Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I happened to stumble upon this website yesterday and thought to myself, this is exactly what I need. A group of fellow animal lovers who will understand what I am going through.
My boy Rocky is a beautiful 8 1/2 year old lab mix who I helped bring into this world. My sister has his mom and I was there at his birth. He is without doubt, the best dog I have ever had.
I noticed Rocky beginning to favor his front right leg about 5 weeks ago, and took him into the vet for a check up on August 7th, 2009. He is a big boy, for a lab, and weighed 99 lbs at that time. He had been in a few accidents when he was little, and I knew that he was at risk for arthritis, so when I took him in, I fully expected a diagnosis of arthritis and to be sent home with pills for the inflammation and pain. They said they wanted to keep him for a little while so they could do x-rays.
So I came back a while later and well, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I heard the words "bone tumor". I was stunned at first, not really comprehending what they were telling me. And then came the realization that my good boy was going to die. My vet gave me two options. A bone biopsy which would require an amputation, (with or without chemo) or to let him live out the rest of his life with no intervention and I might have him for a month or two. At this point I was a wreck, and they had me exit out the back door.
The following day was spent with me crying the entire day long. I was just devastated and I was upsetting my kids (who are teenagers) and my animals, but I literally could not make myself stop no matter how hard I tried. As a single parent, the cost of the amputation was a huge concern to me, but I knew I could scrape up the money if that was what we decided to do. By Sunday, we decided as a family to amputate, and the following day I scheduled the appt. We will not be doing chemo due to finances and the distance involved to receive treatment.
Rocky had his surgery on August 14, 2009. Exactly 1 week after I received the suspected diagnosis. A "gooey mass" was found on the base of his tongue as they were getting him ready for surgery. The mass was drained and sent in with the leg to see if this too was cancer. That mass came back as a benign cyst, but of course the bone biopsy tested positive for osteosarcoma.
I brought Rocky (now tripawed) home 4 days later. And yes, I cried again when he came hopping out to me.
His recovery of the amputation is going really well, with the exception of excess draining (we will keep stitches in an extra week). The main problem we are having is dealing with raw, open sores on his other 3 legs. At first the vet thought they were pressure sores, but then they started appearing on places where pressure sores shouldn't occur, such as his mouth. We still don't know what they are. Some are drying up now, but he still has a large one on the side of his elbow. Has anyone else experienced these sores post surgery?
Forgive me for the long post, I guess I just needed to talk. Thanks for listening.
Hi Rocky-Mum, so sorry to hear your Rocky's story. It doesn't matter how often one hears this stories, or that we are going through something similar, it is always devastating.
Sorry, I haven't heard of "your" sores, but probably someone on the forum has.
We are now almost three weeks post ampu, and we cannot provide chemo for Horacia either... but there are some teas and alternative medicines that are said to help with cancer. Horacia is taking "cats claw" and Tazziedog said something about chinese power mushrooms... just browse around the forum and you'll find interesting infos.
We wish Rocky a speedy recovery!
Cecilia & Horacia
PS: this forum is the best therapy I have found, to cope with what is happening to us!
Spirit Horacia, Castaño, Olympia + human family Cecilia, Georg and Julia - - - Hori first diagnosed 8/6/09, ampu 8/12/09, run over the bridge 9/10/09 – We miss you every day dear girl!
I almost cried when I read your story, because it sounds exactly like ours. We had been taking Jack to the vet for a limp he'd had on and off for months, but every time we went, they found nothing wrong. He started limping in October and in May he started to develop a bump on his wrist. Our vet said it was probably and infection but would x-ray anyways. It was a bone tumor. That shock you first feel when you find out, especially when you think it's probably something else, is incomparable, and it all came back to me while reading your post. We are now 3 months post-amp, and as of 3 weeks ago, Jack has no evidence of disease (man, waiting for those x-ray results was HARD!!!). So glad that Rocky is doing really well!!! Keep us updated and let us know any questions/concerns! People here respond really fast and we all know what you're going through 🙂
<3 Laura and Jackers
Cecilia,
Thanks for the reply. It sounds like Horacia had her amputation around the same time as Rocky.
I wish you both the best.
Laura,
I'm sorry if I brought back bad memories for you or anyone else. It was not my intention. I know we all love our dogs or we wouldn't be here. Sounds like Jack is doing great! That's good to hear.
I see you are from Michigan - so am I. Kind of a yucky summer huh? And now we're seeing frost 
.
Oh nononono!!! No bad memories! I just know that feeling when you go to the vet and expect to hear "yes, it's just an infection/arthritis" and instead get "it's bone cancer". My heart goes out to you guys, and I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Where in MI are you? We're in GR so if you're close, we should try to meet up once Rocky heals! Again, I'm not sure where you are or how far you are willing to travel, but the place where we had Jack's surgery (Cascade Hospital for Animals) has a holistic vet who could give you holistic options to chemo. I think the initial consultation is around $65. If you are looking for an Oncologist for other treatment options, we see Dr. Swanson at Michigan Veterinary Specialists and she's wonderful. Keep us posted on Rocky's recovery!!
<3 Laura
P.S. It is FREEZING here!! I even wore my winter coat on Saturday 🙂
I'm sorry, I don't know anything about the sores either but I wanted to welcome you to this site. I'm glad that Rocky is doing well. I can totally relate to the shock and sorrow of hearing a diagnosis that you were not expecting. I was at work when the vet called and had to go home. Even when the vet had said it could possibly be an OSA I still was in shock. Good luck with Rocky and keep us informed.
