Welcome iqalo!  I hope you do not mind that I moved your post.  I thought Toby needed a topic of his own so we could welcome the two of you and answer questions you may have specific to Toby.

This is a frightening time for the human - remember, Toby doesn't know anything is wrong.  Making the decision is the hardest in the world.  I highly recommend a second opinion, particularly if there is ANY question in your mind.

There is a ton of informative reading here, if you just want to browse and learn.  If you have questions, fire away, someone (or more than someone) will jump in and give you their story.

All these dogs are different.  All recover at different rates, and all have different reactions to the medications.  Good thoughts to you and Toby.

Hi Igalo - So sorry to hear about Toby. This is such a scary time. We found Tripawds when we were faced with the same decision.

The first time we heard the word 'amputation' for our golden Honey, it may as well have been a foreign language. We couldn't imagine having to make this decision. Honey has osteosarcoma and her left front leg was removed 3 weeks ago. I like to say her 'pain' was removed! 

I don't know what Toby's situation is - cancer or something else, but we wish we had done amputation sooner. We waited 3 months. Honey was in a lot of pain and on a lot of medication. Our vets didn't push us and told us that everyone's timing is different. We have no regrets about the amputation. Honey is still recovering - she's taking a little longer because of an infection - but she's getting back to herself. We've never been so happy that she's back to her annoying food-begging!! She loves toast!!

You'll find lots of helpful advice and support here. It helped me to look at pictures and videos here of other happy tripawds. You and Toby will get through this time!

All the best to you and Toby. Keep us posted.

i can relate to your situation as i was in it about a week or two ago.  We got to our place by talking with the surgeon, our vet and seeing how successful dogs recover from this site.

Our decision was pretty straight forward - if we did nothing, the leg would be useless in less than 6 months, debulking wasnt an option because of where it is and as someone else mentioned - with Caesar's type of cancer - he would be "cancer free" instantly with the leg removal.

It was still hard to imagine and comprehend, but once you process it you will make a decision that is right for you and Toby.

We brought our dog home today from the vet (had surgery yesterday) and he is doing better than i thought possible.  We still have a long road to recovery, but he is off to a good start.

Ryan

Hi Igalo;

I know I'm not alone when I say that even though it's a hard decision for you, it's the right decision! When we heard those words applied to my babydog Nikki, I couldn't even imagine what we were going to do. I conjured up so many bad ways that it could go, and really just wanted to hide and not think about it.

Nikki is now cancer-free and you frankly wouldn't even know she's a tripawd most of the time. She moves around great, plays like she's a puppy again, and pretty much lets me know every day that we made the right decision.

If you read her blog here, you'll find that the journey is a tough one, especially in the beginning, but it's SO worth it. Without treatment, Nikki wouldn't have lasted 2 months (She had Osteosarcoma and the docs said that the bone was ready to fracture, and when it did the cancer would transfer throughout immediately) and now we're enjoying our time together as if nothing's wrong at all.

There's an incredible group of people here who will help you through every step of the way.

Hi Igalo,

 This is a terrible time you are going through. When I heard the horrible news over a year ago that Tasha had bone cancer in her front left leg and should have her leg amputated to get her out of the terrible pain of bone cancer I was shocked and my first reaction was a huge NO! as I left the office that day heartbroken before I even reached my car I looked at Tasha limping, hurting with pain meds in my hand for her I knew I had to help her get rid of the pain and give her a chance at life. Today Tasha is still with us, she is happy girl loving life. She will be celebrating her 11 month ampuversary in a couple weeks. Every dog and situation is different but for us amputation was the right decision, whatever decision you come to will be what is best for Toby. Good Luck with your decision, It is a very hard one to make. 

 Jo Ann & Tasha