Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi, I've been posting on this site about my one-legged baby chick, Una.
Well today, I was grooming my almost-seven-year-old toy poodle mix, Cachito, when I felt a mass under a mole on his back. He's had the mole for years but the mass is new.
It's about the size of a quarter, which seems big for such a little dog. And it's on his back, not his leg, so unless there's another tumor we wouldn't be dealing with amputation, but since so many people on this site have had dogs with cancer, it's the first thing I thought of. He's still eating and acting normal. I'm going to call the vet as soon as I can but they're closed until Tuesday.
I literally just found it and now I'm freaking out and scared. Losing this dog would be my worst nightmare.
As everyone here says, Breathe! I know it is scary. My cat had a tumor removed 2 years ago this Summer. She is doing very well. Is it a place where he can scratch? It could just be irritated. I know it is easy for me to say don't worry, I know it is impossible . You are in a great place here for support. I am sure that someone else will chime in with an experience similar to yours. Just know our thoughts are with you. Lori, Ty and gang
TY GUY, Best Black Lab ever! Diagnosed and had amp in January, 2014. Kicked MRSA's butt. Earned his angel wings on April 16, 2014. Run Free my boy and don't forget a shoe. Ty is a proud member of the " April Angels". Ty sent us Daryl, a Tripawd rescue in Sept. of 2016. Daryl is 5 +or -. We are also Pawrents to Chandler, a Border Collie mix who is 15 and 1/2, Lucy, a Corgi who is 7, 2 minis, 2 horses, and a feisty cat named Zoe. Zoe had a non skeletal Osteosarcoma removed in July 2015. No Chemo, she was at least 16. She is going strong although she is now completely blind. She is now close to 20 and her hobbies are eating and sleeping in front of her personal heater.
Thank you. It's not really in a place he can scratch, it's on his back/right side. To be honest he doesn't seem to notice it. It's a hard lump and the skin over it is darker pink...Hopefully it's not even cancer, or if it is benign. But my mind always jumps to worst case scenario.
If I wasn't so freaked out, it might be funny. Chicken born missing a leg? I can deal with that. Dog has small lump on his back? Totally terrified.
Yeah, if you've been in this site more than an hour, you immediately jump to the worse thing you can possibr think of if there is a lump, a hiccup or a torn toenail!' And most often, it's just a fatty lump, a burp and a hiccup, and just a torn toenail!
So yes. B R E A T H E......B R E A T H E....
It could be sooooo many little "nothings"...REALLY!!
Cachito is feeling fine, eating, etc.
You'll get it looked at Tuesday, figure out what it is, if anything, and get it treated if need be.
As Lori said, it could very well be the mole has become irritated or infected,
Now go give that sweet pu a treat! And we want pictures of this sweetie pie!!
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!
Lumps are scary! But it literally could be dozens of things that aren't cancer - Clyde's doggy "brother from another mother" has a bunch of lumps and bumps, none of which are cancer. They are different things - cysts, fatty benign tumors and the like. Hopefully that will be the same for your pup.
Thank you so much for all the comforting comments. I feel so ridiculous getting more upset than some of the people on this site when I don't even have proof anything's wrong! I did just find out the vet's office changed their hours so they're open Sunday, so I'll call tomorrow and try to get him in.
I won't humiliate him with pictures from after his haircut this evening. After finding that lump I freaked out, which made him nervous, which meant we didn't get to put the "finishing touches" on, so he looks like an 8-year-old cut his hair. But here's my boy:
Couldn't really get a picture of the lump, hard to see with his curly hair and more tangible than visible.
He knows I'm upset, he's been licking me and cuddling to cheer me up.
Okay, there's sometw we have ro get straight right now, okay?
When we have a dog THAT cute, you have to give us a CUTENESS ALERT!!!!! Too much CUTENESS all at once when we aren't preparded can make us dizzy! 🙂 🙂 🙂
OMD!!! He is ADORABLE!!!!! Absolutely adorable!!!!
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!
Ohhhh What a CUTIE! SMOOCHES to Cachito!
Don't apologize. You are vigilant and observant, and you need to be proud that you noticed something different on him. Get it checked out and have your vet aspirate it. Odds are, it's a lipoma (fatty tumor) and not serious. We see that all the time here, it can definitely happen. Chachito is a lucky dog to have you.
How did you choose his name? It's so cute!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Cachito's name came with him, he's a rescue. His previous owners were Spanish-speaking. Apparently in Spanish it means a little piece or small bit/amount of something, as in he is a small "amount" of dog.
Now that his hair is short that lump seems so obvious, the skin is darker and it's easy to feel petting him, but it was just invisible under all the fluff. I feel bad for leaving the haircut so long, he was overdue but both of us hate doing it. I happened to be home sick from work today and decided to get it over with, otherwise it might have waited another couple weeks.
Yep, you hang out around here too long, you do get pretty hypervigilent. As others have noted, most lumps are not cancer. And as dogs age, limps are more common. Otis had a weird lump on his other leg about six months before his amp. The vets draw fluid right there in the office and can tell you in minutes if it is just a lipoma.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Yep, I agree with everyone else. A year ago I was on here totally convinced that our Cassie must have a mast cell tumor on her foot ... she had a strange lump and it looked weird to me ...it definitely wasn't a lipoma. So we made an appointment to have it removed. I thought for sure I was going to end up with 2 tripawds in our house!! But no, it was an abnormal growth of normal cells ...I forget the official name of it. Whew!!
Here's your rope ~ hang on to it, we have the other end so that you don't fall off the edge!
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Oh heavens yes. Since being on this site, I've managed to convince myself that Elsie has a mast cell tumour on her eyelid (turned out to be a Meibomiam cyst) and stomach cancer (turned out to be dieter's breath). Doesn't stop you worrying, I'm sure, but in all likelihood it is a lipoma. Roll on Tuesday and here's hoping they can set your mind at rest. Cachito is gorgeous. You do have the most adorable flock...
Meg, Clare and Elsie Pie xxx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, November 2023, adopted January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Elsie Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
Okay, you're all welcome to say "I told you so!!!"
Took my pup to the vet (oh he was so upset), and they took a little sample from the lump, which by the way formed a sore yesterday just to freak me out some more. The vet hadn't even looked at it under a microscope yet, but he said that just from looking at the lump and the stuff that they pulled out, some clear blood-tinged fluid, he thinks it's an infected cyst or abscess and was confident enough to give us antibiotics to help with the infection. He's going to call with the results tonight or tomorrow and discuss what we're doing next & whether it needs to be removed or not.
Cachito doesn't mind the 2x a day medicine as it means he gets extra breakfast to settle his tummy. I'm just relieved that it wasn't something scarier like cancer! Here he is waiting at the vet's:
(I told you about the haircut. He really needed it, but I miss his curls.)
So we're ok!!
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