Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My 8 yr old yellow lab has recently been diagnosed with a mass cell tumor between his two toes(digits) on his right paw. It was removed and the doc says we may have to amputate the entire leg, yes I am working with an oncologist, he recommended the same as the surgeon, scans and test came back on the lymph nodes with no signs of cancer, the liver and spleen was a little swollen so they asperated and results came back ok, they say not to worry, But my boy's front paw was still slightly swollen when he finished his predisones and now needs another script. he is on a low dosage 10 mg a day not the 20mg 2x a day after his surgery. Duke is not limping or seem to be in any pain. I want to know any advice as to should I wait and see what happens, cause the surgeon says its still there. He wasn't able to get a clean margin. I have been trying the cloe's digit but haven't changed his food yet cause it's a vet recommended food to lose weight. I am so undecided what to do, It was considered a grade 2 MCT. Please share some advice, I want to try everything before amputation.
Welcome and best wished for Duke! You future forum posts will not require moderation.
others will surely chime in soon. Take this time to search the Froums above for many discussions about MCT, use the Advanced Search function to refine your results or search all blogs here . Don't miss Angel Maggie's blog for LOTS of tips about mast cell treatment, recovery and care.
Start here if you ever need help navigating the Tripawds community.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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Hi mamaduke and welcome to this wonderful community of Tripawds.... As Admin has said, there are many here that dealt with mast cell cancer. I love the pic for your avatar, but I am a bit bias 😊
My special angel Polly battled hemangiosarcoma when we joined Tripawds, but before this diagnosis, she also developed mast cell cancer at aged 6 on her abdomen which was also a grade 2. We were able to excise a fairly good marginal area with 2 surgeries, but one border was iffy, and fortunately it was enough to beat this cancer. That is my only experience with this type cancer to share with you.
I do want to add that there are a few pups and kitties here that have been a bit overweight when deciding amputation. However, we all do know amputation itself can be quite scary and a difficult decision, but the main factor is still to eliminate any possibility of cancer spread. Of course this is a definite personal decision, so I do understand your indecision right now.
I know Karen will be along to help, so I do want to wish you the best with everything, and there is plenty support here for you if you need anything at all.
Keeping you in my thoughts,
Bonnie, Angel Polly, Pearl, and Zuzu 🐾
Hello and welcome, although I'm sorry you had to find us due to MCT.
My pug Maggie lost her left rear leg to a MCT, the tumor was in her knee and could not be removed. Maggie's little sis Tani battled cutaneous MCTs for 8 years. Neither of the girls passed from mast cell cancer. You can read about Maggie's story and her amp and treatment if you are interested, the links are in my signature below.
A question- did you get the mitotic index (MI) with the path report on the tumor? The MI would give you a better idea on how aggressive the tumor is. Mast cell is notoriously unpredictable and a tumor called a grade 2 could act like a 1 (almost benign) or a grade 3 (most aggressive).
Since the surgeon didn't get clean margins the tumor will most likely come back, and it is almost impossible to get clean margins on the foot or leg. Although one of Tani's tumors was removed with dirty margins and it never came back.
Did the oncologist discuss radiation treatment with you? How about Palladia? I'm not sure if Duke would be a candidate for either but you could ask the vet.
One of the other nasty thing about mast cell is that it damages the skin and tissues making it difficult to get incisions or wounds to heal. If the tumor comes back and ulcerates you may have no choice but to amputate. And leaving cancer cells in her leg also make it more likely that the cancer will spread. I was told that if I left Maggie's tumor in her knee that it would eventually ulcerate and cause a painful wound that would not heal.
Here is a Link to a Pod Cast where Dr. Ann Hohenhaus discusses mast cell cancer, there is some good information there.
I know that amputation seems very extreme. My pug Maggie was not in pain and was not limping with the tumor in her knee. She only had a tiny bit of stiffness which I didn't even notice until I knew the tumor was there. I was expecting the vet to tell me it was a MCT- she had a tumor removed from her side about 6 months earlier. But I was floored when she said amputation!
You are wise to investigate all your options, amputation is not a good solution for every dog. I don't regret any decisions I made with Maggie, and we were extremely lucky that she outlived her prognosis.
No matter what you decided to do we are here to help you along. The cancer journey is tough with two, three or four legs.
Please let me know if I can answer any questions or help in any way.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
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