Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Zak is scheduled for his left rear leg amputation surgery next week; I thought we had a plan, but I am losing confidence in our decision. Although he checked out perfectly at the vet (and all pre-op testing) right before Thanksgiving, in the last week and a half we have found him stranded on the stairs twice, splayed and gripping, and needing assistance. This is a first. I had his Ruff Wear harness on him, so he could get used to it, so I was able to help him up the stairs the rest of the way. He also doesn't seem to be walking properly on his right rear leg. When I let him outside he is running without a limp and seems happy, but when I watch him walk it almost looks like he is pivoting on that foot with each step. I also thought I saw him putting less weight on that leg a couple of times when he was standing.
His so-called bad leg has never appeared to bother him, but I guess he could be compensating? If he is indeed compensating for his left leg, and that is not boding well for his right leg, is he really the great candidate I have been led to believe?
I am so fearful that I will remove his left rear leg only to find he cannot function as a tripawd. Given he has liposarcoma, and the growth is not actively bothering him, I feel this is almost elective surgery. It is our fear (10-15%) of metastasis, and wanting to be proactive, that had us move forward with scheduling his surgery.
I have a call into our regular vet and will bring him in to have them look at him, and do additional xrays if needed.
Any other thoughts? Perhaps it's just my pre-procedure jitters.
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I'm not a vet, but my first thought was that he's compensating. Many times you just can't tell which leg is the bad one, based on a layperson's view of the dog's gait. Oftentimes the limp will switch sides, it's just hard to tell if you don't know what to look for. I would say you're doing the right thing by taking him into the vet, and I'm going to guess that he's still going to be a great candidate for surgery.
Yup, you're nervous, and you have every right to be. But by covering all your bases, you'll know that you've made the best decision for him, whatever it ends up being.
Let us know what the vet says.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi, I'm late to the discussion, I hope you are still doing well. For what it is worth, Ajax was diagnosed as an 8 year old lab with chondrosarcoma in the right rear leg- not the same, but also a soft tissue sarcoma with low rate of metastasis but the potential to be "locally invasive" (ie come back in the same place).
We went through options, including radiation, but ultimately decided to amputate. That was July 2010 - Ajax is cancer free and has done wonderfully on 3 legs. Search "Ajax" for my chronicle of his surgery, recovery and ongoing adventures.
You sound very prepared. I would say that the slippery floors are the hardest thing - get the stairs covered as soon as possible. We tried taking Ajax up hardwood stairs with the RuffWear harness and it scared him and made it harder in the long run. He is fine now, as long as the stairs are not slippery he goes right up and down. Yoga mats will work in a pinch in hallways, stairs and if you are traveling to friends.
We got the orthopedic bed instead of the smushy one right away - he loves it.
PM me if I can help - I pretty much wrote everything down in my posts
Good Luck!
Thank you so much, kazy55. I read through many of your posts very late last night. It is nice to hear that Ajax did so well; he looks splendid in his pic.
I took Zak to his regular vet today and she confirmed that he is weight-bearing lame on his right rear leg (liposarcoma is in the left rear). He does not seem to have any pain in any of the muscles in the right rear leg so we are a bit stumped as to why he is not putting proper pressure on that leg. Just in case it is pain related we are going to try several days on Rimadyl to see if that helps him, but we will also test him for Degenerative Myelopathy.
In the meantime I have rescheduled his surgery so we have some time to determine what is going on. The doctor we saw today is a huge proponent of the amputation surgery for his liposarcoma, even for dogs with arthritis. That said, if the DM test comes back positive she would not consider him a candidate. We did discuss the possibility of a tendon tear, but he didn't react with any pain at all. We may follow-up with hip/leg x-rays based on what we see in the next week or so.
I have a call into the Tufts surgeon, who is an Orthopedic specialist, to discuss the postponement and his thoughts about what could be causing the uneven weight bearing.
