First of all, thank you so much for this wonderful site.
Sorry if this is long, but this is very recent and I have a lot to write.

Our dog, Molly, had her right front leg amputated yesterday because of synovial sarcoma. She is an 11-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

This has all happened very quickly and we are still dealing with the shock of it all.
We first noticed something was wrong with Molly when she developed a limp during a 4th of July backpacking trip. At first we thought it might just be arthritis or sore muscles due to her age. When it didn't go away towards the end of July, we took her to the vet. They took an x-ray and did a needle biopsy which were both normal. The vet felt Molly may have injured some soft tissue in the joint and sent her home with some anti-inflammatory medicines. However, the vet said that if there was no improvement in a week, we should bring her back. The medication did not help and the limp persisted so we took Molly back to the vet on August 7th. Concerned that it might be something more serious, they did a wedge biopsy of the joint. We just got the results back last Monday, August 11th, and found out that Molly had synovial sarcoma.

We were referred up to the Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and had an appointment there on Thursday, August 14th. They took some more x-rays and confirmed the diagnosis of synovial sarcoma. They also did a stomach ultrasound, chest x-ray and lymph node biopsy, which came back clear. We were told that, because the cancer was so intertwined into the leg joint and could not be easily removed or radiated, amputation was the best treatment. Left untreated, the cancer would continue to grow and possibly get into other parts of Molly’s body. One thing that they could not tell us at that point was the grade of the cancer, or if it was the type that spread aggressively. For some reason, this info was not recorded in the original biopsy done at our vet. The oncology vet said he could request that information, but that it would take a week to come back. Another choice he gave us was to go ahead with the amputation regardless (since it was the best option whether it was grade 1, 2 or 3) and then do a complete analysis on the leg tissue afterwards. We were also told that though it would not hurt to wait another week to have the surgery, they had an appointment the next day, Friday, August 15 should we wish to have the leg amputated right away.

My husband and I were in complete shock. We had no idea going into the appointment on Thursday that Molly might be a three-legged canine the next day. We had the tough decision of whether to take the surgery appointment for the 15th (yesterday) or wait for next week.

After some deliberation and a lot of tears, we decided to go for the quickest option. We took Molly home that night and tried to make the best of her last evening on four legs. I wanted to take her for a hike or swim or do one of the outdoor activities she loved so much, but she was too tired from all the tests that day. We settled for lots of hugs in the living room. The choice to amputate didn’t feel that difficult, as it seemed pretty clear that it was the best choice for recovery from the cancer. However, I struggled with guilt over the quickness of our decision. To go in one day and decide to amputate the next? Shouldn’t it have taken longer for us to make such an important decision about our best friend? However, since we knew amputation was the best option, why not get the cancerous limb off as soon as possible? I found this website and searched for affirmation on our decision and began to feel better about our choice.

Yesterday morning, we got Molly up to Fort Collins early. Her surgery was postponed due to another emergency surgery coming in, but otherwise, went extremely well. The folks at the Animal Cancer Center with CSU are the most caring and knowledgeable group of people in veterinary medicine that my husband and I have ever met. The oncologist and surgeon we worked with were outstanding and explained every step of the procedure with patience and care. They even had a senior vet student who was absolutely amazing. She traveled with our dog through each of the procedures (xray, anesthesiology, surgery etc.) and cared for her during her whole time at the hospital. The student even came in from home last night at 8:30 p.m. so we could all visit with Molly post-surgery. The student was back at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. this morning to get Molly ready for us to pick up. They provided unbelievable service and care. They even had a ARGUS counselor at the hospital to help us deal with the tough decisions and the sadness we were feeling. If you have a pet with cancer and live anywhere near Fort Collins, CO, take your pet to this facility!

We picked up Molly this morning. We could not believe how well she was doing. She hopped right down the hall alongside the hospital staff to see us and didn’t stumble once. Now that she is home, she is very tired and cries a bit when her pain meds wear off. When we do take her outside, she has to rest every 20 feet or so after hopping. Still, considering that she is not even 24 hours out of surgery, this is completely amazing.

Now we have the tough time of waiting for the tissue samples to get analyzed on her amputated leg. The findings will determine our next steps. The grade of Molly’s cancer will be known by Tuesday, with one other test that determines another aspect of cancer aggressiveness coming in on Thursday or Friday.

Thanks again for this site and all the posts!