Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

Hello, 

I have been using this site for information about Tripawds since my 12-year old German Shepard/Husky/Pit mix was diagnosed with osteosarcoma two years ago. This is my first time posting. I see all the beautiful survivors and angels out there, and I want to share Tigerlilly's story.

Lilly is my first dog. I've had her since I was 15. She was the cutest 8-week old puppy with bright yellow eyes. I've had this dog through the hardest times of my life (teenage years, college, awful breakups, transitioning into adulthood), but she's also been with me through some of the best. She's been my support animal and I love her more than anything.

In August of 2018, I noticed she was favoring her back left leg. Assuming it was probably just arthritis or some other ailment typical of a dog getting older, I took her to the vet without a second thought. When the vet returned with Lilly's X-rays and told me she has what looks to be bone cancer, the floor dropped out from under me.

"Cancer?" I thought. "How is this possible? This is the goodest dog in the world. That can't be right."

A second opinion confirmed the same. It was on to treatment options.

My partner and I decided Lilly would undergo an amputation of the left back leg, but opted out of chemo, relying on gabapentin and tramadol to maintain her pain levels. The first couple nights after she returned from the operation were rough, and I feared I had made a horrible decision. But exactly two weeks after, we had our Lilly back! She was running around the yard, getting up and down stairs no problem, and enjoyed walks at the park.

She was originally given 4-6 months to live with the course of action we had taken, but we had no concerns about her health until exactly one year after her amputation.

In August 2019, she began favoring her front right leg (opposite the amputated one). We took her in to her usual vet and another X-ray revealed a suspicious mass, highly likely to be osteosarcoma. The news was devastating, but I felt better prepared. We had gotten a whole extra year of life from Lilly, and I felt so blessed despite the news. This didn't keep me from crying my heart out, but I figured it was time to get start thinking about her mortality once again.

We took Lilly to a oncology specialist who confirmed the osteosarcoma, and gave us treatment options. She didn't have another leg to give up, so we opted for continued prescription treatment and a chemo drug injection once a month to help slow the growth and potentially repair the damaged bone. 

Lilly was originally given about 4 weeks to live at this point. We ended up taking Lilly to chemo every month for 7 months until the pandemic hit and we moved from Cincinnati to Louisville. 

It has been another year since her second diagnosis and she has been living her best life. She's well-known in the community for being the sweet old dog with three legs. She loves to sit in the front of the house with us and beg for pets from neighbors through the fence. She's happiest when she's with her people and it pains me to ever have to leave because every moment with her around is so precious.

In just the last month, around her 12th birthday, I've noticed a significant decline in her health and energy levels. Our walks together have gotten shorter and shorter and she seems to only have one leg she trusts to put her weight on. She's begun coughing at night (which I fear is cancer metastasized to her lungs), but the vet says she is breathing normally with no signs of inflammation. Worst of all, she's whines frequently and cannot seem to get comfortable.

I'm mentally trying to prepare myself to make the call to an at-home euthanasia vet, but of course just the thought breaks my heart.

As I mentioned before, I love this dog more than anything, so seeing this stupid cancer take over her body while I can do nothing to save her has been gut-wrenching torture. Just like all the hero dogs I see here on Tripawds, she deserves so much better. 

Thank you so much for reading!

TLDR; My 12-year amputee doggo has had cancer for two years and it seems she is nearing the end of her fight.