Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

I remember coming to this forum looking for info when we first receive our dog, Onder's, diagnosis of Osteosarcoma. I didn't contribute to the conversation then, but read many many other dog's stories trying to"read the future"

I wanted to come back here now, four years later, to share Onder's story, to give some hope to people where were in our situation. Onder is a (very) mixed breed Golden Retriever-Great Pyrenees-German Shepherd-American Pit Bull Terrier-Labrador Retriever-Beagle-Siberian Husky mix. She weighs about 90 pounds.

In 2019, when she was just over six-years-old, her first symptoms presented as a limp in her front right leg which grew progressively worse over three weeks. One day, while playing, she "collapsed" that leg, yipped in pain. She seemed to recover somewhat, but when it happened a second time we took her to the vet. From the first x-ray the vet recognized the tell-tale bone fracturing pattern of the cancer in her lower leg. We were given the standard prognosis and treatment options. We decided to amputate, but not begin chemo. (She had always had digestive and eating issues, so we did not want to add to her suffering.)

The amputation went smoothly. She was able to walk to the car the next day. As horrific as the surgery felt and looked to us, she didn't care in the slightest. After a typical month of recovery (one of the hardest times emotionally and logistically of her entire journey) she was back to her completely normal self. She could walk and run for miles.

She had one set-back about two years after the surgery when she jumped down from a perch and sprained something. For a few weeks we were back to the pain pills, harnesses, and sleeping on the floor. But tests showed it wasn't cancer again, so patience was enough treatment.

At 10.5 years old, Onder is now four years past her amputation. Other than the normal slow-down of aging, she's is doing fine. We do worry that the added stress on her spine and joints will eventually become too much for her to bear, but for now she's the same dog she always was. We cannot believe that we\\\'ve had this much "bonus time" with her.

I wanted to share the particulars of her story because I know someone will read this after getting that first desperate diagnosis. We know our farm dog girl has beat the odds by a county mile, while most beloved pups do not. We are glad we made a quick decision to amputate (three days after diagnosis.) Not having chemo obviously did not matter in her case, but it clearly does in others'.

If Onder's story helps guide someone, she's happy to have helped. We wish you luck in your post-diagnosis decisions and ramifications, and hope the days to come – no matter how many – are filled with love.