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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Please help!
My beautful Siberian Husky Juneau is 11 and will be 12 in July. He was diagnosed with soft-tissue sarcoma on his right front paw in 2020. They couldn’t remove the tumor because of where it is located. I had the option to amputate his leg at the time (to prevent the chances of the cancer spreading) or have him undergo radiation. I chose the radiation route since his vet said sarcomas are very localized and his mass was lower grade and the likelihood of spread was low. Juneau did amazing with radiation for almost two years. Sure enough in the summer of 2022, the vet found a high grade mass on his right shoulder in a lymph node so he had the tumor removed. The vet said it was likely the sarcoma had spread. He did great with recovery and has been taking chemo pills (Palladia) ever since. The sarcoma on his paw started getting bigger again in the fall of 2022 so I opted to do a second round of radiation on it since he did so well with the first round. He also had his shoulder radiated where the recent tumor was removed. He didn’t have many side effects, but a few months later he started limping and the limping hasn’t gotten any better. He also has muscle atrophy in that leg for not using it as much. He’s on pain and inflammation meds and we even switched some meds and his limp hasn’t improved. Some days it’s better than others but he won’t stop limping.
Yesterday, cancer was found in his right shoulder/chest area and he’s set for surgery next Tuesday to get the cancer removed. We are considering amputation that day too for comfort care and to get the original sarcoma removed once and for all. The vet said they’ll likely be able to remove morw or all of the new tumor if the leg/shoulder comes with it. I am so torn on whether to amputate his right front leg or not. I don’t want any new tumor remaining but the vet said there will always likely be some microscopic cancer cells left which he will get radiated after and go on a new chemo pill. So there will always be a chance for cancer to reoccur, even with amputation.
After all this, thankfully he DOESN’T have cancer in his lungs.
Juneau is still a pretty energetic dog for his age and has a great weight. He almost acts like he’s still 5 or 6, with a limp. He does have some arthritis in his back hips. I just worry about how he will do with a front right leg amputation. I want what’s best for him. Please help!
Hi Amy and Juneau, welcome. Your future posts won't need to wait for approval so post away.
I'm so sorry you are facing this situation. It sounds like you are working with an oncology team, which is good. Yes, amputation is a scary decision, but it sounds like despite the resection surgeries that bugger is still coming back so this is the choice they've given you. My understanding is these tumors can have tentacle-like behavior so getting good margins is important. Unfortunately at this point, it sounds like amputation is the only way?
I'm not sure if it's an option, but you may want to ask about electrochemotherapy , which is a great option for some dogs who either aren't good candidates, or whose pet parent doesn't want to amputate. It can be hard to find vets who do this therapy, since the procedure is more common in Europe (in people and pets). But it does have some great results, we've seen it among our members. Also, we had a member get a scapulectomy done, so that might be an option too, and maybe combined with electrochemotherapy if the tumor comes back.
I would ask them about those two therapies. But if it comes down to amputation, rest assured that Huskies, even older ones with the heart of a puppy, generally do pretty great! Here's just a small sampling of our Husky members:
https://tripawd.....m/?s=Husky
We are here to support you no matter what you decide OK? There are no right or wrong choices, you know your pup best.
Juneau sounds like a really strong and fit Husky! I was "owned" by one once and they so indeed act like youngsters, even as they "mature".
We understand all of the emotions, the fear, the panic, the uncertainty as you are faced with what path to take. It sounds like you have already gone the best route possible to forestall getting to this point. Good job.
Most vets will tell you that some arthritis and some "maturity" would not affect whether a dog could have the surgery or not it sounds like your vets think Junesu is a good candidate.
We've actually had several Siberian Huskies here do extremely well on three. We've even had a Husky who participated in sled racing in Alaska handle three just fine. If I recall, she was even able to participate in that sport again on some level. I think she was 15 or so when she passed away.
It's great news that the lungs are clear! Yes, there's always a chance that there are microscopic cells lurking around somewhere. Obviously, everyone here decided to take the chance to have a pain-free life for however long they remain on this earth. And absolutely, some dogs have thrived for many years. Obviously, some dogs don't. But the bottom line is they had quality time for more loving and spoiling.
Clearly your puppy is in pain, so something must be done to restore his quality, whatever that might be.
We can tell you that recovery is no picnic for a couple of weeks, but with good pain management , lots of rest and care, the sparkle will come back bigger and brighter than before and with no pain. Obviously you have a lot to think about and we are here regardless of what path you take, okay?
(((((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!
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