Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi Everyone -
I am so glad to have found this site. My sweet girl Holly was just diagnosed with an osteosarcoma on Friday and is scheduled for an amputation on Wednesday. I am really having trouble wrapping my mind around this - other than a slight limp, she is a happy, healthy, vibrant girl (she is 9). I've been trying to read as much as I can over the last couple of days, and it seems that she isn't in the same kind of excruciating pain that some of your poor kids have experienced. I know that it hurts, but she still wants to do everything - when we thought this was just an injury and we were trying to have her rest her leg, it was incredibly difficult, and in fact the reason we thought that she wasn't getting better was that she was being too active to heal. We are trying even harder now that she has been diagnosed, as we are terrified that her leg will break....but she still does a dance at mealtime, wants to play with the other dogs, etc. I just can't believe that my bright, healthy girl is suffering from a disease so horrible that she could die within weeks or months if we don't amputate. My regular vet, the oncologist, and the surgeon all agree based on her X-rays that this is an osteosarcoma, with all of them saying, sure without a biopsy, we can't know for sure, but we really really really think that this is what it is. I didn't want to put her through a bone biopsy, but now I'm regretting not at least doing an aspirate biopsy...I know I am probably just in denial, but I keep thinking that maybe they're wrong and it's an infection or something. I've been trying to read everything that I can over the last couple of days, but everything is happening so fast and it is difficult to gather enough information, much less absorb it, and be able to think clearly enough to make such an important decision.
From reading through the forums, I know that most (almost all) of you don't regret doing the amputation, and that is a comfort, but it is still terrifying me. My question is...did you do a biopsy to make sure that your dog had the cancer that was necessitating the amputation? Should I try to have a biopsy done before making the final decision? I feel like I'm having an out of body experience - I just can't wrap my mind around this. Did you feel this kind of denial right after the diagnosis?
Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Holly's mom, Alex
welcome alex and holly, your future posts won't require moderation. yes, the shock of hearing CANCER is like nothing else. osteosarcoma is pretty identifiable using xray, based on what we've seen with other members and their stories.
we had soft tissue cancer, did needle aspiration, and tried surgery to remove it, but it was so embedded in the wrist, it was impossible to totally eradicate it... amputation was necessary.
bone cancer is unbelievably painful - even if holly isn't showing it, she carries pain from it. the fear, as you know is the breaking of the bone. it happens. sammy the newfy, james the poodle come to mind - it can happen with just standing, not needing to be a rough-housing event...
sounds like you've done your research, and with time you will wrap your head around all of this.... many members say the didn't realize how much their pups had 'slowed down' prior to amputation, but after the leg was removed, they bounced back to their happy joy-filled selves quickly. let us know how the surgery goes, and we are always glad to see pictures and videos!!
charon & spirit gayle
Life is good, so very, very good!!! Gayle enjoyed each and every moment of each and every wonderful day (naps included). She left this world December 12, 2011 – off on a new adventure.
Love Never Ends
What I'm about to say is very biases because we lost our dog to OSA 3 weeks ago, so please factor that in. We did a biopsy to confirm the OSA because we live in the SW and there was a slim chance it might be some type of fungal tumor instead. We weren't able to amputate the bad leg because of weakness in his rear legs from an earlier back surgery. After the biopsy, the leg swelled dramatically- like within days. He went from limping on his leg to unable to put weight on it at all. Then we had several episodes where he would cry out uncontrollably in pain and he thought the leg had broken (it never did, but the Vet told us he likely had micro fractures that didn't show up on an xray). In a matter of 3 short weeks Jack's pain spiraled so badly out of control that we had to put him down. I'm not a Vet, but it seems to me we did more harm than good with the biopsy. The biopsy showed that most of his 2 samples was necrotic anyway, so all I can guess is that we made a leg that was in bad shape, much worse by drilling into it.
My view is that if you are going to amputate anyway, don't do the biopsy. The two surgeries will be hard on everyone and you might not have a long time left anyway. It seems the Vet are very good at making a diagnosis from the X-rays. If both the regular vet and oncologist have not doubts as to the cause, I would proceed with the amputation if the lungs are clear and there are no other issues.
Welcome Alex and Holly. First, Holly is absolutely beautiful! Second, BREATHE! Seriously, take five minutes to walk out on your porch, close your eyes, take a few very deep breaths, and tell yourself: Holly knows that you love her, you will do the best you can with the cards you have been dealt, and you are not alone. Many of us are here because of cancer and we all know that tailspin that you are in right now. And, most of us will tell you that it does get better!
That said, we did do an open-incision biopsy and I totally regret it. I completely agree with Kate above - Zeus went from limping on his leg to completely unable to use the leg. It was extremely painful for him and it ended up being inconclusive anyway. It is my understanding that needle asparite biopsies are not as painful as the open-incision biopsy, but they are also not as accurate because such a small amount of tissue is obtained.
