Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi Everyone,
My Mini Australian Shepard, Sydney, was recently diagnosed with Mast Cell Tumor. She is 12, no arthritis, good bloodwork as of two weeks before the swelling came back for a third time in 1.5 months when she was diagnosed.
The first time was unknown why the swelling occurred, gave benadryl, it went away(thought it was a bug bite or something). Second time it started after my husband put her down a little rougher than expecting when crossing a stream (she came up limping and swelling after a couple days) anti-inflammatory helped it go away, thats when x-ray and bloodwork was done. Third time the swelling came back from an unknown reason and worse than the previous two times. now on the proper benadryl and steroids for now with the diagnosis.
We have a consult with a specialist/ oncologist Wednesday and I'm just trying to see what to expect. Mostly worried because the MCT is in the back right leg and Sydney is knuckling since the swelling has gone down. Wondering how this will play a part in the treatment options or what this means. Did the swelling just cause nerve damage? or the tumor is in the nerve? idk. Trying not to get ahead of my thoughts. any info would be great. TIA!
Sydney's Mom
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Hi Sydney's mom, welcome.
I'm sorry you guys are facing this diagnosis. MCT can be a tricky cancer to treat and oftentimes amputation is the best option to get "clean margins" on the tumor to keep it from spreading further. As far as I know about how mast cell cancers behave, it's likely not nerve damage from the tumor, more like she's just dealing with a lot of pain from the bad leg. Keep her activity mellow for now, and make sure she doesn't overdo things.
Your oncologist will be able to guide you on treatment options tomorrow, after diagnostics are completed. We will await word! And good idea not to get too far ahead of yourself. Don't let Dr. Google into your home just yet, wait until you get the real expert opinions. Remember Sydney is her own girl and no amount of information you find online will apply to her 100%.
Whatever you decide we are here to support you! Keep us posted.
P.S. Please consider registering as a member so your future posts won't need to wait for approval.
So I have an update, she is recommended for amputation, and plus or minus chemo after depending on what find in the lymph nodes and her liver and spleen look good. Can you guys share your stories of what recovery looks like? Sydney is on the early side of 12 and has no other major health concerns during her life. My thoughts are that if recovery is hard I. Her I don’t want the remainder of her life to be a struggle or unhappy. We were quoted a rough estimate of $7-$9,000 for amputation.
Well that's good they think she is a good candidate.
Happy to share. Here are our What to Expect articles , and you can also check out our Tripawds Quality of Life Survey results. Recovery doesn't have to be hard, and usually the hardest thing is pain management . If you get that dialed in it's much easier. Also, keeping your attitude pawsitive is another secret to a good recovery. It can be hard to do that when you see your dog not being their usual self, but if you keep reminding yourself it's only temporary, things are easier.
$7 to $9k? Are you in Canada? NYC? That seems like a top-end price just for amputation alone. Not that you shouldn't go with that clinic, I'm just wondering where the vets are since surgery prices can vary depending on location.
Catching up on uour sweet Sydney. Being a mini Australian Shephard the name seems to fit her perfectly 👍
Good news that the specialist thinks Sydney is a good candidate. That's one box you can check off.
Now, as far as recovery. We say it and we ,eanmit.....every dog is different, every recovery is different and every reaction to best pain management is different. The good news is we've seen it all jere so we can definitely help you navigate through recovery....whatever that may look like for Sydney.
Sure, it's MAJOR surgery and Sydney isn't going to feel like jumping through hoops at first. The thing to remember is recovery doesn't last furever!! Generally, not always, or takes approximately two weeks (more or less) to recover from the surgery ittself.
Some dogs are "mobile" and able to hop out of the clinic the day after (with assistance). Some dogs need several more days to get start getting their sea legs. This happens based on each dog's individual pace.
Some dogs seem to jus want to sleep the first few days. Some dogs like my Happy Hannah were very restless and just could not settle or seem to get comfortable. Some dogs are a mixture of both. Some dogs seem to feel so good to get the painful leg gone, that the surgery pain doesn't seem to hurt as much as that bum leg did. Again, every dog is different.
As Jerry mentioned, pain management is usually the key and tweaking the dose and frequency usually keeps them relatively comfortable
Drinking and peeing are important, but their appetite may be off a bit and pooping may take several days. My Happy Hannah never missed a meal though!
For me, I did feel like the first several days were "hard" for her and for me. That was BEFORE I found this community though! I didn't join here til Day Six after amputation. It was then I learned what was "normal", tips about pain management , etc. This community filled me with knowledge and support and gave me the reassurance that this was just a short term recovery and it would get better and better!
I went from "What have I done TO my dog?" to "Thank goodness I did this FOR my dog!"
Others will chime in, but just wanted to share my experience. We have other members on here now who are in the early part pf recovery or have pretty much moved away from it and regaining "back to normal" routines and celebrating their sparkle returning.
No matter what path forwa4d you take, we are here to support you, okay?
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!
I am in San Diego, CA.
Now that you mention that I don't necessarily need to go with that clinic, it makes me want to search what locations treat amputations due to MCT's. or just amputations in general. I am so new to this I feel a little naive about it all.
Ah, San Diego vet care is not inexpensive. Unfortunately that price makes sense for where you live.
Honestly for an MCT diagnosis I would want to work with a surgical oncologist. It's such a tricky disease, you really want to work with a vet who knows how to treat it, amputation is just one aspect.
Have you tried ETHOS Vet?
Cancer is a learning curve, give yourself grace to learn and grow from the knowledge (the education nobody wants!)
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