I know the last posts on here were a little while ago but thought I'd share my story for whomever may come across this in the future while facing a similar situation.

I lost my 45kg male (long-haired) Rotti, Baxter, this year to cancer just days before his 9th birthday. He was diagnosed with an advanced case of osteosarcoma (bone cancer) to his right fore leg and upon x-ray it was believed to have not spread to his lungs.  Baxter also had arthritis to all legs and was on medication for these already (PLT) and had been for a good few years. 

We only realised something else was wrong when his right paw had almost doubled in size within a few days and seemed to have a reluctance to put weight on that leg. He must have disguised his pain as the vet said it was ready to shatter.  The vet called me while Baxter was still under anasthetic (while having x-rays) and recommended putting him to sleep due to the pain the cancer would be causing.  I was told that otherwise Baxter only had a couple of weeks at most before he would need to be put to sleep because of the bone shattering.  As Baxter had been fine in himself and still had a good quality of life I asked about amputation and chemo.  He then said this was possible explaining he would find out more for me and would also find out more about chemo.  He also mentioned there would be a referral cost payable to them for Baxter to have chemo.  In the days the vet took to come back to me, Baxter was on meds for the pain but then stopped using his right fore leg altogether but still had his (very healthy) appetite and got around fine. 

The vet got back to me with costs for everything, after which I explained I wanted the amputation done right away but that I needed time to consider the chemo.  This vet then refused to do the amputation saying it was not the right treatment for the dog as due to his large size (he had a very broad chest) he would not manage on three legs and they do not recommend amputation in dogs over 45kg.  He also said due to his large size putting pressure on the remaining leg if the right was to be amputated would cause a fracture in the left fore leg.  I did point out he was quite willing to go along with the amputation when they thought they would be getting the referral fee for the chemo referral and I think this comment is what caused my relationship with this vet (to whom I had paid thousands of pounds over the years) to sour.  He also remarked that should another vet agree to carry out the amputation Baxter would only have a month to live maximum and what with the cost it wasn't worth it and had it been his dog he would have him put to sleep.

Anyway, I then went to another vet having obtained the x-rays from the first vet and was totally upfront about my experience.  They saw firsthand how Baxter was managing on three legs (as he was no longer using the fourth), despite his size, and how lively he was.  I explained it was quality of life I was after and if the bone was going to shatter anyway, I would prefer to remove the pain source and deal with whatever comes after as and when it comes.  The vet quite happily carried out the amputation - he had to stay at the vets overnight as he wasn't showing the progress they wanted to see (he refused to eat or get up).  I explained Baxter was spoilt in that whenever he had undergone anasthetic and come home he would not eat out of his bowl and expected to be handfed 'human food' after being fussed.  After this, the vet tried what I suggested and he got up and went to eat with the other vets in their room and went out to relieve himself - he was allowed to come home and jumped up and 'ran' over as soon as he heard us (though was a bit wobbly as he tried to run).  The medication he brought home with him meant he did not need to continue with the PLT at the same time.  One of the areas hadn't healed as well as it should have and so we booked him back in for further sutures.  On the day he was due to go back to the vet he coughed up some blood and our worst fears that it had spread to his lungs were confirmed when he had the x-rays (70% of his lungs had been affected with what was described as 50p pieces of cancerous cells). The vet gave the option of putting him to sleep rather than proceeding with the sutures but then also said what we would need to look out for as signs of his time to be put to sleep if we didn't want to do it then.  We went ahead with the sutures and brought him home with more pain meds.  He lived for just over a month and a half after his operation. 

We knew Baxter would let us know it was his time to go - we could see it in his eyes as weird as that may seem and he seemed to have aged all of a sudden.  He started to eat a lot less, missed a meal here and there and didn't seem interested in walking, only getting up to move about out of necessity.  Even though the signs the vet mentioned to us were not there (lightened gums indicating he was not getting enough oxygen), we still felt Baxter was telling us he was ready to go.  It was the most heart breaking thing to do but it was best for Baxter.

The operation wasn't about it being cost effective - it really was just about ensuring Baxter's quality of life for as long as he was fit enough to live with that quality.  I did a lot of research when he was first diagnosed and looked at pictures, read stories of other dogs of the same size with amputations late in life and this is what inspired me to go ahead with the amputation option, despite it being a fore leg.  I even saw pictures of Saint Bernards who were managing just fine and this more than convinced me to go ahead and it's something I will never regret.  We also read up about artimisinin, artemix and k9 immunity plus and used these.  We started using them before the cancer was found to have spread to his lungs and although we read they were not very effective once spread to the lungs, we continued to use it in the hope it would at least delay the inevitable in the slightest.  I think we still have some of this leftover if anyone has a use for it.  Baxter managed as normal without his front fore leg, despite being an 'older' dog and having arthritis in his other legs - he certainly didn't seem to miss it.  His personality did change slightly though - I can't say he was dog aggressive but he did give other dogs 'that' stare as if he was spoiling for a fight and would bark at them if they dared to stare back and tried to go to them but after the op, he didn't do this (all this meant is less of a workout for us!).