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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Hello, we have a 16 year old main coon called Maise, who we rescued only 11 months ago. Maisey has a 5 week old spindle cell sarcoma, it's either amputation or put Maisey to bed. Apart from arthritis, she is fit and well, Eats well, pees and poos all fine and her bloods were all good. If Maisey can't have at least 2 years more life, putting her through everything just does not seem worth it at her age. We are struggling to make the right choice, we are both retired so can look after her. We are frightened that she will not cope due to her age and arthritis, we are also so worried about the pain she will go through. Our VET who comes to us is absolutely amazing, she is also worried about her arthritis, and being able to manage. Has anyone been in this same or similar situation. Thank you.
Hi Maise and family, welcome! We are so sorry you are faced with this diagnosis, it's not easy especially when your animal is a senior. I think you should check out this blog post, it may help put your mind at ease:
Amputation on a Very Old Cat
When it comes to amputation pain, as long as good pain management happens from the beginning, you can usually bring it under control and keep her as comfortable as possible during recovery, which generally lasts around a month, maybe a little longer depending on the animal.
More of a concern for a larger and older animal is whether or not they are mobile enough to have a good quality of life on three legs once they recover. What we have seen around here is that even larger, older animals can enjoy good days ahead. Few do not get to that point, at least what we hear from members.
Also, getting a second opinion may really help you to decide. An orthopedic veterinarian may be able to give you a better idea of the severity of her arthritis and how it may or may not impact her mobility.
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