Each of us facing this cruddy diagnosis must make our decision based on what is best for our animal and family - emotionally, financially, etc. You know your girl and what is best for you all and you will make a good decision for your circumstances.
Good luck!
Lisa
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/
Welcome to Tripawds.
I'm sorry you have had to find your way here, but this is a very knowledgeable and supportive community, we are here to help any way we can.
I can't speak directly about bone cancer, my pug Maggie had mast cell cancer. But I can relate to trying to come to grips with the diagnosis. Mag had had a skin tumor removed about 6 months before I found the tumor in her knee. She was not limping and not in much pain from it as it was in the soft tissues of the knee (and Mag always let me know when something hurt!). I was prepared for the 'cancer' word, but not 'amputation'. I don't think I heard anything else the vet said that day. How could amputation be the best solution to this problem?
What are the chances that even if the issue is not bone cancer that an amputation would be needed anyway? If the bone is compromised will it ever heal- will you be living in fear of a break all the time?
Amputation is not right for every pup, and it is a major surgery with risks and should not be taken lightly. Maggie took her time adapting to being a tri-pug, and I will say I questioned my decision for a couple of weeks post surgery. Tripwads was not yet established when Mag was diagnosed so we went it alone. But she did adapt, and in fact we were very lucky with Mag turning a 6 to 9 month prognosis into almost 4 years.
And if it helps- what you are TAKING AWAY from Holly is pain, what you are GIVING her is quality time with you.
Let us know what you decide to do- we are here to support you no matter what decisions you make.
Karen and the pugapalooza
hollybeans said
I just can't wrap my mind around this. Did you feel this kind of denial right after the diagnosis?
Many of us who had the very same difficulty dealing with the perfectly normal human emotions you're feeling have found the book Without Regret helpful on coping with the decision to amputate. Our best advice is to try and Be More Dog .
Holly is beautiful. She doesn't know whats going on and she can't make treatment decisions for herself. So she needs you to be a strong balanced pack leader.
Welcome and best wishes. Please keep us posted. Be sure to bookmark Jerry's Required Reading List for links to the best advice if you have not already done so.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
We did a bone biopsy as there was some uncertainty in what we we dealing with (soft tissue sarcoma that invaded and eroded the bone). We weren't dealing with OSA, which I understand has a classic x-ray signature (that most of us amateurs can even recognize by now). Based on the results of the biopsy (cancer), we amputated the limb.
A human friend of mine recently underwent a bone biopsy in her wrist-- she told me it was the most excruciating thing she's ever experienced (made natural childbirth seem like a walk in the park, in fact). It's been 5 weeks since her biopsy, and she's still in a lot of pain (thankfully, she did not have cancer). After speaking with her, I totally regret putting Scout through a bone biopsy, even though things were not clear cut. It must have been horrific for him.
My advice is to forgo the biopsy and amputate-- all your vets are in agreement, and OSA is rather straightforward, so there is no need to put Holly through the extra pain.
I know this is a lot to take in, but it sounds like you are on top of things and your sweet Holly is fortunate to have great pawrents like you.
Catherine
Scout: January 31, 2002 to November 7, 2011
Scout's diagnosis was "poorly differentiated sarcoma"; amputation 1/11/2011. Scout enjoyed 9 fantastic years on 4 legs and 9 glorious months on 3 legs. If love alone could have saved you…
Hi Holly and Alex,
I agree with the others. Bone biopsies are really, really painful. About the only time that a bone biopsy seems to be worthwhile is when there is a great uncertainty about whether or not the tumor is actually cancer. As far as this community, there have been few times when a bone biopsy revealed a non-cancerous tumor and the course of treatment was changed. About 98% of the time, pawrents end up amputating anyways. If there are three professionals saying that it's looking like cancer, I wouldn't hesitate to go with their advice to amputate first, biopsy later.
I'm so sorry you found yourself in this place. It IS mind blowing and scary and emotional. But please know we're here to help get you through whatever comes next. We make no judgements here, and will support you no matter what.
Holly is darling and it sounds like has a lot of living to do, so go with your gut feeling, you can't go wrong.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
jerry said
I wouldn't hesitate to go with their advice to amputate first, biopsy later.
Oh, good point! All this talk of whether or not we would do biopsy applies to biopsy before amputation to aid in diagnosis. If you decide to proceed with amputation, then you can (and probably should) request that the removed leg be sent for biopsy. This allows the lab to evaluate a much larger specimen and confirm the cancer type so that you can make a fully informed decision as to future treatments like chemo. Since our before-amp biopsy was inconclusive (it showed "an aggressive cancer", just not what type of cancer) we also opted to do the after-amp biopsy which confirmed OSA and helped to determine the appropriate chemo drug.
