Hi folks

Recent events with my dog Tara,a staffy X,have been very tough to deal with... I'll explain a bit about my brave lass first.

 I've had her since she was 8weeks old . when she was 2 she ruptured her cruciate ligament in one knee, she went through a big operation to have her tibia cut and re angled in a procedure called a TPLO. After 2 weeks of the op she was like a new dog,running around like a pup!  8 months down the line the unbelievable happens... she ruptures the ligament in her other knee!! She has another long op and again within a couple of weeks she was back to  her old self ,the ops a total success. For 4 years after she was like normal,long walks out in the woods,chasing my other dog Holly around and basically being a mad little mutt! Last Nov I noticed her slowing down and she started to limp a little after getting up from a rest so we got her checked out... a couple of x rays later it's found she has arthritis in her knees caused by her previous ligament injuries and also in her elbow ,plus a little piece of fragmented bone had to be removed from her elbow to ease the limp and prevent the arthritis getting worse faster in that joint. She was put on painkillers and that seemed to do the trick for her but only for a while... In Aug this year she started holding her right hind leg up and she was not keen to bear much weight on it after a few weeks she would not use it at all holding it up and getting around on 3 legs. We rested her and kept her on the painkillers hoping that would help her but still she would not use the leg at all. On Thursday past she was X rayed and the result floored me . A tumour was found on her knee...her joint was totally ruined and the Vet said the only thing to rid her of the pain is to amputate the leg! I was shocked and upset at this but there was no other options... On Monday she got it off. It was the worst moment ever to see her after surgery without her leg and totally out of it on drugs. That night was tough for us,she whined and shook for hours before drifting asleep... When she awoke she amazed me by getting up and wagging her tail! She had some chicken and rice, went out and done the toilet and now 2 days after is doing well. She is not back to normal yet ,still on painkillers and a little tired but considering what she has been through I am so proud of her attitude!!  We now have to wait for the results to find out what the tumour was...My vet said he does not think it's osteosarcoma ,he thinks it's fibrosarcoma. She had her chest x rayed and it was clear... Only time will tell...  I just hope she is not in pain ,the amputation to me seems horrific but she honestly seems un concerned by the loss of a leg!? 

It's been great finding this site and reading some of you stories. Great to see so many loving owners!!

Regards

Phil Johnston