Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello everyone - As I'm sure you can imagine, I am totally flipping out. I rescued Lincoln from the pound when he was two. He is magnificent (as in the biggest golden you have ever seen). He is tall and beautiful and about 115 lbs. People ask if he has wolfhound in him. In January of 2008, after a few months of seizures, he was diagnosed with a meningioma. The surgeon told me he could get me possibly six months post surgery. He was honest with us, telling us he had only had one dog ever be "cured" post surgery. Lincoln was his second miracle, as the tumor was fully encapsulated. Nine months post surgery, he ruptured his right ACL and underwent TPLO surgery in November of 2008. Shortly after a clean bill of health, he ruptured his left ACL and had surgery on that knee in June of 2009. Fourteen days ago he began limping on his left leg. Being concerned that something was wrong with the TPLO, I insisted on x-rays which showed a suspected osteosarcoma. Two days later he had a biopsy and today had his left rear leg amputated. At the time of the biopsy, he had chest films which appeared to be clear.
I know that time is of great importance with a cancer like this, but am having a difficult time absorbing all of this.
We will follow up with chemo, as has been recommended by Lincoln's vet. Fortunately, his surgeon is an oncologist, so he will not have to travel for this.
I made this decision so quickly, obviously considering Lincoln's size and prior surgeries, and am concerned about his life on three legs. I don't really need somebody to tell me I did the right thing, just that he has a chance to be a happy dog again. This dog is a golden retriever on crack...happy, smiling, tail wagging, swimming...even up until yesterday, he acted like he didn't have a care in the world.
I see many front leg amputees, but not many rear leg ones. Why? Any input would be fantastic, positive or negative. I really just need to know what to expect. I hope I have done the right thing by him.
Help. And thank you.
Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall – Confucius
http://credocan.....pawds.com/
Here's a rear one and he's happy as can be. He lost his rear leg due to an irrepairable knee injury, but he can answer a resounding yes that certainly Lincoln can be a happy rear legged amputee – as can many others. I never thought about it, but maybe we don't have as many rear-leg amputees as front-leg, but we definitely have them. And my tripawd before Gerry, Yoda (for whom I first found Tripawds), had osteosarcoma and he could answer that they can definitely have a full and happy life even while on chemo and battling cancer. Yoda caught a rabbit in the backyard in the last week of his life – he really managed to live it up!
Results vary, of course, but from what I've seen it generally takes a lot more than an amputation and cancer to get the incredible species known as "dog" down. And Lincoln has conquered so much already! With your help – it's so wonderful that you've been able to provide him with the care he has needed.
This site is a great resource. Share your fears and ask your questions as they come, everyone is very supportive! Hang in there and don't forget to take care of yourself too!!!
Gerry has been a tripawd since 12/16/2009.
He was a shelter dog with a mysterious past and an irrepairable knee injury.
Videos and pics of Gerry's pawesomeness can be found at: http://gerry.tripawds.com
Thank you...there are times if I wonder how much a single dog can take, but I guess as long as he is smiling, that will be his call.
Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall – Confucius
http://credocan.....pawds.com/
First, I am so sorry to hear what Lincoln is going through. He sure sounds like a resilient boy!
There are a lot of rear amps here to help you! I know it's incredibly hard right now and we'll try to help support you and your boy in anyway. I haven't done an amp, nor does Comet have cancer. (Yeah I know, why am I here?!!! - We are a tripawd by birth!)
When I read your story, Lincoln reminded me of the the lyrics to the "Aint Nothing Gonna Break My Stride"
"Ain't nothing gonna break my stride
Nobody gonna slow me down, oh no
I got to keep on moving
Ain't nothing gonna break my stride
I'm running in a one touch ground, oh no
I got to keep on moving"
Keep us posted, please! We are hear to listen!
Wishing you the best!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Well, I just heard from Lincoln's day to day vet (not his specialist), who made a special trip to see Lincoln at the surgical hospital (we feel so fortunate to have such a special relationship with our vet). 5 hours after surgery, Lincoln is awake and alert; I'm sure looking around and wondering why he has to spend so much time in that place. He is on a Fentanyl drip, so hopefully feeling no pain, or at least minimized. He's using my sweatshirt as a pillow (I left it so he wouldn't think we had just dumped him and could have a familiar smell). We were originally told he could come home on Saturday, but they are now saying he may be able to come home tomorrow.
