My wife and I adopted Mazie, a Golden-yellow lab mix, in 2014 when she was 3 1/2. She's been going hiking, swimming, sledding, and camping with us ever since. In mid-May of '23 we noticed a golf ball-sized mass on her right, rear leg. We thought it to be a bug bite but called the vet anyway and was told to come in immediately. Xrays were taken and our worst fears were confirmed; she had bone cancer.

The vet estimated Mazie had from July to September. We were given three options: comfort measures, amputation, or chemo. We asked everyone for an opinion and referenced this site for insight. Looking at some of the stories here were hit or miss, with some dogs living a while after amputation and some living an extra month.

My supervisor advised euthanasia based on her recent experience, saying her dog was only 8 and too old for amputation--ours was almost 12 and a different breed. A few friends wondered if a few extra months was worth the cost. After about 3 weeks, Mazie's leg grew to about twice its size and she could no longer support herself. We called the vet and decided to amputate; even 3 more months with her was worth it, we concluded, and if she made it past September it would be a win.

A month after her diagnosis, her leg was amputated. That same day she was able to walk out of the vet\'s office and out to the car. After coming home, she slept for a full two days. We laid down a carpet runner with a rubber backing across the kitchen to the deck so she wouldn't slip on the tile.

On the second day, she was able to walk outside on her own and, with help, go down the steps to the back yard to do her business.

By post-surgery day 5, she was able to walk half way around the house. By day 9 she was running around the living room chasing her toys.

After the staples came out, she was back to playing on the beach and going swimming. We slowly acclimated her back into walking through the woods with us, reaching up to a mile in length. One mile is a far cry from her pre-amputation days, but it was about all her back leg could handle--even if her mind wanted more.

We tried some Walkin' Wheels, but with the days getting shorter and colder we just couldn't find more than a weekend's time to practice with her; certainly not enough for her to get fully used to them.

Life has pretty much been back to normal for us and Mazie considering her circumstance. She made it to September, past her 12th birthday, and into the new year--all milestones we were not certain we'd see.

On February 3, 2024 we noticed her breathing beginning to change and she was not eating. Taking her to the vet confirmed her cancer had finally spread to her lungs. Our vet didn't give us a timeline, but we know we're close to the end of our time with her. We began feeding her canned food as its easier to swallow. She's greatly improved and is back to normal spirits and activity. All tha\'s left is to keep enjoying our time together while closely monitoring her breathing to make sure she's not distressed.

We're hoping for another few weeks, but that's up to her and her cancer.

Mazie was very healthy at the time of her diagnosis--getting walked nearly every day. Had she been a more sedentary dog or in poorer health, we may not have made the same choice. The choice to amputate or not is a very personal one with factors such as quality of life, age, and health all coming into play. We never second-guessed our decision and feel blessed to have been able to spend 8 extra months with her.