My sweet boy Zin, a 7 year old flat-coated retriever, had his right front limb amputated 2 weeks ago yesterday.  He started limping in mid-March with what we thought was a shoulder injury, but when it got much worse a week later we pushed for more diagnostics....long story short, he has a very aggressive soft tissue cancer that is unfortunately too common in our little breed.

When it looked like amputation was an option that we would need to consider, I started researching and found this site.  I'm really grateful for all the information on taking care of a tripawd, but just as importantly,for the stories of dogs doing well and enjoying life after amputation.  I think you have to get over an emotional hump to make the decision to amputate, and figure out that dogs don't see losing a limb the same way that humans do.  The stories and pictures here helped me do that.  Thank you to all who have shared.  When our options were presented, we almost immediately chose to proceed with the surgery and he got in 2 days after the oncology consultation.

So far, he's had a very good recovery.  I downloaded "Three Legs and a Spare " the day before his surgery and got some good tips...we helped him into the van for the ride home with a quickly made 'grocery bag sling', bought 2 more beds to add to our already huge collection, I modified some t-shirts for him to wear to keep his incision clean and keep him from licking/scratching; all ideas from the book that my stressed brain may not have come up with.  The first day home he was very anxious and we ended up removing his fentanyl patch.  He was looking great 4 days post-op and then had a little 'crash' on days 6-7 where we changed some things with his pain meds.  Reading some of the stories here prepared me for that so I did not panic TOO much. This second week of recovery he is feeling very good...I think he is BORED as he is used to being very active with both his body and his mind...he is my competition dog in obedience and field work.  We've done some little tricks for treats and yesterday I let him retrieve a bumper a few times in the yard...he doesn't know he's retired now, he just loves to DO SOMETHING with his mommy!

So,staples come out on Monday and at that appointment we figure out when and what protocol for chemotherapy to hopefully start next week.  We know we are just buying time. He has small mets to multiple organs, but hopefully we can beat them back for a while.

A fellow flat-coat owner recommended the canine version of Avemor (sp?) so he started on that as soon as I could get it here. I've read very good things on it and if nothing else I'm hoping it will make the chemo more tolerable for him.  We switched his food to Honest Kitchen Preference, which is a grain free dehydrated base food that you mix with meat (cooked, in Zin's case since he'll be starting chemo) and fat such as salmon or coconut oil. 

Luckily, Zin was in very good weight and body condition when this all started, but he's lost some strength and stamina.  I'm a physical therapist and a certified canine rehab practitioner, and we'll be starting some core exercises after staple removal. And if the ice ever leaves the ponds here in MN, we hope to get some SWIMMING in! 

Thanks again for the sharing and support.  Good luck to all of you and your tripawds on your journeys!

Katie B and ZIN