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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Luke is a Yorkie who will be 9 next month. He was diagnosed with a Mast Cell Tumor in his front leg almost two weeks ago. We took him to a couple different vets, including an oncologist, to get testing done and have only heard back that his x-rays looked good and lymph nodes "do not seem" to be affected but that his tumor is "aggressive". Since his leg is so small and the tumor is a decent size, it seems like just removing the tumor was not the best option, especially if the cancer is only in his leg. His amputation surgery is tomorrow and my father is now second guessing our decision. After reading many of your stories I think that this is the best choice for him but think it will be so discouraging to find out that the cancer may have spread and that this amputation was unnecessary. Did anyone go through the same thing or have any last minute pieces of advice?
I'm so sorry about your little Luke. I don't have any knowledge of mast cell. Others have and we have one memeber/moderator with pugs that will help you.
I know someone will jump and help.
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Hello to you and Luke. I'm sorry you find yourselves here. I also don't have experience with mast cell - we dealt with bone cancer. Hopefully some others will chime in soon. It's not unusual to second guess the amp decision and wonder if you are doing the right thing. Hang in there.
Jackie, Angel 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!
Hi Luke's pack, welcome to Tripawds. Your future posts will not require moderation.
Tri-pug Maggie lost her left real leg to a mast cell tumor, she was 7.5 years old. You can read her story here: http://maggiesj.....ies-story/. There is a tab there also that talks about her amp and treatment.
Maggie's tests pre-surgery looked clean. AFTER her amp it was discovered that her lymph system was involved (the lymph node in the removed leg was disected). We did chemo in the hopes of getting 6 to 9 months- Mag lived almost 4 years and did not die from mast cell cancer. She did have re-curring cutaneous tumors during that time as well.
When I was told about the lymph node involvement I did think for awhile that I had made the wrong decision. But I came to realize that I had given Maggie a chance. Without the amputation the cancer could have spread farther and faster, or the tumor could have ulcerated and created a wound that would not heal. Maggie's tumor was in her knee and deep in the tissues of the knee and could not be surgically removed.
Did they do an ultasound of the abdomen? Mast cell goes to the liver and spleen and can be detected on a US. There are also new drugs out since Maggie's amp, that have shown to have some success in treating mast cell- palladia and mastinib (aka kinivet).
The first couple of weeks after surgery can be tough- so don't get discouraged. Mag's amp was before Tripawds was established so we went it alone. During the first couple weeks after her amp I thought I did the wrong thing because Mag just did not seem happy. It took her longer than most, but she came around, and was her obstinate self again.
Good luck with the surgery tomorrow.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Thank you for your quick responses. It is so nice to have the support and comforting to hear how well others have done in similar situations. I will try to update tomorrow with how Luke is doing.
Thanks again,
Luke's mom - Jackie
Hi Jackie,
My boxer, Roxy, had her front left leg amputated due to mast cell. She came to us as a stray with a sore on her elbow. After a few months of this sore just getting worse we had it biopsied. She was diagnosed formally in January 2010 with a grade III mast cell tumor. I finally made up my mind and had her leg amputated on March 2nd of that year. I was terrified, I'm not going to lie. The statistics for MCT are horrifying. But I just felt I had to give her a chance. Now she's closing in on 27 months since her amputation and almost 3 years since the sore was noticed. Ive had Roxy on a homeopathic treatment since her amp, but never did chemo. We've been blessed. I certainly hope Luke's story is just as great! Do you know what grade his is? Have they mentioned the mitotic index to you? I was told that a mitotic index above 5 does not bode well. Roxy's was an 8. I really hope I'm not tempting the gods to put me in my place. I just wanted to show you that the statistics don't necessarily mean anything. Let us know how your boy is doing.
Leslie
I hope Luke's surgery went smoothly. Let us know how everything went when you can.
