Hello out there ...

My husband and I are parents to a fantastic Leonberger guy named Elko. He's 10 years old this June and we've cherished every day we've had with him since he was an 8-week-old fuzzball. (Yes, even during the chewing stage that lasted two years..) We had Elko's half-brother, Rudy, for 8 years and lost him to osteosarcoma two years ago. His tumor was far advanced before it was found and an amputation was not possible. This case was, thankfully, different--we had a warning.

Elko broke his right rear tibia just lying down on his bed last Friday. Our vet told us, "Not good at all," and sent us down to the oncology dept at the vet teaching hospital (Ft. Collins, CO) the following Monday morning. He was evaluated and his lungs and bloodwork looked good. We were given our options: comfort care (radiation, pain meds) followed in a few weeks or less by euthanasia; amputation and chemo, with the possibility of having him with us for another six months to a year. They do limb-sparing surgery there but Elko was not a good candidate due to his age and size. (He is 115 lbs nowadays and about 30" at the shoulder.) The rate of complications even in young dogs is high.

My main question for them was about the quality of his life post-surgery. I thought that a giant breed would have a very bad time on three legs and that, at his age, his other legs would have a hard time supporting him. The oncologist admitted that these concerns were valid but she felt that Elko had some big pluses on his side: he is very lean and in very good physical shape. (He's never been a chow hound and he gets loads of exercise out in the boonies of WY with two active doggie siblings.) He has perfect hips--no dysplasia in sight (unlike his brother, Rudy, who had major dyplasia)- and very little signs of arthritis. She really thought it was worth giving him the chance. I was also feeling negative about chemo because we've currently got both a dear relative and a friend (humans) who are suffering through chemo and I didn't know if I wanted Elko to face the hell they are going through. I was told that chemo is generally much easier on dogs, because you are going for good quality of life rather than extending life as long as possible. So you don't hammer them with the most toxic drugs.

So we went with the amputation and it was done that afternoon. Elko came home the next day and we have been very lucky in how well he has done. Tuesday night and Wednesday were hairy because he needed lots of help with the sling to get around. But mostly he wanted to sleep and that really seemed to restore him more than any drugs. He been on Tramadol only and his incision was not bandaged. Yesterday (Thursday) and today he has steadily improved. He is able now to hop around the house on his own and to go out for potty breaks. (Thought we'd never a poop again but it finally happened this morning..) The most heartening thing of all is his cheery attitude. He smiles, wags his tail and bare butt, and generally seems to be his usual happy self. He still sleeps a lot but not like the first two days and we will slowly back off on the meds.

This is getting long--I can be terribly chatty when it comes to our dogs, I'm afraid....But that's our story and where our hero is now!