Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi Tripawd members,
I believe this is probably the beginning of our tripawd journey and I could use some advice. Our wonderful 8 year old portuguese water dog Chester has a mast cell tumor in his right front leg. Because of the size and location we have been given 2 options. One is the amputation and the other is a difficult surgery followed by weeks of radiation. It does not seem to have spread beyond his leg. We are leaning towards the amputation but either is a tough choice. He has a very active sister who runs him around and we have 3 older boys as well that he loves to play with. Any similar experiences or advice would be very welcome! Thank you! Dawn
Hi Dawn and Chester,
Welcome to Tripawds. I'm sorry you are faced with this decision- but you have found a very supportive and informative community here.
Check out Jerry's Required Reading list- a compilation of information from this site on what to expect with amputation, recovery, and chemo treatments.
Most pups here are dealing with osteosarcoma or other bone cancers- but there are a few of us who have dealt with mast cell cancer as the reason for amputation. My pug Maggie lost her left rear leg to a MCT- and survived almost 4 years after. I lost her last year to a second, unrelated type of cancer. Check out her blog- there are pages with her story, and her amp and chemo treatments.
Another mast cell cancer front leg amp here is Roxy the boxer. She is just past her one year ampuversary and is playing and loving life!
I chose not to do rad therapy for Maggie. The major reason is the number of times that they have to be anesthetized. Short faced breeds like pugs often have trouble with anesthetic- and Maggie had trouble every time she was put under. As it turned out, her tumor was so large and so involved in the tissues around her knee that amputation was really the only option for us.
Another hard thing we face with mast cell cancer and making the amputation decision- mast cell doesn't cause as much pain or lead to leg fractures like OSA does. Maggie didn't even have a limp with her tumor. Sometimes for dogs with OSA the decision to amputate is based on how much pain the pup is in at the time of diagnosis.
You know Chester best- you make your decision with his best interest in you heart- and you won't be wrong.
Karen and the pugapalooza
p.s.- please consider registering as a member- then your posts will not have to wait for moderation (after the first one as a new member)
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Hi Dawn!
Roxy's mom here. Roxy was diagnosed with a Grade III MCT in January 2010. I struggled for a little over a month before I finally settled on the amputation. March 2nd was her one year ampuversary. She's done so well. For the first couple weeks you wonder if your pup is ever going to have that sparkle in their eye again. But after they've had a couple weeks to heal, you see they are the same, or in Roxy's case, even crazier dog than they were before.
I chose not to do radiation or chemo on Roxy. Instead I have her on a homeopathic treatment through Dr. Loops, who I found on this website. There are several of us here that go through him, so if you ever have any questions about that, just let us know.
What grade is Chester's MCT?
I wish you the best with what ever you decide. It's not easy, but you just have to do what you feel is best for Chester.
Leslie
Hey Dawn,
Sorry to read about your pup. Skyler also had a MST (right rear leg) and it was Grade III. She had her leg amputated, and did chemo every week for 8 weeks. The only other option we had was to do nothing. She was on vinblastin & cytoxin (also prednizone). After that, she was to go every 4 weeks. Unfortunately, her journey only lasted 3 months. As you can see, every pup/journey is completely different from others. This isn't an exact science, and as others have said - there is no date stamp on their butts.
What was really hard for us was that we had to amputate her leg, even though she didn't appear to be in any pain (like those with OSA). I will tell you that we have no regrets. We made our decision out of love, and we gave her quality of life. Had we done nothing, it's hard to say how long she may have been with us.
Whatever you decide, it will be the right decsion for you. Best wishes, and please keep us posted.
Cathy/Jane/Spirit Skyler/Chloe
Welcome to the family. I don't have any experince with mct, but if you are concerned about how they handle life with three legs, don't be. After these guys heal you won't believe how much it is life as before, they just hop instead fo walk, gives them character. Your first 2 weeks won't be the easiest, but it will be worth it. And as far as playing, you will be amazed at how agile they can be also. Keep in touch, Paws up, Spirit Gus and Dan
My buddy Gus had a left front amputation on April 7, 2010 and lived a great life until July 26,2010
Hi Dawn,
I'm sorry to hear about Chester. My Emily had OSA so I don't have anything to offer about this kind of cancer. What I did want to reassure you of is that if you choose amputation for Chester he will still be able to run and play with your other dogs. Emily had two brothers that she continued to dominate!
Good luck with your decision. I will look forward to hearing about Chester's journey.
Debra
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.
Dawn, you're so right, both are hard choices to make, neither one is easy. It's so hard to picture your dog with three legs.
I had osteosarcoma, which is different than MCT, so I can't be of much help there. But what I can help with is letting you know that not much slows down a Tripawd. Chances are that Chester will be back to his old playful self a few weeks after surgery. Most dogs are. At eight years old, he's still in the prime of his life. I was 8 when I lost my leg and I still played and swam like crazy afterward.
Sounds like he's getting great care, and the vets wouldn't have advised amputation if it wasn't a viable option for him. Have a heart-to-heart talk with Chester and see what he wants. Either way, we're here for you.
Thanks for joining us.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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