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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First of all, thank you to everyone who created and supports this page. My wife and I just received amputation advice from a surgeon yesterday, and found this forum last night. We feel very lost at the moment and could definitely use some input from those who have been there.
Our very good boy, Lincoln, is around 13-14 years old. We don't know his exact age; he was a stray that we rescued from a kill shelter when he was only days away from euthanasia. That was 11 years ago, and we've tried to give him the very best life we could.
Less than one week ago, he was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor on his hind leg that had granulated, doubling in size very quickly. The tumor is too large to remove via surgery so he is on medication in an effort to shrink it. However, it hasn't stopped growing, and other complications arose that resulted in us facing a very hard choice: amputation, or saying goodbye.
On the one hand, the cancer does not appear to have spread beyond the leg (though we don't know that for sure). Aside from the cancer, Lincoln is healthy, happy, and fairly active, despite his age.
However, his age is the thing that concerns us most. More specifically, the heavy question on our minds is: if we go forward with amputation, what sort of quality of life are we giving a senior dog in his twilight? How much time are we buying him? If we knew for sure that it was even a month or two we would do it without question. But of course, nothing is guaranteed.
I know no one can answer these questions for us, but we'd appreciate any advice, opinions, and general input anyone on this forum might have. We have to make the hard decision by Wednesday. Thanks in advance.
-- Anthony & Brittany
Welcome Anthony, Brittany and Lincoln. Your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
What kind and size of dog is Lincoln?
My first Tripawd was a little Pug named Maggie who lost her back leg to a mast cell tumor way back in 2006. Although post surgery prognosis was poor she lived almost 4 more years and did not pass from mast cell cancer. If you are interested you can read about her amp, recovery and chemo in her blog, the links are in my signature below.
I was just talking with another new member about Stelfonta, a relatively new med to treat MCT. It sounds like you have gone through all your options already but I thought I would throw it out there. Actually, I'm not sure if you can use it once the tumor is so big.
As far as his age...for me it's not about the number of years it's about how much life is left in the dog. It sounds like Lincoln is otherwise in good shape and still active. Since your vet suggested amputation then he thinks Lincoln would be OK on three? My second Pug had all types of medical issues, including mast cell tumors, and because of that I never would have done an amputation on her when she was 13 (she did live to almost 15). My third Pug boy had both knees repaired before he was 10. In spite of that I would not have hesitated to to amputate a limb if the need had presented itself, he lived to just over 16 years old.
Unfortunately, mast cell is notoriously unpredictable. All of Maggie's pre-op tests showed no spread but once the lymph node in the removed leg was tested it showed that the cancer had spread. And she did have a few cutaneous tumors show up in the following years, but again she hopped happily through life for almost 4 years.
It is easier on dogs to lose a back leg. We do often see here that more 'mature' dogs take a little longer to recover but once they do they are back to themselves.
You can look at some stories in the Size and Age Matters forum, you will see lots of dogs older than Lincoln who did well after surgery.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Thanks Karen. We couldn't agree more; it's about how much life is left in the dog, and Lincoln still very much seems like his old self. He's a mixed breed -- we're not entirely sure what he is (never had him tested) but our vet strongly suspects he is a blend of black Lab and terrier. He's about 35 lbs, so on the small to medium side. He still gets around quite well despite some minor issues with arthritis and is a generally happy boy. We'll be sure to read Maggie's story -- regardless of what we choose, it's very nice to get some perspective from those who have been through it. 🙂
Hi and welcome! So sorry you had to find yourself here but we hope to make this journey easier for you and Lincoln.
Making this decision is tough, and especially hard when a senior dog is affected. I couldn't agree more with Karen's insight. There is chronological age and there is biological age. Many dogs have a young biological age compared to their chronological one. Some people too! Sounds like Lincoln is one of them, and that you know he's got many more miles left. Does your vet think he can be a good candidate?
We do see that senior dogs take a bit longer to recuperate, but generally they do well if they were otherwise healthy at the time of surgery. Even ones with severe osteoarthritis or other conditions can do well, it might just take a bit longer to recover.
If you decide to move forward with amputation, make sure he is getting good pain management . The best recoveries start with the best pain relief before, during and after. See our latest Tripawd talk for more.
Also, a good rehab therapist can make a huge difference, they can help his recovery move along nicely. They can also explain to you what to expect in the future, and how to keep him injury free. Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit too!
Let us know what other questions you have and how we can help.
Thank you, Jerry. As for the question of whether or not our vet thinks he is a good candidate, they haven't exactly said. I think they're trying to avoid swaying us one way or another; all they've said is that surgery is a viable option, and they have no reason to believe that he wouldn't recover from amputation. The bigger issue, of course, is the cancer and hoping it hasn't/doesn't spread.
We'll check out the resources you linked, thanks. We also just found a well-reviewed rehab facility very close to us, so we're already looking into them too.
That's the sign of a good vet, one who doesn't try to persuade but just puts out the facts. It appears to me that they believe he's a good candidate if you decide to go that route.
Has the vet scheduled work-ups to check for metastasis?
Glad you found a rehab facility!
Hi, sorry about the news. Just wanted to chime in. I had the same concern you do. Brownie was three weeks from turning 12 and 90 lbs choc lab. I was concerned about his size and age. I decided to go through with amputation to give Brownie a chance and if he had any difficulties or wasn't happy we would say goodbye. I am happy and proud to say my boy did fine and was happy on three!
Sending positive thoughts to Lincoln❤️
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
Thank you for the kind words and optimism! If we were certain we could give him another year, there'd be no question, that's for sure. But that would be the gamble. Currently we're waiting for cytology tests from two other masses. Hoping they are just lipomas, which he has been prone to his whole life.
I completely understand. It is a big and difficult decision. Brownie was given two to three months without chemo. Brownie hated the vet so we said no to chemo and went holistic.
All dogs are different but he lived an additional one year and eight days.
Lincoln is lucky to have such caring parents. You will make the right decision on his behalf.❤️
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
Aww thanks for sharing your experience Nancy! It's always helpful for folks to hear from other people who had to make this choice for older dogs. Brownie was a total rock star on 3!
Hello,
I was in a similar situation with my 13 year old lab, Bella. She had a growth in her hind leg. It was an extremely difficult decision but we moved forward with amputation in early November of last year. Bella has done even better than I could have expected given her age. The first day was tough but by day 4 she was up and moving around. It took her a few weeks to get used to peeing with 3 legs but now she handles that well. I would recommend looking into getting a Librela shot for arthritis. It’s a once a month shot and Bella has had a positive response to that treatment.
I hope this helps with your decision. Best of luck.
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