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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Hi there sugar bun 🌺
No, chemo did not hurt Eurydice's immune system apart from two infections, one on one finger and the other in her bum.
Nothing serious, antibiotics (for 20 odd days) and that was that.
I felt and still feel it was worth the risk and would go for chemo again without a shadow of a doubt.
But, having said that, other dogs who lived wonderful long lives did not do chemo.
As for supplements, we only did vitamarine when she started the holistic route, so virtually no personal experience there.
Tons of people use supplements here plus you've got Jerry's story to consider, I'm sure others will share their experiences soon.
Sending you and your cutie pie a big hug and tons of 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 :-)
eurydice said
Hi there sugar bun 🌺No, chemo did not hurt Eurydice's immune system apart from two infections, one on one finger and the other in her bum.
Nothing serious, antibiotics (for 20 odd days) and that was that.
I felt and still feel it was worth the risk and would go for chemo again without a shadow of a doubt.
But, having said that, other dogs who lived wonderful long lives did not do chemo.
As for supplements, we only did vitamarine when she started the holistic route, so virtually no personal experience there.
Tons of people use supplements here plus you've got Jerry's story to consider, I'm sure others will share their experiences soon.
Sending you and your cutie pie a big hug and tons of cuddles 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Thank you so much, you're so kind <3
We had some complications planning the surgery, but it is happening on Monday. After that, there will be a pathology report done on the tumor to see what's going on with his cancer and how much time he has left. His oncologist thinks he still has some quality months and the leg should go asap.
They gave us an estimate for the chemo treatments they'd give him if he's a good candidate after amputation. At this stage, I do not have the money for it (we're talking almost 5 grand!), but luckily you only pay for one treatment at a time, so I need to really work harder at his fundraising page/my freelance.
We started cooking for him and he loves it. He's in great spirits too. I'm really nervous about the surgery though, so nervous. I'll keep everyone posted next week, with photos.
Thank you for all the love <3 <3
Guardian to Nikolay the tripawd, Co-Guardian to Ivan the tripawd.
Silas Sebastien 2009 - 2017
I am so glad to hear you are going for amputation (as crazy as it may sound for "normal" people) with the leg gone the pain will be gone 100%, you can be sure of it!
Now, regarding the time he has left: nobody can really know.
Every dog is different, and life expectancy as per statistics is worth what is worth.
You will find here (and we are talking of thousands of cases through the years) dogs have lived shorter, longer and MUCH longer lives than initially estimated by vets and oncologists.
My very own baby girl Eurydice 💕🐮💕 lived 13 months and 1 week and I was told 10 to 12 months.
And she lived 6 1/2 months with lung mets and my oncologist's prognosis was 3 to 5 months.
Others lived way past the foreseen time, like Murphy (4 years) Jerry (2 years) Nova (5 years) Cemil (6 years and counting) the list goes on ...
I'll tell you the secret to a successful life with an osteo dog.
Enjoy the day, every day, milk it to the full, forget cancer (apart from when you are taking decisions) choose life and make your boy happy 💗💗💗
Carpe Diem.
As for chemo treatments, I am assuming you are going for carboplatin?
It is expensive but worth it (in my opinion) and, as you say, you go one session at a time.
Normally dogs will have between 4 and 6 sessions, how many did your oncologist mention?
In any case, if you manage 4 it is already containing the progression of the 💩 disease so you're good!
Sebastian has his own private chef 😃👩🏼🍳 that will come really handy during recovery if he (like many) looses his appetite.
Sweetie pie, darling girl 🌺
I know you're reaaaaally nervous but don't forget we are ALL here for you and your boy.
We've all been through it and know how hard it can be for us pawrents.
Just remember you are offering him a wonderfully happy painfree life on three.
The first couple of weeks may be difficult but generally after stitches come out improvement is faster and steadier.
You may want to take a tshirt and ask the staff to put it on him (if he is a front legger) when you come to collect him.
This way, you can concentrate in giving him kisses and avoid looking at the incision (which is big)
You can go through this, sugar bun 💗
Please do update us on the surgery and recovery and do not hesitate for one second on asking any questions, big or small!
Sending you an avalanche of kisses and tons of belly rubs to your cutie pie 😘😘😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
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 :-)
How is Ivan doing, sweetie ?
And you ?
😘😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
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 :-)
eurydice said
How is Ivan doing, sweetie ?And you ?
😘😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Hey
Thanks for checking in 🙂
So, there was a very bad miscommunication between my Father and Ivan's vet and I'm not sure what to do. I even made a new post about it in this forum but I haven't gotten any responses.