I'm petrified to see his face...hopefully he just feels better and doesn't feel like we have done something horrible to him.
Fingers crossed he gets to come home tomorrow!!
Thanks again for the kind and supportive words. They help so much.
Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall – Confucius
http://credocan.....pawds.com/
Welcome and thans for joining, looks like we just missed you in the chat. We're sorry to hear about Lincoln, but he sounds like a real trooper. Rear leg tripawds have it easier than those missing a front leg since dogs carry 60% of their weight up front.
You have given Linoln the best chance possible to enjoy a decent quality of life. While amputation my not change his prognosis, it is certain to relieve his pain. We wish you the best for a complete speedy recovery and look forward to following Lincoln's progress. If you have not already, be sure to check out Jerry's top ten cancer amputation Q&A.
Above all do your best to remain strong, especially around Lincoln. What he needs most now is a balanced pack leader assuring him that life is normal as he recuperated and regains his strength. While you have reason to be scared, fear, uncertainty and doubt are such silly human emotions. If you need to express them, that's what these forums are for! 
PS: We locked the duplicate topic you started in the Presentation and Diagnosis forum and redirected readers here.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome to the site which features the best bravest dogs in the world. Lincoln certainly belongs as a member. He has been through a lot but sounds like he faces everything with a classic "golden" wagging tail attitude. Tai is a front leg amputee and has almost completed her chemo protocol for osteosarcoma. It was/is such a roller coaster ride as everyone will undoubtedly tell you. It can be difficult to remain strong and positive despite knowing how important it is for your fur kid. There are lots of great forums and ideas on this site for dealing with the few weeks after surgery, medications, chemo etc etc etc. I wish I had found it earlier. My first advice is to prepare yourself for when you pick up your boy from the vet. I had to struggle and hold back tears when I first saw Tai, she was so brave and happy to see me, she wagged her tail, struggled to her feet, hopped over and even tried to bring me the toy we had sent into the vet with her. It broke my heart. I knew I had to be strong for her but it was TOUGH. Her surgical recovery went quite well and she surprised me at how quickly she adapted to life on three legs. If you have any questions please feel free to PM me and I can at least relay my experience if it helps at all. Good luck with the next couple of weeks, we'll be thinking of you and looking forward to hearing how well Lincoln is doing.
Laura and Tai
Tai – 9 yr old lab. Diagnosed Osteosarcoma Dec 18/09. Front right leg amputated Dec 21/09. Started chemo Jan 7/10. Lung mets discovered Sept 16/10. Valiant to the end on Oct 26/10 when cancer reappeared in a leg and we made the decision to set her free. Forever in my heart where not even cancer can take her from me.
No, no, no you won't be petrified when you see him! It's going to be a great homecoming! I'm sure Lincoln is just glad to be pain free and is happy to rid of the hurting leg!
I personally believe that anyone who has gone through a TPLO surgery is going to handle the amputation easily! At least you won't have to keep him down for those long 8 weeks and fuss over whether or not he can or cannot do certain things!
The first two weeks of a MAJOR surgery pain are going to be difficult but after that, he should back to his old self! He is a "miracle" dog, remember? Nothing is going to stop him!
Wishing you lots of happy times ahead!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
Hi Lincoln. We too have a Golden with a rear leg amputation. Ginger was 108 pounds before surgery, so she is a big golden too. Not fat, just big. We are about 2 weeks ahead of you. Gingers leg was amputated on Feb. 23rd. She came home 2 days later. We were supposed to have her come home the next day but they wanted to keep her on IV pain killers for an extra day so they kept her. If you read our blog and forum, you can see we were having the same guilt feelings that you are and we were really looking forward to that first post surgery meeting to see if she was still the tail wagging dog she was before. Let me tell you, having only one rear leg in NO WAY diminishes how much that tail can wag! She walked into the room with us the first time on her own and so happy to see us. Yes, it is a major surgery and the surgery area looks like something out of a Frankenstein movie, but that doesn't mean she isn't the same dog. In just 2 weeks she has come so far I am daily astounded as to how well she is coping. She was on pain killers for 2-3 weeks prior to the surgery, but only stayed on them for 10 days after surgery. It was WAY harder for Ginger's Mom and me to handle this than it was for her.
