Hi Shelby's mom.  I am very sorry that you may be facing cancer, but I would like to assure you that even if it is cancer there is much you can do to fight it and have quality time with Shelby.  We all understand the heartbreak, confusion and panic that you are feeling and you have come to a great place for information and support from those that have been in your shoes.

I know it's hard right now, but things will calm down and - one day in the near future - you will feel so much joy watching Shelby excel at her new normal.  Definitely read Jerry's Required Reading List .  It is full of super information to help Shelby recover and move on with life.  I know that you're not certain about the exact diagnosis and that leaves alot of unknowns to worry about, but try to take it one step at a time.  If the vets agree that the leg must go, then do the amputation and deal with that first.  You will have plenty of time during recovery to research and decide on the next step for treatment based on the test results.

We won't lie to you, the first couple of weeks after amp can be hard, but in the grand scheme of things a couple of weeks isn't that long!  Mostly, the dogs do fine but they are in some pain and we humans tend to panic over every little thing and let our paranoia make that recovery period a whole lot worse that it really is. 

As for the moaning, it could be pain but it could also be effects from the meds.  Our vet warned us after the biopsy that anesthesia can make dogs very vocal and to expect some whining and crying.  Hopefully this will subside as the meds make her way out of her system.

Good luck!

Lisa

Hi Shelby's Mom,  I'm sorry that we met under these circumstances,but hope you find this group helpful.  I recently went through diagnosis and amputation. We're just 10 days out and she's starting to feel a lot better.   My dog who is 11 has a different kind of malignant tumor, and amputation was the best bet for quality of life and longevity.  I found the downloadable guide very helpful as it has tips on pre surgery and post surgery.  I will be thinking of you on Monday, hope everything goes smoothly and you have your sweet, energetic pup back to feeling herself soon.  Take care, Lara & Daisy

Hi Shelby's mom- you have come to the right place! Sorry you had to join us though.

First, re the cancer diagnosis: Barret has a different type of cancer (tissue, not bone) so I can't relate with that, but The Dog Cancer Survival Guide was the BEST source for unbiased information about treating cancer. I highly reccomend that you read it as soon as you can. It also has great tips for coping with diagnosis. The three legs and a spare download has great tips for recovery and pain mgmt after amp. It was also helpful to read.

Second, I can completely relate to the "she's not in pain" issue you're struggling with. Barret had a lump in his armpit that is a soft tissue sarcoma. It was a very high grade, fast spreading cancer, but only locally. The only option for him was amputation of his forelimb and chest muscles, he had NO pain, but if we left it go it would become inoperable, and eventually burst through the skin and bad things would happen. But as of the day of the operation he had no pain. I was really hung up,on that too. (Though keep in mind that dogs can really hide their pain for a long time).

Barret was 22 lbs before surgery, highly energetic and it was the hardest decision to make. I had 3 weeks to agonize over it because of surgeon availability in my area. It was hell but this site was my salvation. He is only four days post amp and he has barely slowed down (and only because I'm forcing him to stay cal, if he had it his way he'd be back on our 2 mile hikes and playing fetch like nothing happened. In fact the Vet sent him home a day early because he bounced back so fast. I'm shocked, amazed and so happy that we did this to save him from future pain. Dogs are amazingly adaptable. I'm sure Shelby will love life on 3 legs.

Let us know how things go next week!
Heather and Barret