Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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Hi everyone! I am new to this site and had no idea that such a supportive and knowledgeable group of people existed! This past week has been a whirlwind. Our beloved 12 year-old large breed mix, Jackson, was diagnosed with bone cancer and had a front leg amputation. It is day 4 since surgery and he is recovering well! We were told that the procedure may buy us up to 6 months of quality life with him. Our minds are already thinking ahead to the next stage of the journey. Has anyone tried chemo to lengthen the life expectancy? How hard was it on your pup? Do you know if research suggests that amputees with chemo live longer than those without? Any recommendations for a cancer specialist in Michigan? Any suggestions, advice, words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated! We are new to this and love our dog beyond measure. We also have a 6 year old and 9 year old daughter that think the world of him! Thank you in advance ❤️
Hello and welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I'm sorry cancer has brought you here, but this is the best place to be when dealing with cancer and amputation.
Many people here have done chemo with their pups, and statistically pups live longer with chemo after amputation for OSA. But those are stats- my friend Cemil just pasted away over 9 YEARS post front amp for OSA and did not do chemo. We have seen pups here who don't even get through their chemo regimen before mets appear. It's kind of a crap shoot.
I did a quick Blog Search on Chemotherapy and Got These Results.
And here is a forum search on Chemotherapy
You might also be interested in the Required Reading List, there are lots of links there to information on amputation, recovery and treatment.
My Pug Maggie lost a rear leg to mast cell cancer and I did do chemo with her post surgery. Her prognosis was 6 to 9 months and she lived almost 4 years. Her story and Cemil's are those of survival far beyond expectation and are the exception, but it does happen. And we see here very often that pups outlive their prognosis. It's about quality, pain free time, and for a pup that makes every day the best day!
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
Hi Jackson and family, welcome. We are sorry to hear about the diagnosis but glad you found us! And how wonderful that he is doing so well. We have lots of tips for you! Be sure to check out Jerry's Required Reading List if you haven't already, it's a good place to begin and will answer many of your questions.
As for cancer specialists in Michigan, if you are anywhere near MSU we highly recommend there veterinary teaching hospital. Many of our members have gone there and had great experiences. Also if you give us an idea of the biggest city that's closest to you, some of our current members do live in Michigan and can probably make some recommendations.
As for words of wisdom...remember to Be More Dog . And keep in mind that each dog is different. A prognosis is just a prognosis, and it doesn't take Jackson's health picture into account. Many dogs have beaten that six month to one year bone cancer prognosis, both those who had chemo and those who did not. My best advice to you is to get all the information from oncologists that you can, then decide what's right for Jackson and your family. No matter what path you choose, it's the right one as long as you do it from your heart and put his quality of life as the #1 priority. We will support you no matter what.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
krun15 said
Hello and welcome, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.I'm sorry cancer has brought you here, but this is the best place to be when dealing with cancer and amputation.
Many people here have done chemo with their pups, and statistically pups live longer with chemo after amputation for OSA. But those are stats- my friend Cemil just pasted away over 9 YEARS post front amp for OSA and did not do chemo. We have seen pups here who don't even get through their chemo regimen before mets appear. It's kind of a crap shoot.
I did a quick Blog Search on Chemotherapy and Got These Results.
And here is a forum search on Chemotherapy
You might also be interested in the Required Reading List, there are lots of links there to information on amputation, recovery and treatment.
My Pug Maggie lost a rear leg to mast cell cancer and I did do chemo with her post surgery. Her prognosis was 6 to 9 months and she lived almost 4 years. Her story and Cemil's are those of survival far beyond expectation and are the exception, but it does happen. And we see here very often that pups outlive their prognosis. It's about quality, pain free time, and for a pup that makes every day the best day!
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Wow! Your pups really exceeded the projection... that is amazing! We had a minor setback yesterday when Jackson started bleeding through his bandage. It ended up just being drainage. He seems to have a lot of fluid pooling beneath the skin, creating mushy pouches. Did your pups have this? I think his recovery is complicated by his size and age. Over 100 pounds and 12 years old. Regardless, he continued to get around fairly well! We are feeling optimistic that he will overcome the procedure and still have some good times ahead. Thank you for your quick response and the information shared. I have been doing a lot of reading and learning something from everyone’s stories and experiences. I truely appreciate your support ❤️
jerry said
Hi Jackson and family, welcome. We are sorry to hear about the diagnosis but glad you found us! And how wonderful that he is doing so well. We have lots of tips for you! Be sure to check out Jerry's Required Reading List if you haven't already, it's a good place to begin and will answer many of your questions.As for cancer specialists in Michigan, if you are anywhere near MSU we highly recommend there veterinary teaching hospital. Many of our members have gone there and had great experiences. Also if you give us an idea of the biggest city that's closest to you, some of our current members do live in Michigan and can probably make some recommendations.
As for words of wisdom...remember to Be More Dog . And keep in mind that each dog is different. A prognosis is just a prognosis, and it doesn't take Jackson's health picture into account. Many dogs have beaten that six month to one year bone cancer prognosis, both those who had chemo and those who did not. My best advice to you is to get all the information from oncologists that you can, then decide what's right for Jackson and your family. No matter what path you choose, it's the right one as long as you do it from your heart and put his quality of life as the #1 priority. We will support you no matter what.
Hi Jerry, Thank you got the encouragement! We are a couple hours away from Lansing, but are willing to travel for the best care. We are close to Detroit; about 15 minutes south. Jackson continues to get around fairly well, but he has been having a lot of blood pooling and drainage (not from the incision, but inside from the procedure). He soaked through his bandage yesterday. Did this happen to your pup? Jackson is big (100+ pounds) and older (12), but definitely still has some life to live! In addition to all of the wonderful resources within this group, we also plan on getting a couple consultations before deciding how to proceed. I sincerely appreciate all of your support and guidance ❤️
Hi Jackson and family 🐾🌻
You’ve got great advise from others and I agree chemo or no chemo is a personal choice with no guarantees either way.
I decided to go for it as I wanted to fight with as many weapons as I could against osteo and my girl lived beyond initial prognostics.
Whether chemo helped or not, I will never know but I would still do it again.
Whatever your decision might be, the crucial thing to retain is to enjoy each day to the full with Jackson, make each day special for him and for his loving family 💕
We are all here to help, advise and support you both so don’t hesitate to reach out to us anytime.
Sending you hugs and cuddles 😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
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