Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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As a lot of people here can relate and know, it's been a very emotional last 5-6 weeks for my family. Our lovely dog Allie had a growth on her left arm that suddenly seemed to blow up over night and was aspirated and found to be a high grade MCT. Had it removed a few days later, but her lymph node in that upper arm area did indicate it had spread. Her U/S, chest and other organs came back clean (which is great news!) but now means her only way to truly become cancer free is to remove the limb. If we don't and just treat her with chemo, the vet said general prognosis would be 4-8 months. Technically... I guess the outlook is if we did amputate, she could have years. So is there really even a choice here? Not really...Not if I want the chance at spending a lot more time with my girl. I do stress because I have read some cases here of dogs only living a few months more, even with amputation. I really do not want that to happen.
The vet assured me life with 3 legs for a dog is fine, and I of course have read dozens of posts here already, seen YouTube videos and read articles, and I know my dog can adjust after. It's just hard because lately she hasn't been herself due to being on Prednisone (doesn't want to play, isn't as loving, seems extremely sluggish/tired) and I'm just so worried she will never go back to being her happy self. I feel so guilty doing this to her knowing somehow maybe that might happen. I don't want her to be miserable and have it be my fault. Our family just lives in a tiny little condo and it's basically taken over by our 1 year old daughter so there isn't much room for her to even play these days. A very stressful time for us here which I know many of you can relate to. Toughest situation I've ever had to deal with in my life. I want to extend her life in the happiest and healthiest way possible but I'm dying at the thought of her being miserable after or struggling. Any advice?
Hi Allie and family, welcome! Your future posts won't need approval so post away. I love the pics! So sweet!
OK so you've read the information, you've done your homework and had the conversations with your vet. That's great! 
And now it's just a matter of getting over your mental roadblock about amputation and the possibility of losing Allie too soon. Well, you're not alone. Everyone here understands how that feels. It doesn't come easy, but eventually you learn that when it comes to a dog, there's no such thing as a calendar or "time." All that matters is the here and now, feeling good, and spending those moments with your favorite people.
Right now, Allie isn't herself because her body is fighting that nasty MCT cancer. It's a doozy! But as your vet probably told you, once the painful leg is gone, recovery is over, and the cancer is brought under control, you should start to see her sparkle come back. It happens, really! And while there are no guarantees, for the most part, the majority of dogs and cats go on to live happy, healthy lives after amputation. And in the rare but sooo heartbreaking situations when they do not live up to the prognosis, the vast majority of pet parents say they would choose amputation again because of the quality of life it gave their dog, and that they had a chance to say goodbye without pain.
I think this might help you come to your own conclusions:
Amputee Dogs Quality of Life Survey Results
As a small dog, Allie should do great on three. She looks fit, and sounds like a good candidate for surgery. Of course you will worry after surgery but that's what we are here for. Lean on us with whatever you decide. We are here to help. Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
jerry said
Hi Allie and family, welcome! Your future posts won't need approval so post away. I love the pics! So sweet!OK so you've read the information, you've done your homework and had the conversations with your vet. That's great!
Right now, Allie isn't herself because her body is fighting that nasty MCT cancer. It's a doozy! But as your vet probably told you, once the painful leg is gone, recovery is over, and the cancer is brought under control, you should start to see her sparkle come back. It happens, really! And while there are no guarantees, for the most part, the majority of dogs and cats go on to live happy, healthy lives after amputation. And in the rare but sooo heartbreaking situations when they do not live up to the prognosis, the vast majority of pet parents say they would choose amputation again because of the quality of life it gave their dog, and that they had a chance to say goodbye without pain.
I think this might help you come to your own conclusions:
Amputee Dogs Quality of Life Survey Results
As a small dog, Allie should do great on three. She looks fit, and sounds like a good candidate for surgery. Of course you will worry after surgery but that's what we are here for. Lean on us with whatever you decide. We are here to help. Keep us posted.
Thank you so very much for your reply and kind words. I will check the survey out in a little bit. Just been so hard on myself and my wife emotionally... Allie has been my girl since I was a bachelor fresh out of college!! My wife says Allie has always been my one true love 😀
Somedays the thought of her upcoming surgery spirals me out of control but I feel much more comfort with this community on my side. I need to be strong for her as she will feed off my energy and emotions.
