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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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New Osteosarcoma diagnosis-feeling shattered and overwhelmed
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Member Since:
29 June 2024
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29 June 2024 - 4:09 pm
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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. 

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. 

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? 

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. 

Virginia



Member Since:
22 February 2013
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29 June 2024 - 8:29 pm
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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. 

First question, was this a  Certified Orthopedic Surgeon  who gave you this somewhat dismal  prognosis?  Regardless, you need a second opinion from another Surgeon. 

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 Age 

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.

 

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. 

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!

The Rainbow Bridge



Member Since:
25 April 2007
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1 July 2024 - 7:20 am
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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:

https://tripawd.....ant-breed/

amandahetzer
4
2 July 2024 - 5:27 pm
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Thanks for your responses, they’re incredibly reassuring.

We have an appointment for Monday (7/08/24) with an oncologist veterinarian and really looking forward to the options and second opinion. 

Nugget has been on a steady dosage of painkillers and he’s perked so much up, I don’t think I realized how much his leg has been bothering him. He’s just so full of life right now. Even if we can’t go forward with amputation and chemo we are going to keep our big man around for as long as he’s happy to live. 

I’ll post an update on Monday after his appointment. Thanks for your responses again ❤️

The Rainbow Bridge



Member Since:
25 April 2007
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2 July 2024 - 8:21 pm
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Happy to help! And super glad he is on some more pain control. No matter what you decide to do after meeting with the onco vet, we are here to support you.

P.S. I see you posted as a guest. If you have any more trouble registering with your user account just let us know.

Best wishes to you and Nugget! We will watch for an update.

Member Since:
12 July 2024
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14 July 2024 - 6:17 am
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Our 10.5 yr old lab started favoring R front paw in May of this year.  X-rays  and a bone biopsy were done the end of May as anti inflammatory meds didn’t help.  It showed chondrosarcoma and the vet suggested amputation.  We saw our regular vet the following week and he started steroid therapy.  This was not helpful and more X-rays were done.  He and his partner advised amputation and further study of the amputated limb at MSU School of Vet Med.   Dx came back osteosarcoma with life expectancy of 14-19 weeks.  Our wonderful Labrador was in good health otherwise.  Now we have his death sentence hanging over us all and we are devastated.   We have opted for no chemo as osteosarcoma is so aggressive.  Please help us know what to expect   Heartbroken here in Mississippi

Virginia   

Virginia



Member Since:
22 February 2013
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14 July 2024 - 4:50 pm
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Okay, take some deep breaths and know that this is NOT the an  immediate "death sentence" for your sweet Lab.

Right off the bat let me tell you about tripawd  jerry (yes, the original  spokesdawg for Tripawds).  Jerry thrived for over two years after a very depressing prognosis from osteosarcoma.  Also, there was no chemo.

My own Happy Hannah loved her life to the fullest  for one year and two months (with chemo).

Brownie, a beloved Lab, beat osteo for over two years (with no chemo).

I'm quickly bringing  up these examples to let you  know statistics dont mean much around here.  Sure, there are examples where dogs got very little time relatively speaking.   What we've learned is no dog has a time frame stamped on there but in every dog is an individual with their own make-up, etc. With an amputation, you are giving your dog a chance for a pain-free, quality life full of more spoiling loving, treats, tummy rubs and maybe even extra scoops of ice cream every now and then!

Dogs don't count days on a calendar and could care less about how much time they spend on earth. What they do care about is living fully in the present and enjoying every moment as the effortlessly go from one moment to the other. We call that Be More Dog ! As hard as it is, if you can let go of any potential time frame that may or may not happen, and be fully present with your sweet lab that is how you beat this hard disease.

 

As hard as it is not to worry, try not to let those disempowering thoughts enter into your daily life with your dog. To take away from what is now by worrying about what may be in the future is not how you make every moment the best moment  ever with your pup!.

When did he have his amputation  and how has recovery been? Do you have any questions regarding navigating through recovery as you  continue to celebrate each Milestone he achieves?

BTW, what is his name?  He is clearly loved and sounds like a very fit fella'

Stay connected and let us know how things are going, okay?  

Hugs

Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!

PS....A couple of "house keeping" things. Your post showed up as a new guest.  If you have trouble logging in, let us know. 

Also, it would benefit you more if you start your own thread in the forums. That way we can give 100  percent attention to what's going on with you and your pup.

 

.

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!

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