Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I want to share with you our story as it unfolds for our sweet 13 year old chihuahua Lucas.
On Friday 8/2/24 Lucas was limping around the house. There was nothing he could have done to hurt himself other than jump off the couch. We assumed it was something small and kept an eye on it.
On Saturday 8/3/24 his leg was more swollen so we took him to the emergency vet. The vet did x rays and prescribed him antibiotics for possible tic bite, anti inflammatories for the swelling, and diagnosed him with lameness. The vet shaved his left back leg and noticed some bruising.
On Monday 8/5/24 the swelling had increased, and the bruising was spreading to his little belly. Worried about internal bleeding we brought him back to the emergency vet. From there the vet gave us the worst possible news. She said Lucas needs his leg amputated. She continued to say all of his labs were normal, it was not a sprain or injury, but likely a hemangiosarcoma that will take his life. She then ordered chest x rays to check for metastasis, which all came back negative.
On Tuesday, 8/6/24 Lucas was sent to a specialist. An abdominal ultrasound showed a nodule in his liver which they said was likely benign, but possibly distant spread. That afternoon my sweet boy had his leg amputated and his liver biopsied.
Today is Wednesday 8/7/24 and we have our Lucas home for his new 3 legged life. He is 24 hours post op, eating, peeing, and sleeping. He cries in pain and confusion but is doing so well. We are so proud of our boy and thankful for the surgeons.
As of now, we do not know his pathology and if it is in fact the worst cancer diagnosis giving us a couple months with our boy. We don’t know how much time we have with him. Looking at his sweet face makes our hearts so full, but the unknown is killing us.
I come to this forum because I am anxious and want to know if anyone else has a similar story? Where in a matter of days their life has completely been turned upside down? And is there any hope of this being something other than a hemangiosarcoma?
Hi Madeleine,
I am so sorry that you and Lucas are going through this, but we hope to make your journey a little easier.
I come to this forum because I am anxious and want to know if anyone else has a similar story? Where in a matter of days their life has completely been turned upside down?
Many people here (most) have been where you are, and know what it's like to have their life turned upside down. Cancer and losing a leg is never on our radar when we take a dog into our lives, it comes as such a shock! I personally have been there and I know many others have too, you'll find their stories all over our forums, in our Tripawd Tuesday spotlights, and Tripawds blogs too.
And is there any hope of this being something other than a hemangiosarcoma?
It's hard to say because we aren't vets. The best thing you can do is wait for the lab report before thinking the worst. Take things one day at a time right now so you don't get overwhelmed. And remember, no cancer prognosis is written in stone, or predicts the future.
I hope you have seen our What to Expect articles , and our pain management posts too. What kind of pain control is Lucas taking? How much and how often? A good pain control plan is the key to a good recovery. If he is crying out and showing pain signals , you need to let your vet know OK?
Please keep us posted, and stay tuned for feedback from others.
You have come to the right place for support, information and especially an understanding of all the emotions in shock involved with what you are experiencing.
You have taken action and have removed that bum leg. Keep things focused keep things chunked down right now and just focus on recovery. When you find out specifically what you are dealing with you can develop a plan then and move forward. Goodness knows, it's almost impossible not to worry and always go to worst case scenarios. What we have found here though is, usually worst case scenarios don't happen and, if they do, there are always treatment plans to implement
If you have any questions regarding recovery, please let us know. The fact that Lucas is eating peeing and drinking is really good. It may take him a couple of days to get his sea legs, so no worries there.
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
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