Hi Rachel and Harlie,

The question you're pondering now is a question we've all asked ourselves.  Things for my Leland were slightly different.  He was a 108lb Dobie who had been dealing with a mysterious "mass" in his left knee since Feb 2014.  First the vets suspected Synovial Cell Sarcoma and we were told the cruciate ligaments in his right knee were not good and could go at anytime.  So my husband and I had decided not to do anything and just keep Leland as comfortable as possible until things were too bad then we'd put him to sleep.

So 3 months later (after multiple x-rays to keep check on things) our vet decided Leland didn't have cancer because realistically he should have been dead by then and the x-rays of the bones in his leg looked good and normal.  So we went to a different surgeon who also agreed after examination and x-rays that Leland didn't have cancer.  So we decided to move forward with a TPLO procedure to correct the knee.

After the TPLO surgery Leland came down with an infection and the screws would not hold in his meniscus.  He was admitted back into the clinic for 4 days.  The vets couldn't get the infection under control, he was losing weight, refusing to eat, and they couldn't get the screws to hold in other areas of the bone.  So the surgeon called us to come to the clinic on a Sunday to one try and get Leland to eat and two to make a decision.  Either put him to sleep now or amputate the leg.  He looked so pitiful dragging that leg around but he ate for me and my husband and he attempted to play a little.

So we decided to amputate and the procedure was done on 6/2/14.  Leland did well when he came home with figuring out how to get around.  By the 2nd week he was getting up off the ground on his own and going potty without me hovering.  The problem was there were things going on inside his body that we couldn't battle.  He went from 108lb before the initial surgery on 5/20/14 to 73-76lb on 6/20/14.  We were told he had low thyroid function before the surgery on 5/20/14 and then our vet suspected an autoimmune disorder when he saw him on 6/20/14 (he had a lot of muscle wasting in his head to where the skull structure was clearly visible).  He also drank excessively and urinated a lot so I suspect he had something going on with his kidneys.

On 6/28/14 his cruciate ligament in the right knee went out.  My husband and I couldn't put our boy through a 3rd surgery and the surgeon said with all these other issues coming up things would have to go 100% perfect and his recovery would be much longer due to the autoimmune.  We were not confident that Leland could pull through another surgery after everything that had led up to where we were so we made the tough decision to put an end to his pain and the pain associated with more surgeries and we put him to sleep on 6/30/14.

We miss our boy so much and both me and my husband still cry over losing him.  My husband blames himself and feels if we would have just left Leland's leg alone he'd still be here.  I remind him that he may still be here but he would be in pain and we were just trying to do right by Leland and give him a better quality of life.

There's no easy answer to give you.  You just have to look at your situation and Harlie to determine the best route to take.  If you're worried about her size and how she'll adapt...I think she will do fine as Leland was a big boy and did ok maneuvering around.  Leland was 4 1/2 but I don't think Harlie is too old if that's another concern.  If your concern is how much time this may give you only you can answer that.  For me I think I would have to agree with my husband and we probably should have stayed the course and left Leland's leg alone.  Really we only got 3 weeks with him after the amputation and we're $13,000+ in debt.  I don't know when these other health issues would have come up if we'd left him alone but I do know after that initial surgery that failed everything just went downhill.

I wish things were black and white when it comes to our pet's health but sometimes it isn't.  Oh and we had the mystery mass biopsied and it wasn't cancer but they can't say what it was or why it came about.  So we're left with no answers on what happened with our Leland.

Sorry I couldn't give you a clearer answer on this difficult decision you're pondering.  I'll be sending positive thoughts to you and Harlie during this trying time.

Sahana and her Angel Leland     

Welcome. It's so hard to see your pup go through all of this. I was asking myself all those same questions before Molly J's first surgery to remove a mean tumor which had erupted on her rear leg. Amputation had been an option, but I thought it would be too much for her to handle. When the tumor returned, we had 3 options: amputate, debulk the tumor again (surely to see it return yet again), or just medicate for comfort. When the 2nd tumor resembled the first, looking ready to erupt, I decided amputation was our best bet. It would relieve her pain and hopefully keep her cancer from growing. Hers was a soft tissue sarcoma.

Now, we're 2 weeks post amputation. After ups and downs of recovery, I'm confident that I made the right choice for my girl. She's starting to act like her normal, energetic, playful self more. And she's getting around really well...even better than I thought she would, being almost 13 years old.

As the others have told you, you'll know if and when amputation is the right choice for your pup. Sending you some positive energy.

I know how hard it is when you are told this and it makes your knees weak.

If you want to chat email me.  We have a Great Dane Bailey who was diagnosed on 2/7/14 she had just turned 7 weighed 128 lbs.  Our only option was to amp. or the one we weren't doing she was full of life.

We did it for Bailey and not to her.  You should visit my facebook page Tracy Reidel-Madigan or the Forums under the Recovery etc.  one.  My Bailey is super sensitive but she made it, bumps in the road but she runs and is crazy with her 10 year old sister Bella.

Bailey had amp. on 2/7/14 came home on 2/10/14 had her first round of carboplatin on 2/21/14 and because she is super sensitive we were a 4 week chemo patient and went 5 Round of Carboplatin.  Now we did have some side effects with not eating but it did the trick.  TODAY... 7-17-14 Bailey is cancer free, lungs clear, blood work clear and WE ARE DONE WITH CHEMO.  I have heard from other Dane owners and Greyhound owners that 4 is what Colorado is doing now.  Our oncologist said it was up to us she had suggested 6 but with the complications we were having and Round 5 put her in the ICU with a 104.7 fever, when we met today for Round 6 we had already decided we wee not going to do it... Bailey was done with chemo and her oncologist said with everything being perfect today she said they just took three xrays on 6-20-14 and she was clear and still remains that way.  She said lets let her be and we will be talking to you on a 2 to 3 month follow up unless you have problems.

Bailey had the patch on after surgery but she looked like she was wacked out, she couldn't tolerate tramadol because it made her sick... so we had issues a lot of families don't have.

If you have any questions or want to talk to me on the phone PM me.

I was the worst on here I believe SALLY and JERRY can admit I over thought everything and wanted to bring her home like three times on the way home.  Bailey started limping after she had ben playing in the snow and we thought sprained it... muscle etc... well when Monday came around the vet took one look and said you know they are prone to dog cancer osteosarcoma... I about hit the floor.  He took an xray and by Friday we had a consultation and actually had it done that day simply because they had a cancellation when we were leaving or we would had to have waited another week.  The sooner the better so it doesn't spread.  Check all options and no one judges you on this site, we support each other and only you know what is best for your furry family member.  Lots of tears, I know how you feel, it feels like someone stabbed you in the heart.

Like I said I'm hear shoot me a PM and we can talk.

Hang in there.  This is the right place for you to be.

HUGS

Tracy and Bailey

I am finally a a point where I feel comfortable giving advice instead of always taking it. Sam is a big dog, too. No Dane, but he was 90 lbs of muscle pre diagnosis. I waited 2 months for a true decision to amputate, put him through a clinical trial and he ended up breaking his leg at the tumor site and it needed to be amputated anyway. The pan after that leg break was horrible. I've never heard a dog scream, but I heard Sammy scream.

Every dog and human has to do what is right for them. But. We are now 2 weeks post amputation and I have my puppy back.

We've gone from a ridiculous amount of pain medication 2 weeks ago to nothing. He's not in pain anymore. He's running, jumping and able to be a dog again.

We aren't doing chemo. I don't have the money.

But, if I could do it all over again, the very first diagnosis of osteosarcoma? I would not have hesitated to amputate his leg.

Wishing you the very best.

-Katie and Sam the Lab