Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Just found this board - so glad I did. Facing a big decision and feeling very torn.
My 5 y.o. black Lab, Dempsey, was diagnosed with Cutaneous Nonepithelial Lymphoma a couple of months ago. It's very rare; in fact, our oncologist says it's only the 3rd case she's seen amongst 1000's of cases of lymphoma. Unfortunately, that means there's very little out there (literature, studies, etc.) to know how to treat it. He has a large - and growing - red raw tumor on the pad of his front left paw, which is bandaged. He's otherwise healthy, happy, seems himself, if a bit bored for not being able to take walks and play like he's used to (plus annoyed by the dreaded e-collar he sometimes has to wear.)
We've tried 2 types of chemo - neither have worked. Lymphoma is usually treated with chemo, as it's systemic, but in this case it seems to still be localized. No signs of it spreading anywhere else in his body - thank god. So our vet thinks maybe we'd have better luck going non-traditional and treating it locally with radiation. The other option is amputation.
Best we've been told for radiation working is 50/50...'maybe'. However, there's also no guarantee that even after amputation, cancer cells couldn't be lurking somewhere in his body and come back. The oncologist thinks we should try radiation first - but is open to either option. Of course I'd like to save his leg, but I fear that we'll put him through radiation and if that doesn't work either, still end up amputating. (Can't say I'm in an optimistic frame of mind at this point.) The quickly mounting expense of all this is also difficult, but my main concern is keeping him alive and happy. He's a young, hardy, unbelievably lovable boy - it's just so heartbreaking.
My regular vet is consulting another oncologist, so I hope he sheds some light. Meanwhile, I'm at a crossroads, and the clock is ticking. It's just so hard to know what the right thing is.
(Just for context, we lost our other black Lab about 6 years ago to a Mast Cell tumor, so this is horribly familiar. Sad as it was, she was 13 and she'd had a long, lovely life already. Dempsey is very much still a 'kid.')
welcome dempsey and family. your future posts won't require moderation. we had a soft tissue sarcoma, which was too intertwined in the right front wrist to be removed. gayle was 10, a lab mix weighing in about 70 lbs. we opted for amputation, followed by five rounds of doxorubicin chemo, she lived 22 more months, passing from a second cancer (oral melanoma) which invaded her lymph system. i don't have history or knowledge of your type of cancer. but, personally, we did not consider radiation as an option, as it required sedating her each time, and the odds weren't great. we've had other pups do radiation here on the forums, and maybe some of them will chime in. seems to me, several still ended up with recurring tumors and facing amputation. i personally went through seven weeks of radiation, and anyone that says it's no big deal...well, it is painful, a chemical change in your cells and not a walk in the park.
so, as a regular person, with no great veterinary knowledge, seems amputation would be a good solution to get rid of that extra, painful leg. dogs do very well on three legs, and dempsey is young and healthy. let us know what the oncologist suggests, whatever you decide, we are all here to help and offer support.
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
Your symptoms sound exactly like our symptoms. My Piper is 2 and has a red, raw tumor on his back left pad that our vet diagnosed as a "type" of melanoma. We are scheduled for amputation on Monday. Like you, we're tired of the licking, bandaging, ecollars and all the pain he's in.
We don't know if its spread, they think probably not. But I'm so ready for him to be pain free and enjoying life again. Whether its 3 months or 10 years.
Good luck with your decision...I know its difficult. We just went thru that this week.
Oh gosh! I'm so sorry to hear about Dempsey. Please keep us updated on what you find out next. As Charon mentioned radiation....not a magic cure on our pups and it comes with a price of pain. (not what we want with out pups!)
I hope everything turns out of Dempsey. When you get a chance, we'd love to see a pic!
And yes, it does like like Piper's story (above).
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
I remember the night I found Tripawds too. I read through my tears fearful for my sweet boy. What I have come to know since then is that removing his leg removed the pain. He was barely using it any more. So if it is pain you want to free Dempsey from, I would skip the radiation. I do not have any personal experience with radiation and of course I am not a vet or any other medical professional. I just know Shadow was magnificent with three legs.
heather & spirit shadow
I'm sorry you and Dempsey had to find us here. He is a gorgeous boy! And so young! We lost our very young girl to bone cancer, so I always especially hate to see the "young kids" here.