The 2 biggest post surgery issues we had were #1 the drain tube. It seems not many dogs get a drain tube but our vet swears by them to help avoid a painful build-up of fluid under the surgery site (It has a name but it escapes me right now). That damn tube leaked for 7 days until it was removed and then the hole where it came from drained for another week, but it didn't bother Ginger at all! We just went thru a lot of gauze and towels. The second problem we had was the lampshade that she was supposed to wear around her neck. She HATED it and caused us many days off of work to stay with her so she didn't have to wear it and would not lick at her wounds.
Sorry to talk so much about Ginger. I am just trying to let you know what to possibly expect. Goldens are a very stalwart and pain tolerent breed. From the way you explain Lincoln, he sounds alot like Ginger. If this is true, I am sure Lincoln will handle it a lot better then us humans do. They are truly amazing creatures.
I am certainly no expert, although I am learning more day by day. But if there is every anything I can help you with, please feel free to ask away. Since we are only a short time ahead of you, surgery wise, maybe we can help you thru this a bit. I am leaning on others here, so the least I can do is help others if I can.
Keep the faith. I'm not gonna tell you the first 2 weeks will be easy, but it will surely be filled with times where you just look at Lincoln and say...now how the heck did you do that? 🙂
Prayers and best wishes to you and Lincoln.
Randy. Gingers Dad
Hey there,
Another rear amp dog here...not nearly the size of your dog but weighs ~65 lbs. Yup - the two weeks after surgery will most likely make you wonder "did I do the right thing"?....but with time, things will get better, your dog will get stronger and you'll be darn glad you chose to get rid of his pain by amputation. Others probably don't but I still, 5 months later, sometimes have moments of feeling so badly for my dog on 3 legs... but those moments are getting less....the stronger she gets and the fact that I know that she isn't in the incredible amount of pain she was in prior to surgery makes me feel better about it!
Good luck and BE STRONG for your pup! Keep us updated...I wish I'd found this site when my dog was amputated instead of two months later! Could of used the emotional support from 'like' dog owners!!
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Maggie was amputated for soft tissue sarcoma 10-20-09
Maggie lost her battle with kidney disease on 8-24-13
"I don't really need somebody to tell me I did the right thing, just that he has a chance to be a happy dog again. This dog is a golden retriever on crack…happy, smiling, tail wagging, swimming…even up until yesterday, he acted like he didn't have a care in the world.
Cute description. You may not need anyone to tell you that you did the right thing but I want to tell you anyway that I am glad that you made the decision you did. With everything that Lincoln has gone through this should be a breeze. My Emily was a back leg amputee also. I don't know why there seems to be more front leg amputees either. Following amputation Emily had five and a half months of pain free life before the cancer moved to her spine. Not enough time, of course, but it was good quality time that she had. She could still run like the wind, jump on the trampoline and control every member of our family with a single glance! Lincoln can be happy again!
You don't seem to have questions right now but you have certainly came to the right place if you think of any or if you just want to vent to people that know what you are going through. Everyone understands the "flipping out". It is a horrible diagnosis, and in your case up have already seen Lincoln have to go through so much. I truly believe that with everything that Lincoln has gone through adjusting to three legs will be a breeze. Remember to be as positive as you can around Lincoln.
Keep us informed. Lincoln will be in my prayers.
Debra & Angel Emily
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.
I feel like I should be responding individually, but for the sake of this thread, I won't do that. Is it enough to say that each post has brought me closer to center, and is helping me to stay strong for my boy? Probably not, but I do thank every one of you who has taken the time to help somebody you don't even know. I continued to be amazed at the generosity and thoughtfulness of dog people.
I saw Lincoln today, and have to say, it was pretty horrible. He cried and whimpered the entire time. He did all but flat out ignore me, which I was completely unprepared for. I am his person for love and comfort. His Dad is his person for play and rough housing. He wanted nothing what so ever to do with me. I finally sort of forced the issue and shoved myself between him and the wall. Thank goodness for the giant bed.
He was agitated and hyper alert. After all of his other surgeries he would crash into sleep to the point it was comical. Not this time. He just wouldn't relax. I literally finally just sang to him (thank goodness no human ears were subjected to this). I guess I just figured that maybe this would drown out the chaos of the hospital and help him to chill. Not that I have a good singing voice, just that it is a voice he usually likes. He finally fell asleep for at least a few minutes, but this was a small reprieve from how horrible I feel.