I have to call the vet back shortly to confirm her surgery date. In the meantime I have oh... about 10 tabs open from this website with all of the useful information regarding some new flooring options, supplements, how to care for her and so on. I plan to make each day, our best day. Currently our plan is full margins on the tumor (most had been removed but still cells in the area plus lymph node) via limb removal, then 8 Chemo treatments over the course of 12 weeks. Hopefully that eliminates all the nasty cancer in her body, and she can enjoy many more years of joyful life.
DITTO Jerry!
First of all, that "mug shot" of Allie is adorable. And then ,to see her with your little girl jist melts my heart
Your love and bond for Allie come shining through. Uou clearly are trying to make the best dec for her.
I also agonized and cried and exhausted myself mentally, emotionally and physically trying to decide what to do. And this was before I found thise site, I finally made an appointment for the amputation surgery....and cancelled it because I was so scared! My Happy Hannah's pain got worse quickly and it was either mthe surgery....or....ugh. Rescheduled surgery, while recovery was not picnic, it was the best decision I ever could hae made!!!
Couple of processes I went thru in my thinking that may help you as you navigate nthru these challenging issues.
As you can already see, Allie is not herself. And while it may be in part some of the Pred, itmis also most likely her leg hurts!! Dogs are so stoic at hiding their pain. A life with pain is not quality.
The amputation will remove the pain and allow her to be her hapoy self again. Recovery "generally" is about a two week process. It is MAJOR surgery and she needs to take it really slowly at first and get them eight pain med balance.
So ask yourself, and you know yourself the best.
If you didn't proceed with am, would you always wonder "what of you had?" "What if she really did beat the odds and lived her full expected lifespan? Would you const second guess that decision??
Conversely, if you did amputation and she didn't get "much time", but she was happy and pain free, do you think you would regret that decision or continuously second guess it?.
For me, and this was just me, I knew I HAD to give her a chance!!! I k ew I would second guess myself for ever if I didn't. I felt like I was making a decision that she would want me to make.
Talk with Allie....connect with Allie. What would she want?
There are no right or wrong decisions, okay? Any decision made out of love is the right decision. 💖
Keep things chunked down. Talk with the Orthopedic Surgeon to get all your question s answered. Most dogs stay in the overnight STAFFED clinic for at least one night.
Get thru the surgery and then you can talk woth the Oncologist about chemo, etc. My Happy Hannah had osteosarcoma, so her treatment was four round of Carboplatin. She sailed through with no side effects.
As hard as it is for is hoomans to grasp sometimes, , and as Jerry as already noted, a dog's life is all about quality time for loving, spoi, tummy rubs and more spoiling...all pain free. They have no time stamped on their butts and cou care less about days on a calendar. Dogs life in the NOW, in the PRESENT. No worries about the tomorrows.
It may sound strange, but this journey helps us cram a lifetime of joy and love into every single day, every single moment. Regardless of how much "time" a dog has, tripawds on this journey clearly have the experience of more love than most dogs ever get in a "lifetime". Our whole focus in them. They think being a tripawd is the best think ever!!!
We are by your side the whole way, okay? Upda when you can.
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!.
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
benny55 said
DITTO Jerry!First of all, that "mug shot" of Allie is adorable. And then ,to see her with your little girl jist melts my heart
Your love and bond for Allie come shining through. Uou clearly are trying to make the best dec for her.
I also agonized and cried and exhausted myself mentally, emotionally and physically trying to decide what to do. And this was before I found thise site, I finally made an appointment for the amputation surgery....and cancelled it because I was so scared! My Happy Hannah's pain got worse quickly and it was either mthe surgery....or....ugh. Rescheduled surgery, while recovery was not picnic, it was the best decision I ever could hae made!!!
Couple of processes I went thru in my thinking that may help you as you navigate nthru these challenging issues.
As you can already see, Allie is not herself. And while it may be in part some of the Pred, itmis also most likely her leg hurts!! Dogs are so stoic at hiding their pain. A life with pain is not quality.
The amputation will remove the pain and allow her to be her hapoy self again. Recovery "generally" is about a two week process. It is MAJOR surgery and she needs to take it really slowly at first and get them eight pain med balance.