With the knowledge that his right rear leg isn't quite operating properly, I would never forgive myself if I removed his left rear leg only to discover he cannot operate as a tripawd. If you saw him running around in the yard today he is the very picture of a healthy, active dog; to quote Monty Phyton's Bring Out Your Dead, he says "I feel fine, I think I'll go for a walk".
I'm a little late to this thread but I wanted send you as many good luck vibes to you and Zak!
Lupe had a STS that was undifferntiated and unclassified at the time of her surgery, unfortunately she had one of the nasty ones once the pathology came in. Tufts is a great place although Lupe's surgeon was at Mass Referal in Woburn who had 2 tripawds over the years and was a huge source of information and comfort for me during the whole process.
Fingers and angel paws crossed that it is a compensation thing and nothing more.
Please keep us posted on how Zak (and you) are doing.
Best,
Kori & Angel Lupe
Diagnosed with possible synovial cell sarcoma of right front elbow 5/31/12. Amputation surgery performed 6/7/12. Final diagnosis of histiocytic cell sarcoma 6/11/12. Her soul and spirit were strong, her body was not...my little girl earned her wings 6/14/12. "If there are labradoodles and goldendoodles, why can't I be a cockadoodle?"-Angel Lupe (June 28, 1997-June14, 2012) http://lupepod......pawds.com/
Hi I'm sorry to hear that you had to reschedule Zak's surgery but it is a good idea to weigh everything. I know how you feel to get comfortable with your decision and then have something come out that makes you begin the decision process all over again. I often think of that statement someone made about the knowns you know, the unknowns you don't know, etc. You just have to make the best decision you can with the knowledge you have at hand. the fact that you are thinking this through so thoroughly tells me you are looking at what is best for Zak so you'll make the right decision. Good luck!
Harley is an 8 year old Golden Retriever. Amp surgery for an infiltrative lipoma canceled due to two masses in chest. A rescue, he found his forever home on 3/18/07 and left for his eternal home on 1/09/13. His story and medical history are at http://myharley.....pawds.com/
Wow, I'm sorry to hear about these latest turns to Zak's journey. As if the thought of amputation isn't stressful enough!
But you are a great advocate by talking to the pros, I'm glad you had a chance to do that. Let us know what the ortho doc says. I hope this is nothing that will keep Zak from living a good quality of life. Please keep us posted OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Sounds like rescheduling is the way to go so you can find out more about what is going on with Zak.
I hope there will be good news and you can get some answers so that things can continue as planned. Sending pawsitive thoughts out to him. And to you!
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 I just checked in - I'm sorry to hear about the issue on the other leg. It sounds like your vets are thoughtful. Good luck - PM me if I can answer anything, but I have to admit that we did not have any concern over the remaining leg so I don't know a lot about that.
We finally have an answer as to Zak's right rear leg issue. He was seen by a Tufts surgeon and apparently Zak has a physiological defect in the angle of his knees; the pressure of that angle on the ligament in his right rear has caused stress over the years, and although nothing is torn, he has become lame. Unfortunately the surgery required to fix it is intense and the surgeon is recommending against the surgery on the right rear, given the cancer in the left rear. Sadly, we will not be able to fix Zak's cancer situation, and we are using Rimadyl and Tramadol to keep him as comfortable as possible. On the plus side, the liposarcoma tumor seems to be stable, and is not re-growing at nearly the anticipated rate.
Just wanted to give everyone an update. I so appreciate all the wonderful advice and support you provided when we expected Zak to become a tripawd. Good luck to you all. Now to deal with my old lady hound's torn cruciate. She sees the same surgeon next week.
Oh I'm so sorry, this has just gotta be breaking your hearts. How old is Zak? Did I miss that somewhere?
Did the surgeons give you any other options besides surgery and pain medication? I realize it's not something that can be fixed but what about physical therapy just to keep him comfortable as long as possible? You might find this article interesting:
Conservative Management Alternative to Leg, Knee and Hip Surgeries for Tripawds
My heart goes out to you, I know this is a tough situation, especially with your other pup. That article is good reading about her situation too. I hope it helps.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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