty sure we would not do any invasive treatments, she just had too many other health issues. But the first thing I did was take her to our oncologist. We went over all options including rad, surgery, chemo, vaccine and the probable outcomes. I left that appointment with the same plan of not doing anything invasive, but I felt that I had all the information to make a sound decision.
Best of luck with your consult and keep us posted.
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
Hi there - you've gotten all the good advice, and its great that you have an appointment where there is both an oncologist and board certified surgeon. I just wanted to chime in on the time remaining thing- you never know how much time you will get, but I like to let people know that my guy Clyde was diagnosed in May 2016, had his surgery about a week later the first week of June and is still going strong today. No chemo - just K-9 Immunity tabs. I was expecting 3 - 6 months and was as prepared as I could be for that but here we are!
Good luck to you and your pup, and know that you are not alone on your journey. The people here are great, and as you've already seen, have a wealth of information.
Best,
Kristin & Clyde
Just got back from the oncologist... it was pretty much a waste of time/money as everything she told me I already knew, and being it was a specialty clinic the xrays and surgery are far more expensive than at his normal clinic... bet hey, at least I am covering my bases.
Toby's surgery is scheduled for next monday, I will have the chest xrays done about a month or so after his surgery, as a follow-up visit.
He is in good spirits and the CBD treats/tincture seem to really help alongside his normal painkillers and rimadyl.
Hoping for the best
Glad to hear you are confident in your plan! That's good, you got all your information lined up and that's what counts. You are learning how to be a good advocate for him!
And on that note, Please make sure that the clinic where you are having his amputation done will have 24-hour care for him the night of surgery. Many times the big cost discrepancies are because non-specialty clinics don't offer things like 24-hour monitoring, which in our opinion, is vital for any big surgery but especially this one. They may also skimp on pain control, so just make sure you are comparing apples to apples for safety's sake.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Just saw the pictures of Toby. He is soooooo handsome! And the one of him "smiling" with his big ole' paws crossed....loooove it!!
Yeah, I think anytime we can get the "same" tests done at our regular Vet we can save some dollars. I know at rhe "Speciality" place I went to with my Happy Hannah, they would always say they needed to re-do some of the tests or xrays just done by my regular Vet, or they weren't "exactly" what they needed. Grrr...... My regular Vet got a little exasperated too, as he referred me there and....well...without actually saying so...felt maybe "some" of those re-dos were not really neccessary.
Now, as Jerry said, as far as being able to have Toby stay at a 24/7 staffed specialty clinic, IF you can do that, it would really be good! Obviously there are instances when that's not an option. Proper pain management is so important, as is the proper pre surgery work up
ANYWAY, you have done your research, you've covered your bases, and you can now move forward know you are doing the best you possibly can for your handsome boy!!
Thanks for the update AND for sharing those pictures of Toby. He's quite a heart melter!❤
Stay connected and let us know any questions you may have. Recovery is no picnic for a week or two (or more) and, if you are like some of us, you may question your decision. It took me three weeks before I could finally say I did this FOR my Happy Hannah and not TO her!!
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!
Hey there 🐾
Love the pictures, you both look SO happy together and yes, the one with the paws crossed is really sweet 💕
Bumner about your appointments not having added anything to what you already know but then again you have done your homework to a T so it’s difficult to have new info with all you’ve got.
I reckon he did X-rays at this clinic and they were ok, yes?
We’ll be thinking of you both on Monday and will be here to help you with recovery, in case you need us.
And if you don’t, we will be cheering your cutie along, he will bring you tons and tons of joy for sure!
Hugs and cuddles 😘🐮💫✨🐮🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
We didn't do any chest xrays at the oncologist as they were almost 200$ more than having them done at his regular clinic. His amputation is scheduled for monday, the poor guy is in just so much pain, i can almost feel it myself.
I'm thinking I will just go ahead with the amputation and just give him a ton of CBD treats/tincture along with his painkillers and rimadyl going forward. He is a happy dog and still has a lot to live for, so I am hoping for the best.
I will have the xrays done a month or so post-op to see where he is at.
As of right now, my top priority, is getting him out of pain... it is driving us frickin' nuts!
You are so right.
Getting rid of his pain is the main action that needs to be taken and you are doing it.
Once that is done and he has recovered you’ll have time to consider what to do next, with your pup happy and pain free.
Hugs and cuddles 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
While we humans worry and stress, your Toby isn't worried about a thing!! Ahhh.....the bliss of "being dog"!!
We'll all be sending pawsitive energy to handsome Toby and best wishes for a quick recovery. Toby is going to feel so good with that bum leg gone!!!
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!
You don't say why you are not considering chemo, but if it is because of experience with two legged friend's cancer treatments, you might reconsider. I have had several friends and relatives succumb to cancer, and without exception their treatment regimen ruined their quality of life for the short time they survived. I have decided for myself to forgo treatment if I should ever find myself in their shoes. HOWEVER, many dog lovers have found that their companions suffered little to no side effects from chemo. Our Fusto loves going to the oncologist for his IV and has never had any loss of appetite or any discernible discomfort. Whatever choice you make will be the right one, of course, because you are motivated by love and empathy; just adding my two cents worth!
Well said Fausto's Mom/Dad, you're so right.
Most dogs show zero side effects and that is mainly because chemo for dogs aims to stabilise the disease whilst in humans it aims to cure the disease, hence the dosages used are much, much lower in dogs than they are for humans (this was the explanation I was given by my girl's oncologist)
Hugs and cuddles for Fausto and Toby 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
Update on Toby,
He has his amputation done yesterday and was released from the hospital that night. He's doing pretty good, but last night was really rough! I basically had to sleep on the floor with him all night, and neither of us slept much. He is up hopping around though, was able to use the potty and he's eating a bit, so he is showing good signs.
I don't have anything against chemo, but at 1k+ per treatment, that is just not doable.
They xrayed him before the surgery and it has not metastasized to his lungs.
Thanks for the update! Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Standing ovation to you for surviving the first night!!! Yes indeedy, bringing dogs home the day of surgery is a testament to your endurance with no sleep!
You'll probably still have some nights with very little sleep still, but it gets better. Promise!!
And YAY for eating some and already being a bit mobile ! Good signs indeed!
As already noted by Kristen, Clyde recently celebrated his two year ampuversary and did not do chemo either!! Many, many, many dogs do not do chemo for a variety of reasons, and financial limits are something we all can understand and certainly are a factor for many of us. No right or wrong, and certainly no guarantee one way or another!
You are doing an excellent job of caring for Toby. He's a very loved boy, and he knows it.❤
You have removed Toby's bum leg and his sparkle will come back bigger and brighter than ever!! Can't wait to see more pictures of him. Can't look at his avatar picture of him without smiling😊😊
Update when you can...and grab some quick naps when you can💤💤💤
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!
Hi Toby and Dad 🐾
How are you both?
Hope recovery is going smoothly, we’re all here if you need any help, we’d love an update when you can ...
Thinking about you both 🐾
Hugs and cuddles 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
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