I know it had to be done, I just want him to know that I am not progressively removing body parts for my own sick pleasure. This is his fourth MAJOR surgery in just over two years.
Fortunately, I had my wonderful sister to tell me (after surfing this site), that all of Lincoln's behaviors are consistent with the Fentanyl and that I needn't feel slighted by my giant dog.
Anyway, he can't come home tonight, about which I am embarassingly relieved. I want him to have the best medical care and pain management , and I am certain only that he will receive that in the hospital.
I was told that his magnificant, beautiful, formerly powerful leg will be sent to WSU (Washington State University) for testing to confirm osteosarcoma. WHAT?!!? Did they really mean they will be checking the margins? To be fair, it was a tech who told me this, but you have to be kidding, right? I saw the biopsy results. Can they really check margins on a bone? Does anyone know?
Okay, we are off for a visit before it gets too late. He'll be home tomorrow after his 0930 discharge. Any words of advice? We have other dogs, but they are old and I don't anticipate they will bother him. Should he be supervised 24/7? Uh, oh…now I'm starting to flip out again.
Thank you again everyone…I will be following you all too, now.
Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall – Confucius
http://credocan.....pawds.com/
Gosh you and Lincoln have been through a lot. But he can be a golden on crack again. My doggie mutt was more on crack after surgery and spoiling (and power mushrooms, yumm) than he ever had been before. And he was always a pretty crazy dog.
The thorough pathology is done on the leg, since they have a better sample than they had with the biopsy. Sometimes osteosarcoma becomes chondrosarcoma (yay) or hemangiosarcoma (boo). And they grade it as aggressive, super-aggressive or madly-aggressive. Things like that. Can't answer your questions about margins (but why not?)?
It is tough. My happy Tazzie seemed rather depressed and lifeless for a long time after surgery, longer than most. But he came out of that stage and it was worthwhile - I think for him as well as for me. And, yes, the pain meds can be a big part of the reason they aren't so happy - at the same time they need the pain meds.
No, you aren't progressively removing body parts, but I understand the question. Asked the same thing myself.
Take care of yourself as well as Lincoln.
Hi Lincoln and Lincoln's mom! Well, don't be embarrassed that you are glad he is staying an extra night. I actually had our techs put a compression wrap over Jack's surgery site because I didn't want to look at his nasty udders that hung down (all the extra skin with no place to go...yuck!). I also wanted to be able to snuggle with him in bed without accidently snagging his stitches. I should have just kept him at the vet, but its soooo hard to leave once you see the little guy! The drugs certainly do a number on our babies, and I believe that is one of the main things that people have questions about after surgery. Remember, it is OK to ask your vet if things are normal...don't worry that you will be bothering them (not that you would worry about that, but if you do...). I don't know statistics on rear leg vs. front leg amputees, but that's a good question to bring up! Jack is a front leg amputee, a little over 9 months post-amputation. You will worry, and that is normal. You will have questions, and that is normal. Pretty much, when it comes to osteosarcoma, anything that can happen...someone on here has gone through it. As far as sending the leg out, they do like to send it for pathology to check the actual tumor and lymph nodes (the way I understand it, osteosarcoma spreads through the circulatory system and/or the lymph system, so they check the nodes for cancer cells to see if its spreading that way). You have found a great place for support. Good luck to you guys!!
<3 Laura and Captain Jack
Okay. Deep breath. I feel so much better after the evening visit. Got lots of time and he is off his IV, so only on the pain patch. He loves me again (seriously, I get that this isn't all about me), but it was a great feeling. He also loves his tech at the hospital. Evidently this tech's first day was the day of Lincoln's brain tumor surgery, so he has seen him through brain surgery, right TPLO, left TPLO, and now this. I felt this amazing calm that Lincoln was with a friend. Is it too much to think that I may sleep tonight. This may be TMI, but my facebook post today sort of indicated that I realize now that my body can survive on only coffee and alcohol.
Lincoln comes home tomorrow first thing in the morning. I guess chemo will start soon, but haven't really spoken to the surgeon about that. How have I missed all of these important details? Anyway, they don't have to start it right away, so I guess we are okay. I'm still hopeful that we may be lucky because we were so quick with our diagnosis, but I am also realistic.I guess I just have to remember that we have promised ourselves that this will be the summer of Lincoln. No matter what.
Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall – Confucius
http://credocan.....pawds.com/
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