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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HI! I'm new to the community and just looking for a supportive atmosphere and new friends who can understand my situation.
My name is Marleni, & my dog's name is Sophie. she is a 9-year old English Springer Spaniel & we are from Paterson, NJ. She is probably about 5 years old at heart, and is a boundless bundle of energy that never leaves my side. I rescued her three years ago from my job, where she lived alone in a warehouse. 6 months ago, my little Soph got the cancer bug real bad. I am only a 21-year old art major with a part-time job, so I had to find a way to get the money to save her. I was able to raise $2k through crowdfunding to get the tumor removed, and she was cancer-free... until now.
The tumor, called a Sarcoma, metastasized twice as fast and twice as big. It is eating up her leg, and Sophie is in pain. After making the difficult decision to amputate, I am trying desperately to raise the $4.5k for surgery + therapy to save her life. I am working 2 jobs and doing flea markets selling my art on the weekends to try to make this money.
Has anyone had a leg removed and had the cancer go away for good? anyone have it come back and become worse? I'm so scared for my dog. What if amputation doesn't work? My oncologist said there was a 60-80% chance of being cancer free.
Thanks for listening! You are all wonderful doggy parents 
Hi Marleni,
Sophie's story sounds remarkably like my dog Tucker's experience.
Tucker had an invasive sarcoma removed on his right front leg in April 2013 and it was back - and bigger than the original growth - by the summer. Tucker had his leg amputated on September 18th and he is Loving Life On Three Legs
Tucker's cancer - like Sophie's - was a localized sarcoma and so the amputation is likely curative for him. I won't say "for sure" because there are really no guarantees but it has been nine months since his amputation and he continues to do well. Tucker started physio about a month ago to strengthen his core and build up the muscles in his left rear leg.
Good Luck with Sophie's surgery.
Please keep us up to date with Sophie's progress.
Hugs
Linda and Tucker
Hi Marleni,
Thanks for joining us, we're sorry you had to join the club nobody wants to ever be a part of. Sophie is a sweetie!
What kind of cancer are you dealing with? And what does the recommended chemo regimen look like?
No matter what, always remember that statistics don't take into account Sophie's particular story, her health, her genes. They are just guidelines of what you might expect but yes, many many dogs have outlived the prognosis they were given and gone on to live long healthy happy lives (or "hoppy") as we like to see. You just never know, and that's perhaps one of the hardest things to learn about cancer, it really teaches us to not take anything for granted, and to live each day to the fullest because nobody has any guarantees about anything.
Amputation recovery isn't always easy, but it's rarely as bad as we envision it. Be sure to check out Jerry's Required Reading List and the Tripawds e-books Library for lots of tips and info. I know other pawesome community members will chime in too so hang in there.
Meanwhile, whatever we can do to help just holler OK? We'd love to hear more about you two.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Marleni,
Welcome to Tripawds, and sorry you are going through this with your sweet Springer girl Sophie. I am wondering also, what Jerry asked.....what type of sarcoma are you dealing with? My precious Lab Polly also had a sarcoma, an especially vicious one, hemangiosarcoma, but hers was different in that it presented as a tumor in her right front leg initially when it usually attacks the spleen first. So I was actually dealing with her leg tumors, which she ultimately lost her leg to, and very much hoping this nasty cancer would not show up in her spleen/internal organs. Unfortunately, it did, but my Polly managed to outlive the timeframe given for this ugly "c".....
There are others here that have dealt with many kinds of soft tissue sarcomas, and they are all a bit different. I can only share my experience, but the one thing to remember is, when dealing with the ugly "c", there is no timeframe, and once diagnosed, live life to the fullest with your pup.
Best wishes,
Bonnie & Angel Polly
Hi Marleni and Sweet Sophie -- it sounds like you have quite a bond after you saved her from a not so nice life.
You're probably feeling pretty overwhelmed now, but you've come to the right place! This is a wonderfully supportive community. If it is a traditional soft tissue sarcoma the odds are better than many other types of cancers that amputation can lead to a good outcome.
In our case Lexie had an atypical advanced and highly aggressive soft tissue sarcoma which metastasized to her lungs. We decided to amputate anyway after she got a post-radiation infection; she still had so much energy and a zest for life that was undeniable.
She has surprised a lot of people, including some of her vets!
As you found out, it is definitely not inexpensive to amputate and for the amputation itself you may want to consider getting estimates from several different vets since costs can vary significantly. Which leg is the tumor on, btw?
Make sure to ask any vet how many amputations he/she does in a week or a month. (If you use the advanced search feature you should be able to find a list of questions to ask.) You might also call some surgery practices in major cities near you to ask if they have any surgical residents in training; often they'll offer discounts and the surgical resident will be supervised and assisted by an experienced surgeon. Even going an hour or so away might lower your costs by a fair amount, so it might be worth comparing Philadelphia suburbs to New York suburbs, for example.
This thread has a round-up with city and state asking how much people paid and who was your vet or surgeon, so you might want to sift through that to see if there are any within a couple hours of you.
Btw, if you want to see an even older Tripawd really enjoying life after her tumor was finally removed, check out this video of Lexie, 2.5 months post op, and Tanner below (hopefully I got the right link this time).
Good luck, and keep us posted!
Deb and Lexie
Deb and Angel Lexie* Diagnosed at age 13. Tried radiation first; wish we had amputated upon diagnosis (even with lung mets). Joined Club Tripawd April 2014 & Lexie loved life on 3 legs! Advice: Start physical therapy as soon as your vet clears it, especially hydrotherapy if available :-) See Lexie pics here.
