I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you to the posters and responders on this forum.  I have been lurking in this group for a few weeks as we were evaluating whether we were going to amputate or not and how to handle post op, what to expect etc.  This forum has been invaluable to us for the information, experiences and education and for that I am very thankful to all of you.

I am happy to introduce a new Tripawd, Marley, to the group.  Marley is an 11 year old pitbull. Our story started out very similar to all of yours...out of left field my stoic girl started limping and showing severe pain around Easter.  After multiple consults and X-rays at Michigan State University, we decided to do FHO surgery.  I felt it in my gut that it was cancer and I pushed for an amputation at that time but the vets we consulted all recommended not amputating.  The bony changes of her left femoral head were minimal yet she was showing a severe amount of pain.  So she had surgery on May 1st.

Biopsy of the sample came back on Mother's Day and showed osteosarcoma with cancer cells on the margin. A tumor regrew at the surgical site within 4 weeks and we elected to do amputation pretty much immediately.  I knew a week prior the the follow-up X-rays because she stopped using her leg again all-together after what seemed to be a great recovery.  So we did an amputation on June 13th.  Sadly, the surgeon said that the cancer has spread to the ascetabulum and pelvic bone. Prognosis is obviously very guarded.

All of THAT aside, Marley is recovering great now 7 days post-op. She has experienced no phantom limb pains. Her adema is gone and the bruising is almost all cleared up. The incision is healing nicely and she is leaving it alone. Her appetite is back full force even better than prior to any surgeries! She tried to get me to play fetch with her Saturday (5 days post op!) which of course I told her No for now.  Urinating/defecating normally. Her pain meds are half of what she was on pre-surgery and she has not shown her normal pain response since surgery...shaking and hiding.  She is on Gabapentin and Tramadol. She is also Addisonian so NSAIDS are not an option.  I know we made the right decision to give her as much pain-free/painless time as possible.  None of us have an expiration date, including her, so we are supporting her care holistically as much as possible and will continue the ongoing management of her pain.  But I don;t regret amputating for one second.

I am sure that I may have questions going forward, but for now I just think wanted a quick intro and thanks to this forum for all the help to Marley and me during this post-op time to know what to expect and how to best help support her recovery. 🙂

Jaime