I don't think it's wrong to also consider your finances in this decision. With amp, it's one surgery and (baring any complications, which in most cases there aren't any) you're done. I've not done radiation with a dog, but I imagine doing the amp would be cheaper.
Another thing to consider is how Dempsey does on vet visits. We had an option to do radiation with our beagle a few years back, but we did not do it because she HATED to go to the vet. It scared the hell out of her, and we couldn't put her through all the visits that would have been required. Instead, we did a one-time procedure (it didn't have as good of odds, but we didn't want her to have to face all those scary vet visits).
I know it's scary to contemplate having your boy's leg amputated - but they really do so very well. It's a much bigger deal to us. They didn't mope, they don't miss the leg, they don't worry about what others will think. They are just happy the pain is gone and they get on with the joy of being a dog.
It's an awesome thing to be a tripawd pawrent. If you go that route, Dempsey will inspire and amaze you and you'll be oh-so-proud of him. Guess I just want to say - don't be afraid to go the amp route!
Keep us posted on what the other oncologist says. We're here if you have more questions!
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!
Awww, Dempsey, being one in a million isn't good when it comes to rare cancers. It's not fair that you're sick but we are all here to let you and your family know that there is happiness after amputation. The bond with a tripawd and it's family is something that really can't be explained but it is truly a gift. Good luck and let us know if we can help in any way!
Lisa and Zeus
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 everyone for your support. I've been researching - it really is heartening to see how well dogs do after an amputation. I think Dempsey would too - he's a resilient boy (zero side effects from chemo, for instance.)
In terms of tolerating appts., he actually loves going to our local vet - he's long had Discoid Lupus (not systemic, effects only his nose - and is well controlled,) so it's a very familiar place for him. They also adore him there - the techs, etc. always come say hello and give him treats, even if they're not working with him. He's just the kind of dog that's everybody's friend. He's not quite as comfortable at the oncologist's (different office) though they're kind to him there as well. He tolerates it relatively well though.
Anyway, I spoke to another oncologist yesterday, plus my regular vet spoke with one she knows, and it's becoming clearer that Dempsey's prognosis is worse than we'd maybe thought (hoped.) It's a very aggressive form of cancer. It turns out the proposed radiation isn't an intensive, daily protocol aimed at long term remission. It's palliative - a few sessions over a month or so - just to control pain, and keep the beast at bay best they can. So far, he doesn't seem to be in pain - he's just now starting to limp slightly, but doesn't mind having the paw touched, happily runs up/down stairs, jumps in car, etc.
We're coming to terms with the fact that he very likely only has a few months, no matter what we do. The odds of it popping up elsewhere are high. A little in shock at the moment. But I have to think through doing an amputation now, when his leg is still fully functional and relatively pain free, then healing/adjusting (though I know he'd do well)...all the while knowing he probably only has a short time left. So hard to wrap my head around how - or if - that fits in.
I have a consult with the other oncologist next week (wish it were sooner!) and we'll discuss all the options, including amputation.
Dempsey seems so healthy in every other way - all bodily functions are fine and most importantly, his personality is intact. The idea of what's happening inside him seems unreal. Just overwhelmingly sad to be with him and know. Dreading telling my kids this latest turn of events too.
Anyway, thanks again - will keep you posted. (And good luck to Piper on Monday - hope his recovery is easy and he's back on all 3's quickly!)
Hope it's okay to put a picture in a post....if not let me know, pls:
Oh my gosh it's more than OK to post pictures, it's encouraged. Thanks for letting us see what a cutie Dempsey is.
This is a tough decision, I'm so sorry that you're in the midst of it. All I can say is, many of us have faced aggressive cancers with statistically bad outcomes, and beaten the odds for far longer than anyone expected (with and without chemo). Not every dog will but when you get those stats from the vets, just keep in mind that they are just averages, numbers that don't take into account Dempsey's particular health status. He is young, and a fighter. This is a good place to be in.
You are being a terrific advocate for him and doing all the right things by talking to specialists and getting other opinions. It also sounds like you're near a big city since you mention the availability of radiation therapy, so that's terrific. You have great resources at hand, keep up the great work. As others have mentioned, it's not selfish to take finances into consideration either, so please don't beat yourself up if you can't do certain protocols. All Dempsey wants is for you to be happy, not stressed about paying for his medical care.
Good luck with the next appointment. Please keep us posted, we'll be thinking of you.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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