Hi Marleni and Sophie,
She is a cutie pie and you are an angel for taking care of her. The price of amputation seems very high. My dog's amputation was $1800. I'm with Deb in looking around for a more reasonable price. Unfortunately my dog had osteosarcoma and it did spread but that doesn't happen every time. Best of luck with your girl.
Penny
Welcome Marleni and Sophie...
I am so sorry that you had to find us here.. but good that you did!! I have a soft spot in my heart for English Springer Spaniels.... everyone knows that here.. what a beautiful girl you are Sophie!!!!!!
My Franklin had an injury in January 2012 where he tripped in the backyard by the firepit. Of course we iced and carefully watched him and after a few days he was running around like the big goofy lug that he was.. he was 13 at the time. By April/May, we noticed that he knee joint was looking a little swollen, and we, including the vet we saw at the time, summed it up to arthritis starting. By September, his joint was much bigger and we had him back and the vet (our regular vet) concluded that it was osteosarcoma. He was now 14.. and we thought we would not put him through the amputation at that time because.. he was 14!!! We were just going to take him home and let him be a dog.
Well.. by November, this guy was not slowing down.. and on December 4th, 2012 he gave away his front left leg. He bounced back wonderfully.. he was the perfect patient.. and the spark came back and that tail wagged faster! We opted not to do chemo.. even though it has worked for many many pups, we decided against it because.. he was getting up there in age and we had no guarantee whether it would be 1 month, 2 months, or 1 year he would have left with us.
Needless to say.. on May 15, 2013 we let him run for the bridge because the cancer had hit his lungs. Would it have hit his lungs if we had done chemo? Don't know.. not worrying about it.. we had 6 glorious snuggable months left with him.... Would not change that for the world... 14 1/2 is pretty darn good for an English Springer Spaniel.... and even better with cancer!! Every dog is different.. there are dogs here that have had amputations from cancer and have lived many. many years... 
Now.. Sophie.. is much younger!!! And I agree with everyone else. I would get another quote on amputation.. that seems extremely high for an amputation. Although I am in Ontario Canada, Franklin's amp was only $850.00 and that included xrays prior to amp to make sure his lungs were clear!
Keep us posted.. and realize that we are more than willing to offer advice and suggestions.. although we are not vets here.. we can certainly tell you how things went with our furkids.
Christine... with Franklin in her heart♥
Franklin, he was the Happiest Dog on Three Legs! Diagnosed 09/26/2012 with Osteosarcoma, amputated 12/4/2012. Had a wonderful 5 1/2 months painfree until he ran for the Bridge on 5/15/2013. Always in my heart, and always a guardian angel of my pack... You can follow his Tripawd Adventures, before and after, in my blog, Frank'n'Farter!
Just want to welcome you and Sophie to your we extended family. You've already gotten great advice.
Please know that you are not alone and we are all here for you. This is such a scary time. Just remember Sophie isn't worrying about a thing! She doesn't care about statistics...she's just getting on enjoying her life and soaking up all the loving and spoiling you are throwing her way!
We would love to see some pics when you can.
Take a deep breath, eat lots of chocolate and stay connected tomus, okay?
((((((((((HUGS))))))))))
Sally and Happy Hannah
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'm sorry cancer has brought you and Sophie here.
In your post you said surgery + therapy is $4.5K, is the therapy chemo? What is the cost for the surgery alone? The most important thing is to get the cancer out and get Sophie out of pain. Maybe you can focus on raising the money for the surgery, then worry about more money for chemo.
Don't feel bad about factoring cost into your decision. We all wish we had unlimited funds, but that just isn't the case for most of us. Depending on the type of sarcoma you may be in good shape with the amputation. Depending on the cancer type I know some vets will only recommend amputation IF you follow up with chemo, but that is not required. There are no guarantees with chemo either.
Karen and Spirit Maggie
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Welcome! Have you looked into any groups that provide financial assistance for people who can't afford veterinary care? I know there are numerous ones around the country, but I'm not sure what the wait/criteria is (etc). It might be worth having a sit down with your vet and telling them your situation (if you haven't already). Maybe there are some options that can help lower the cost ?? Is there a veterinary school near you that may be able to assist?
Mom to Tripawd Angels Jake (2001-2014) and Rosco (2012-2015) and Tripawd Tanner. “Whatever happens tomorrow, we had today; and I'll always remember it”
elizabeth said
...groups that provide financial assistance for people who can't afford veterinary care?
Don't miss the Resources page or this list in the Downloads blog :
Financial Help Resources for Pawrents
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Marleni,
So sorry that Sophie has cancer. I agree with the rest- check out other prices. Of course you and Sophie need to like and trust the person providing the surgery! I know this is a stressful time but we are all here with you. This site has helped me to keep everything in perspective. See Jake the Gentle Giant. He is 10 days post right hind leg amputation. He is happy and adjusting well. In life there are no guarantees. You need to do what your heart and gut tells you. I cannot speak for others but money is always an issue. I have postponed replacing my deck, and have thrown an area rug over my kitchen tiles that are cracked and lifting. Oven stopped working in May... holding off buying a new one. After all it is summer in New England and we can use the grill. LOL Keep us posted.
In my thoughts
Laurie aka Jake's Mom
Welcome Marleni and Sophie-
Everyone else has offered you the best advice. I just wanted to let you know we are all here to listen and support you during this tough time.
Sending pawsitive thoughts your way.
Luanne and Spirit Shooter
Spirit Shooter was a Miniature Australian Shepherd who was diagnosed with a MCT and had a LF amp 1/28/13 at 13-1/2 years old.
Shooter crossed the Bridge on 8/28/13, his 7 month ampuversary and two weeks from his 14th birthday.
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