Lisa
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/
Thanks so much for the thoughts, everyone! Deep down, I know that you are all right and that this is the right thing to do - it's just hard to envision. I wish it didn't all have to happen so quickly. The oncologist is planning on sending the entire amputated leg to be biopsied - again, hard to picture - my girl's entire leg, just independent from her body.
@Admin - I ordered Without Regret from Amazon, but I think it will get here on Wednesday, when she has already been dropped off for the big surgery! Hopefully it will bring be some comfort and peace while I'm waiting for her to come home.
It is beyond helpful to hear from people who have gone through this and who know how hard the decision is.
By the way, Holly says thank you for the compliments!! I am biased, but I agree that she is pretty gorgeous! 😉
I am in the same boat as you, Alex. My Stella was diagnosed on Saturday, and we have surgery scheduled for Friday. She doesn't appear to be in much pain either, but I can see that she's sleeping a bit more and just not as happy, so I do think she is in pain. She is almost 10 years old, and my biggest concern is that she won't be able to walk at all after the surgery. She always seems a little "wobbly," but maybe that's just her. The vet seems to think she will do fine, and I know he knows more about this than I do, but I'm still scared to death. I don't want to have the leg amputated and make her life worse than it is now. It's so hard...
None of us are vets. Shadow's pain became severe enough for him to not want to walk almost overnight. His scheduled biopsy turned into an amputation. Quite frankly, I was relieved. I wanted to go ahead with amputation rather than put him through a possible two surgeries. He was 11+ years old and the idea of putting my furbabies under anesthesia unsettles me. Shadow's dad wanted to go ahead with the biopsy. His surgery went well. That's our story and yes, it so difficult for pawrents to wrap their heads around this. Seeing Shads hopping around made us realize he was better than good with the whole thing. I hope your story has some good times ahead for you.
Heather & Spirit Shadow
krun15 said
What are the chances that even if the issue is not bone cancer that an amputation would be needed anyway? If the bone is compromised will it ever heal- will you be living in fear of a break all the time?
I think you're really right about this - with the bone so compromised, I would likely always be terrified of her breaking it. Plus, as terrified as I am that she won't adjust well to the amputation, at least the odds are good that she will be able to run and play again...with the one the way it is, those days would just be over, and that's almost too much to take.
Also, I love the way that you mentioned thinking about giving her quality time rather than taking something away. I will be repeating that over and over to myself over the next few days and weeks.
Shelley - I'm so sorry to hear about Stella. 🙁 This is all so unfair. Holly has had a bit of trouble with arthritis in her back legs (the cancer is in the front), and that is one of the things that scares me - if her back hips are weak, making her a little bit wobbly to start, does that hurt her ability to adjust? I saw on your thread that someone mentioned keeping weight down - I don't know if that is your Stella's problem, but I know that a couple of years ago when we got Holly's weight down, it helped a lot with her wobbliness and hip problems, so maybe that could help? Like you, my vet says that she will do just fine...and I guess you're right that she knows more than I do! Also, many of the answers above give me confidence (when I'm reading them....all of that confidence goes away when I'm lying awake at 3am!). At least we'll be on pretty much the same surgery/recovery schedule, so we can compare notes if we both go ahead with this...
Welcome to you and Holly, sorry you had to find us here.
It's totally understandable to be overwhelmed and a bit in denial. There's so much to absorb right now and, like you said, when your dog seems otherwise fine and healthy it's doubly hard to accept.
We did do a biopsy pre-amp - and honestly she didn't seem to be too bad afterwards - but given what I know now we probably would have skipped it if I'd been more knowledgeable at the time.
I know it's all quite scary at the moment, but if you do go ahead with the amp, once you get through the recovery period (which can be a sleep deprived roller-coaster ride) things start to get a lot better! There can still be lots of amazing, wonderful, happy times ahead for you and Holly. (She's adorable btw!)
Hang in there and keep us posted,
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!
Welcome Alex and Holly - sorry you had to find us but happy you're Here! My Sam had little to no symptoms too - he was diagnosed with arthritis and we were sent home with an all clear and joint supplements so I understand how difficult it is to wrap your head around the idea that your pup s sick. We didn't do a biopsy - when we had new X-rays taken and sat with our surgeon to read, he had the typical identifiable bone that Charon mentioned. Our thought was that a biopsy would have been for us - to make us feel better but that we still would have had to amputate. We also were not sure Sam would adapt (he was 120 pounds) but we figured we would cross that bridge when the time came - if we didn't give him a chance to fight the stinking cance, it wouldn't help him - he did amazing and we have no regrets. It's so scary but in a few weeks you'll be shocked at how far you've come....it's not easy, but you'll learn amazing life lessons from Holy about living in the moment and appreciating what you have instead of what you do not have. god luck and hang in there - it's a roller coaster! Xoxo Sue
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