Debra
P.S. I am from Ohio but maybe we can still talk to each other as long as it isn't football season! LOL
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
Hello Rocky's mom. I also cried when I got the phone call telling me my girl had bone cancer. I thought she got stung by a yellowjacket or something, so I was not at all prepared for such devastating news. I feel you on that. Big hugs to both you and Rocky.
I haven't read anything about sores post-op yet, but if I do, I will be sure to write. Did the vet check for medication allergies or adverse reactions? That's the only thing that comes to mind at the moment.
Mel, Boinks mom
Big hugs to you, Rocky's Mom. Glad you found the site!
I haven't seen anyone post about sores, though I haven't been around super long. So maybe your best bet is to try posting about that in the "Ask a Vet" forum for ideas. Good luck!
Yoda&Mom united: 9/5/06 …….… Yoda&Leg separated: 6/5/09……… Yoda&Leg reunited: 10/14/09 ……… ……………….………….………….……. Yoda&Mom NEVER separated! …………………….….……....….…… Though Spirit Yoda currently free-lances as a rabbit hunting instructor for tripawds nationwide
Hi Rocky's Mom
I, too, know how it feels to get that diagnosis. Cemil had a limp that didn't get better so I took him in, expecting sprain, or muscle pull or something, until the doctor said after the x-ray, Come back into the examining room. This is bad news.
His amputation was 7 months ago--I can't do chemo either, but have had him on an alternative treatment (Hoxsey) with supplements and a grain-free diet. So far, he's okay, as far as I can tell.
He didn't develop any sores like Rocky has, so I can't be of any help there.
All I can say is, I'm so sorry this happened, and you've come to the right place. We share our stories, celebrate the victories and milestones, and hold each other up on the bad days. I hope Rocky's recovery continues to go well.
Hugs and an Anatolian "lean"
Mary and Cemil
Cemil and mom Mary, Mujde and Radzi….appreciating and enjoying Today
RockyAndMe, oh we DO understand what you are going through. Hearing that diagnosis, much less coping with the thought of our dog being a tripawd, is something that never evern entered our minds. It's awful, going through those first few weeks, but as you can see, there is an incredible community of people here with shoulders to lean on.
We hope that as you watch how heroically Rocky battles cancer, he will inspire you to live life the same way he does, with appreciation for every single moment.
Try not to worry. You are giving Rocky the best life possible, and he surely appreciates it. If it's any comfort to you, my pawrents didn't do chemo for me, for those same reasons. And I lived 22 months when doctors gave me just four.
As for the sores, I'm sorry, I don't have any experience with that, and honestly I can't recall anyone going through that here. Hopefull it's just a reaction to surgery? If you can swing it, it might be good to get a second opinion.
Thank you so much for registering here and sharing your story. We are all here for you, keep us posted OK? And remember, you can always start a Tripawds blog to help you cope. That's how this site started, as a blog for my pawrents to write about my battle.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I'm so sorry to hear about the horrible news. I'm glad Rocky is on the recovery side of surgery and not dealing with the bone pain anymore. I haven't dealt with cancer; my little one was hit by a car and lost a leg. But I know that feeling, like a kick in the gut. We are praying for a full recovery for Rocky and that you find out about those sores.
Ruth and the 6 Pack
ldillon81 said:
Where in MI are you? We're in GR so if you're close, we should try to meet up once Rocky heals!
Laura,
We're in Cadillac, so we are somewhat close to you and Jack. I would be fun to get the dogs together for a "play date" 
.
Michelle
Emilysmom said:
P.S. I am from Ohio but maybe we can still talk to each other as long as it isn't football season! LOL
Debra,
Sounds good! Are you the football lover? I'm not a football lover per se, but I am a Brett Favre lover! I'm glad to see him back
Michelle
Rocky and Michelle,
Of course we are all sorry to hear of Rocky's diagnosis but know that you are doing everything you can now to move forward. I cannot tell you about all the tears that I have shed and I was in total shock when I first heard Cherry's diagnosis. Our vet, who is also a family friend, had a hard time understanding why I needed a little time to digest what I was told and survey all treatment options before we moved forward. In all, it was less than a day and did not impact our timing. As far as a long post, you can see that we too have a tendency to post long responses and I will always have a special place for anyone named Michelle.
Now that Rocky is home, you need to be strong for him. Often during the worst of times, I would leave the house, totally lose it, but always returned upbeat for Cherry. I often mention to remember to treat the spirit as well as the body. Find something that Rocky loves and can still do as a TriPawd then exploit that love to give him purpose. For Cherry, this was trips in the truck/car. One can still see her excitement level increase as the time for these trips approach. We even did such a trip today some nine months after her amputation. Yes, we are more than nine months post amputation and doing extremely well. There are many here that have preceded us and nearly all have had a recovery to an excellent quality of life. There will be ups and downs, but the trend will be for improvement. Since Cherry had some difficulty with the chemotherapy, I kept a diary (also posted online) so that I could look back and tell how much improvement she had made over various time frames. Otherwise, on is left with attempting to remember if today was actually better than a week, or month ago.
Paws Crossed and Nothing But Pawsitive Thoughts Headed Your Way,
Bob & Cherry
PS: I too am a lover of football (college) in spite of the fact that I have a BS, MS, & PhD from lowly Northwestern University. GO CATS!!
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