So ask yourself, and you know yourself the best.
If you didn't proceed with am, would you always wonder "what of you had?" "What if she really did beat the odds and lived her full expected lifespan? Would you const second guess that decision??
Conversely, if you did amputation and she didn't get "much time", but she was happy and pain free, do you think you would regret that decision or continuously second guess it?.
For me, and this was just me, I knew I HAD to give her a chance!!! I k ew I would second guess myself for ever if I didn't. I felt like I was making a decision that she would want me to make.
Talk with Allie....connect with Allie. What would she want?
There are no right or wrong decisions, okay? Any decision made out of love is the right decision. 💖
Keep things chunked down. Talk with the Orthopedic Surgeon to get all your question s answered. Most dogs stay in the overnight STAFFED clinic for at least one night.
Get thru the surgery and then you can talk woth the Oncologist about chemo, etc. My Happy Hannah had osteosarcoma, so her treatment was four round of Carboplatin. She sailed through with no side effects.
As hard as it is for is hoomans to grasp sometimes, , and as Jerry as already noted, a dog's life is all about quality time for loving, spoi, tummy rubs and more spoiling...all pain free. They have no time stamped on their butts and cou care less about days on a calendar. Dogs life in the NOW, in the PRESENT. No worries about the tomorrows.
It may sound strange, but this journey helps us cram a lifetime of joy and love into every single day, every single moment. Regardless of how much "time" a dog has, tripawds on this journey clearly have the experience of more love than most dogs ever get in a "lifetime". Our whole focus in them. They think being a tripawd is the best think ever!!!
We are by your side the whole way, okay? Upda when you can.
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!.
Thanks so much for the words of encouragement. You are right... it probably will end up harder for me than her, but it's hard to not treat our pups like humans 🙂
I'm curious... I know many here have had to amputate due to bone cancer, but I don't see many doing it due to MCT of that limb. Are there any threads on here about anyone else who had a similar situation to mine? Most of the articles I've read online seem to also deal with bone cancer, so its hard for me to gauge things like general recovery (perhaps dog with bone cancer might adjust faster because of a prior limp, etc) and general conclusions on life expectancy.
I don't think any of this would change my decision, as our vet was fairly clear that if we only treated with a chemo, general prognosis would be poor. For for my peace of mind and awareness.
Aww I'm glad we could be here for you. The devotion you have to Allie is so beautiful, she's a lucky pup. Always remember that your attitude sets the tone. What you put out she will give back so the more confident and upbeat you are, the more she will reflect it back to you. Just like your little human baby!
We have TONS of MCT amputation members and in my non-scientific analysis, the recovery is pretty much identical compared to other types of cancers requiring amputation. Not all dogs with bone cancer were limping before surgery, so it's all across the board about how they adjust. The vast majority get on with life faster than their humans ever imagined. Some need more time and that's OK too. Every dog's different after all. As for life expectancy, well, again, that's all over the map too.
Here's a quick search for members asking about 'mast cell cancer' in the Forums. And another mast cell cancer search in Tripawds blogs. Hope this helps you feel better!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello and welcome.
My first Tripawd Maggie lost a back leg to a MCT way back in 2006. Mag showed no signs of pain and never did limp. Mag was quite a drama queen, she always let me know when something was bothering her! I only found the tumor in her knee when we were playing one day. She had had a MCT removed from her side about 6 months previously so I was expecting the vet to do something similar this time... I was devastated when the vet said amputation. Mag was a stubborn little Pug who hated any change in her routine, I wasn't sure she would adapt. The vet assured me that most all dogs adapt and do fine, her amp happened before Tripwads was born so we went though everything alone.
Mag was a slug for 6 weeks post op- I was sure I had made a terrible mistake. Most pups here bounce back much faster but Mag hopped her own path. We had no complications and her pain was well managed, it was just her personality! Once she got used to things she was back to the same obstinate, funny Pug she had always been.
Mag had a poor prognosis after surgery, with chemo the vets gave her 6 to 9 months. While I waited for the 'clock to run out' Maggie was busy figuring out how to do what she wanted to do, getting on with life. I finally realized I was missing out and quit waiting for the end. Mag lived her stubborn Pug life for almost 4 more years, I lost her to a second, unrelated cancer. If you are interested you can read her story and about her amp and chemo- the links are in my signature below.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Hi, am I am sorry to hear about Allie. I to struggled with amputation. Brownie was a lab three weeks before his 12th birthday of his front left leg. My thoughts were, he is too old. It's going to be hard on him being the front leg.
