Hi Debby, thank you for registering and for your generous ongoing support. We are so appreciative and hope that we can make this journey as easy as possible.

It's never easy to get a diagnosis like this. The mind goes to all sorts of dark places and we question everything! But I hope I can help you find a better outlook on Ava's future.

Please don't beat yourself up for not knowing what's happening until now. Many of us were in the same situation, myself included. Oftentimes cancer is the last thing suspected. You did the best that you could.

The reason a full amputation is often required for this type of diagnosis is that the tumor will eventually grow so large that it will burst, or cause such painful damage to her leg that you will be forced to make a decision on the spot, under stress. Nobody wants things to get that bad, so your vet is trying to prevent it by recommending amputation now.

Yes, Ava will adapt to being on three legs much better than any human will. You will be so impressed by her ability to move forward. Humans have a harder time! And although she is very fond of her walks, there are many things you can do with her that will give her just as much enjoyment. You can also get her a dog stroller so that she can walk a few minutes, and ride a few minutes, etc., to take the stress off of her remaining limbs.

Try to look at it like this; you would have made these adjustments for Ava when she becomes an older senior dog. No dog can go on long walks forever, eventually their body will not cooperate. Ava just has to adjust sooner. But at her age, she will find many things to enjoy that will preserve her joints and keep her injury-free. We highly recommend having her evaluated by a canine rehabilitation therapist so that you can learn the right and wrong kinds of activities for her, since all dogs are different.

For now, don't get too overwhelmed. Check out our What to Expect articles , the Tripawds Recovery Shopping List , and our Tripawds e-books library, to help you prepare. Also, we recommend the Dog Cancer Survival Guide so that you can learn more about the type of cancer she has.

Finally, please give your veterinary team some allowances as far as time delays with communication. First, this is not a fast-growing type of cancer as far as I know, so it's OK that it's been a week since the scans. Also, things are very tough in the veterinary field right now, with staffing shortages and more pets than vets have time to care for. This puts them under a lot of stress, and so we do ask everyone to please give them some grace and know that all vet professionals are doing their very best they can right now. Thanks for understanding.

Meanwhile you can always call the front desk and ask for an update if you don't hear anything today OK?

I hope this helps! Ask any questions you'd like, we are here for you.