My Rizzo had a mast cell tumor on her hind leg and they tested the lymph nodes high in the groin area and found no mast cells there. So the recommendation was to amputate since they could not take the tumor with large enough margins. Amputation would then stop the mast cells from moving to other parts of her body. Good idea in theory. During the amputation, the lymph nodes further up in the abdomen were biopsied and they had mast cells in them already. So the cancer had already begun to spread. We would have done the amputation anyways to buy her time. Finding the cells in her abdomen just made us then include chemo too.
Your Luke will have some sore days ahead but it feels good to get that damn tumor off and gone. It always seemed so drastic to to take a whole leg for just a tumor, but once I found out the cells had already spread, it seemed to make a lot more sense. Terriers are feisty and this will help, believe me!
Good luck to you and Luke and we will be thinking about you today and these weeks to come.
Suzie and Rizzo
Jack Russell born in 2001. Mast cell cancer found Dec 2009 and right rear amputation. Five rounds of chemo done before all treatment stopped. Living life to the fullest!! Read my story at http://rizzo.tripawds.com
Luke and Jackie,
I'm sorry I'm late in responding, I just now had an opportunity to, and hope that the surgery went well today.
As you can see this community is so supportive during one of life's hardest times. It sounds like Luke is a great candidate for life on three legs. His size is especially advantageous, small dogs do fantastic on three legs. The cancer diagnosis stinks, I'm sorry you're dealing with that. The thing about cancer is, it's a day to day thing, and it really teaches you that you can't predict the future. What matters most is the moment at hand. So if amputation will give Luke a good, pain-free quality of life, that's all that matters. And whether that quality of life lasts years or just months, what's important is that he spent that time feeling good, not being in pain or doped up on medication. Dogs have no concept of "days" or "time"...that's a silly human thing!
I'm going to bet that after surgery recuperation he will AMAZE you at his spunk and drive to live life to the max. Let us know how we can help make recovery easier.
Keep us posted and let us know how things went. We look forward to hearing more about your pack. Thanks for joining us here.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you again for all being so supportive during this time. Luke's surgery on Wednesday went well and he came home earlier today. Unfortunately, we got a phone call with the biopsy results of the tumor a few hours later which said the tumor on his leg was a Grade 3 tumor and that his lymph nodes have been affected. I am still hoping that this was the right choice for him but am very discouraged because my parents are talking about just letting him live out the time he has left without doing any further treatments. I have read that quite a few of you have done chemo afterwards and that was successful for some, but when we spoke to the oncologist before his surgery, it seemed like it was financially impossible for us.
What are some approaches that you have had success with and does anyone know any less expensive alternatives to chemo?
Sorry I'm so late chiming in but I'm glad to know that Luke's surgery went well.
The one thing that I can tell you is to try and not question whether amputation was the right choice. You have done the best you can to deal with the cruddy cards you have been dealt. You took away Luke's pain and that will allow him to have a good quality of life - whether it is short or long term. Honestly, the amputation is the 'easy' part of the treatment because you know that in most cases the dog will recover and move on with life. The cancer is more of a crap-shoot because there's no real guarantee regardless of the treatment. Some dogs do chemo and live a long time and some don't do chemo and live just as long. We chose chemo for Zeus - his prognosis was six weeks b/c he already had a small lung met and he is now five and a half months post-amp and they have been really good, quality months. On the other hand, many dogs who didn't have chemo have done very, very well with supplements and diet changes.
Just keep in mind that so many people in today's world don't even fight for their babies when they receive a diagnosis like this. Just with the amputation, you have fought for him and helped him so much. Past that, you do what you can do and what seems like it is right for your family (emotionally, financially, etc.) and have peace with the fact that you did everything that you were able. Good luck!
Lisa and Zeus
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
Hi Jackie,
I completely understand your fears. Like I said in my previous post, my Roxy was grade 3 as well. We didn't have any lymph nodes tested so I can't speak on that. But even with grade 3 we are almost 3 years past the time the tumor showed up and 27 months past amputation. And Karen's pug girl Maggie had the mast cells in her lymph system and she lived almost 4 years. I wish I could tell you that your story will without a doubt be the same. But you can at least know that hope is not lost.