Ivan was supposed to get a full leg amputation, that was made very clear. But after surgery we get him back only to find that they did an above the knee amputation, so he still has part of his leg and he can move it around. I'm very upset and I"m not sure what to do. Ivan's tumor was right above the ankle, and they amputated right above the knee, leaving part of his leg still in his hip socket.
It throws off his balance and confuses him greatly. I'm not sure what to do but I'm beyond upset. I'm going to take him to another vet to have it looked at, but for now we just want him to rest and heal.
Aside from that, Ivan is doing okay. He's eating, drinking and urinating. He has yet to move his bowels (surgery was on Monday), but I read this can take some time. He sleeps a lot, but that's expected. He's even starting to bark at noises and stray cats again, so that's another good sign he's doing okay. He's learning to lay down and get up on his own too, and he doesn't really have a problem with the stairs.
I suppose my main concern is the leg stump getting in his way, causing him to hurt himself. I have to gently push it down when he gets up, he's still learning how to control it. The wound itself looks fine, no swelling or leakage, just some light bruising. I'm just upset because it seems every other dog has had a full leg amputation and now here we are, with this stump. It's very short and once his fur grows back it'll be hard for people to see he still has part of his leg left. I also don't know what this means in terms of his cancer, but I haven't gotten a chance to talk to his oncologist yet.
We are also awaiting the results of his biopsy. We had to take the tissue sample over to the oncologist while he was still in surgery. She was going to send it out to the pathologist for us, so I'll keep you posted about that.
Tomorrow I'm going back to my dads to spend the night and be with him. He loves when I'm around. I'm keeping him separate from my little tripod, Nikolay, until he is healed and feeling better. Normally they get along just fine but he's in a sensitive state right now so I don't want to stress him out in any way.
Thank you so much for checking in 😀 
It really means so much to me to have found this community.
I blurred out his amputation site just to be polite, but here are a few photos from yesterday. He has his ups and downs, but his spirit is still very much alive and he's being a typical stubborn Pyrenees. We have to keep him reined in. He wants to go for long walks and tries to pull us into the woods. I feel so bad, he's not allowed in the woods until he's healed.
Chat soon
xoxo
Guardian to Nikolay the tripawd, Co-Guardian to Ivan the tripawd.
Silas Sebastien 2009 - 2017
Hey there! Glad to hear Ivan is doing so well!
Regarding:
Ivan was supposed to get a full leg amputation, that was made very clear. But after surgery we get him back only to find that they did an above the knee amputation, so he still has part of his leg and he can move it around. I'm very upset and I"m not sure what to do.
OK, don't panic. Ivan appears to have a mid-femoral amputation (see: Partial vs. Full Leg Amputation for Pets, What’s Better?)
This is a good thing. That stump leaves a good cushion for him when he sits, and he will thank you for it later on. Our Wyatt Ray has a mid-femoral, it's quite common. Most people report that without that cushion, their dog gets pressure sores sometimes. I'm no vet but I understand that the only reason to take it all the way to the hip socket is when the cancerous tumor is located very high in the leg and good margins need to be obtained.
Of course let your vet know your concerns to stay on good communications terms with them.
Don't worry, the only thing people will see is how awesome Ivan is doing, and how hoppy he is without the bad leg.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
P.S. Please consider starting a new topic in Treatment and Recovery or Size and Age Matters now that you've graduated from this forums. Thanks!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Ok, sweetie, breathe ... and then breathe again ...
It is not ideal they didn't do a full amputation but that is what happened.
Don't dwell on it, it will only upset you.
Move on, sugar bun and adapt.
The really good news are: he is eating, drinking and peeing, he's barking at noises and aware of cats !
Sure, he doesn't fully know what to do without the full leg and how could he?
Ivan needs some time to figure that out and he will, promise !
He is even learning to get up and lie down so he is already adapting as much as he can.
Plus, let's not forget he wants to go for walks in the woods!
Of course, it is still early for that but the will is there 😃
So, darling friend, keep doing what you're doing, stay with him as much as possible, wait for the biopsy results and talk to the oncologist to find out what are the possible consequences of not having removed the whole leg.
Oh, and do not worry. Please send full pictures of his incision, we are all used to it and it helps us helping you if we can see everything in detail.
Hey, you have another little tripawd 💕
Ivan will be in good company, I'm so happy to hear!
And talking about Ivan what a gorgeous boy 💗 love the "three legs same dog" comment 💗
Ivan will have a wonderfully happy life, sweetie and we are all here to guide and help anytime, you are not alone ✊🏽
Sending you a huge 🐻hug and tons of cuddles to the cutest of Pyrs ever 😘😘😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
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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