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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Our beautiful beloved 5 year old Great Pyrenees named Nugget was experiencing limping out of the blue for the past few days, it randomly got so bad that he was hopping and not putting pressure on the leg. We took him to the vet assuming he had a sprain/strain of some kind. Absolutely devastated to hear from the vet that he has Osteosarcoma in his hind left leg. She showed the x-ray and the mass is just so big and shockingly swollen. I’ve never felt so shocked and gutted.Â
The vet said the prognosis isn’t great and she said she didn’t recommend amputation on a large breed (keep in mind he is a small pyr. He’s only 94 lbs.) especially with it being a hind leg with the tumor. She said his quality of life would be greatly impacted and he would have so much pain and a hard life. She recommended euthanasia.
i would also like to say they did check his chest and it has not traveled there yet, it seems to just be in his left hind leg.Â
Me and my husband just have such a hard time accepting what the vet said.
Is there anyone here with a similar situation that did end up amputating? What is the quality of life like in a large breed dog with amputation of a hind leg? Is it cruel to put him through the amputation, is the vet right? How long will my baby live if we do end up amputating, will it be worth it and not just putting him through pain for an extra few months of life?Â
I don’t want to do this just because I don’t want to let my baby go yet. I want to do this because I just firmly believe in my heart that he’s not done living yet, he’s not done.Â
Hello Amanda and Nugget. Your post has been approved. BTW, love the name "Nugget" for a Pyrenees.
Take some deep breaths and know that you are in the right place for support and information.  We can definitely reassure you that Nugget is most likely a good candidate.Â
First question, was this a Certified Orthopedic Surgeon who gave you this somewhat dismal prognosis? Regardless, you need a second opinion from another Surgeon.Â
Secondly, 94 lbs is NOT even close to the larger size of some of the dogs who have successfully become Tripawds here. My Bull Mastiff Happy Hannah weighed in at over 125 lbs when she had her rear leg amputation. Oir "Volunteer Vet" who is a member here joined several years ago because her 175 lb Mastiff named Tazzie needed an amputation.  We've had Great Pyrenees, Great Danes, Saint Bernard's and on and on weighing well over 100 lbs.....even 200 lbs (if I recall Louie)
Anyway, is surgeons will tell you, age and size do not matter. It's all about the fitness of the dog. And based on what you have said, it sounds like nugget is in great shape, she has clear x-rays which is wonderful news and certainly has a zest for life!
So check oit the forum Size and AgeÂ
The two main reasons we all do amputation here is to remove the pain and to give our dogs a chance at extended quality life for more loving, more spoiling, more joyous adventures and more treats and tummy rubs!!
Nugget does not have a time frame stopped on his butt and he doesn't count days on the calendar. All nugget cares about is living from moment to moment and being with the humans he loves. They don't worry about the tomorrows they live fully in the now. That is the greatest lesson they teach us on this journey. They don't want us to waste time worrying about the what is, or how long, Etc they just want us to be fully present with them.
We all make the decision to amputate out of love and out of our belief that our dogs and cats would want this chance at a pain free quality life, regardless of whether it's months or years. All That Matters to them is each day at a time filled with joy and happiness and no pain.
Â
Just wanted to pop in quickly and at least address a couple of things. We can go into what recovery is like, how to navigate through it and how to make sure tripawd lives a full and happy life on three.Â
Will look for your follow-up post, okay? We are here for you right by your side and you are never alone on this journey!
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!
Hi and welcome! I will x2 everything that Sally mentioned. Please get a second opinion, that is old school thinking and the best surgeons have told us (and we have seen repeatedly) that neither size nor age should exclude a dog as a candidate if they are otherwise healthy. That is not meant to insult your vet, it's just that a lot of vets in small practices do not see as many large breed Tripawds as a surgeon or even as many as we see here. So ask your vet kindly for a referral to an accredited surgeon and if they don't have one please message me and I will find one for you. I'm traveling with intermittent Internet but I'm checking in when I can.
Some inspiration in addition to our Size and Age Matters Forum:
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