As for treatment, we didn't do chemo either. I've had Roxy treated by a holistic vet. His office is somewhere on the east coast, like Virginia or something, and I'm in Indiana. Distance doesn't matter. Most of his business is distance like that I believe. I know there are other members, one in Maine and one in California, That use him as well. I don't know that his treatment is what's gotten Roxy this far, but either way I'll take it. And it's SO much cheaper than chemo. And since it's holistic there are no negative side effects. If you like you can PM me for more info.
Leslie
That's definitely a relief the surgery went well. I'm sorry you got news that nobody wants though, and hope that whatever happens next you will be confident in knowing that all that you've done for him so far as been above and beyond what most people do for their dogs.
Please don't beat yourself up if you cannot do chemo, not everyone does. And even those who do, aren't guaranteed that it will work. Remember, Luke doesn't want you to be miserable and worried over financial matters and being able to afford to pay for whatever you do next. That kind of stress will only take away from the time you have together, so please don't allow it to do that.
What did the oncologist say about the chances of remission if you did do chemo?
There have been many dogs here who have been treated holistically but again, there are no guarantees, and since holistic protocols are not studied the same way that conventional ones are, they don't have a scientific track record. However, some dogs here have beaten the odds when being given holistic therapies, so whether or not that was because of the treatment, we don't know, but it worked for them. All dogs are different, keep that in mind. You can read about some holistic treatments here in our Nutrition Blog.
I hope this helps somewhat. Try to stay positive and remember that the staging of the cancer doesn't necessarily predict his survival rate.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Jackie,
I'm sorry the news wasn't better. I was pretty discouraged when I was told Maggie's cancer was in her lymph systerm.
I mentioned in my earlier post that there are some newer drugs out there- palladia and mastinib. I haven't used them, I don't know the comparative cost to traditional chemo.
Mag's little sis quad pug Tani also has mast cell cancer. She had 3 tumors removed in 2007 and they were all grade 1 so we didn't do anything else. Last year the tumors re-curred. I took two off, then we had 3 more pop up, so I've stopped taking them off. At least one of them is a grade 2 with dirty margins. One oncologist recommended palladia. But taking everything into consideration I am treating holistcally this time. One of the things I have been using is K9 Immunity
- you can find some info in the nutrition blog that Jerry linked above. It really gave her some good energy. We are now seeing a holistic/eastern med vet who is perscribing some herbs and a new diet. Tani has multiple health issues, so we are not treating just the cancer. It's been over a year since the tumors returned and she is doing pretty well.
I think Roxy's mom Leslie is talking about Dr. Loops in North Carolina. Several people here consult by phone with him to treat their pups. You should find a link to Dr. Loops web page in the nutriiton blog.
How is Luke doing after his surgery?
Karen and the pugapalooza
Hi Luke's Pack. Happy to hear the amputation went well, sorry about the biopsy results. We only had 12 days with Shadow after his amputaion. He went unexpectedly of heart failure. In those twelve days his recovery went well. He was happy, adjusting, and hopping around like a pro. We have no regrets and know that we did right by him. Each dog writes a different story. By exploring their tales (hehe, pun intended) I hope you come find peace in your journey with Luke.
Heather & Spirit Shadow
So glad surgery went well! I'm so sorry the stupid cancer has spread. Baby almost didn't get the amputation because of finances. I understand the frustration and anger ... to think of live or die decisions being made based on finances is awful! Luckily, we found a much less expensive surgery in a small town outside LA and were able to amputate, so we still get to love and cuddle our Baby and she's a happy girl!
The reality is .. finances do matter. I don't think we would have chosen chemo anyway, but the truth is we couldn't afford it. We don't do tons of xrays and biopsies and treatments... we love her and watch for any signs of pain and give her super mushrooms and glucosomine and fish oil. We accept that that is the best we can do. Yes, we love our furbabies, but you can not ignore the health and happiness of the entire family in making decisions. It's a tough one, and I wish you the very best.
Hugs and Slobbers
Judy and Baby
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