After finding this site I realized Brownie deserved the right to fight. Who am I to say he can't do it. Brownie never gave up on me, so why should I give up on him.
So, we went through with the amputation and with the help of pain medication Brownie breezed through recovery. It took him about three weeks to get his personality back but it came back by bigger then ever! Now Brownie wasn't the fastest Tripawd, but Brownie wasn't that fast on four. Lol. But he was happy!
Allie will surprise you everyday. Just cheer her on and be patient.
Sending positive thoughts your way.....
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
"Brownie never gave up on me, so why should I give up on him."
BEAUTIFUL!!!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
brownie1201 said
Hi, am I am sorry to hear about Allie. I to struggled with amputation. Brownie was a lab three weeks before his 12th birthday of his front left leg. My thoughts were, he is too old. It's going to be hard on him being the front leg.After finding this site I realized Brownie deserved the right to fight. Who am I to say he can't do it. Brownie never gave up on me, so why should I give up on him.
So, we went through with the amputation and with the help of pain medication Brownie breezed through recovery. It took him about three weeks to get his personality back but it came back by bigger then ever! Now Brownie wasn't the fastest Tripawd, but Brownie wasn't that fast on four. Lol. But he was happy!
Allie will surprise you everyday. Just cheer her on and be patient.
Sending positive thoughts your way.....
Your absolutely right! I can't just give up on Allie just because I think it will be hard. No doubt it will be hard but it's not insurmountable, especially for her. If we do nothing... the odds of Allie not being with us 1 year from now would be very high, but if we do move forward... Yes, there is a chance she still might not be, but from much of my reading and research, the odds are much much lower. She deserves a chance to beat this, just like any one else!
I'll keep this updated with the scheduled surgery date, her recovery, treatment plan and so on. I do plan to take advantage of the "dog physical rehab" offer that looks to be available via this website at least once or twice. I want to give Allie the best recovery and life possible moving forward. Already ordered the yoga mat to place down over the slippery floors, and a "high up" food/water station.
Love your attitude! Brownie had bone cancer. I decided against chemo because Brownie hated and I mean hated the vet. He was always a heathy dog so all these vet visits was stressing him out which was the last thing I wanted . I was told he had two to three months with amputation only. Brownie lived an additional one year and eight days. So just remember every dog is different and don't go by statics .
By reading your post we all see how much you love Allie and how proud you are of her. But I tell you that bond will even become deeper and bigger! When she starts to recover and she does the things we all take for granite you are going to be so so proud and it's the best feeling in the world!
I decided to give Brownie a chance and I promised him if he wasn't happy we would say goodbye. But he let me know "mom, I can do this. Just watch me"!
So be Allie's cheerleader and celebrate the milestones no matter how big or small. Love goes a long way with our pets and that is all they care about.❤️
My Beautiful Beloved Brownie was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma on February 26, 2019. With all odds against him he lived an additional one year and eight days with amputation, love, and prayer. I was honored to be his mom, and I have never been so proud! He will live forever in my Heart!
04/01/2007 - 03/05/2020
"March Saint"
Update: Allie has a scheduled consult and possible (probably) surgery on this coming Weds. I'm having a last "hoorah" photo session with her tomorrow with a professional photographer since it's the last time she'll have all 4 legs, and I just kind of want to commemorate that. Guess maybe it's me being a bit paranoid that she won't take well to her new life style...but it's also just to have some nice headshots of her too 🙂
The bulk yoga mat... a special harness... and a new bed, should all be arriving for her use shortly. I'm not a religious person but if you are... pray for my little gal on next Weds.
Awww thank you for taking time to let us know how things are going. We had the same type of appointment with our Jerry, and it resulted in amputation. Nopawdy "wants" to go that route but if it's the best thing to get rid of pain, it's better than the alternative right? I love that you are having the photo session and hope you will post clips! Here's how adding images works, let us know if you need help!
You are doing everything you can to give Allie the best shot at a hoppy life on three! Spoil that girl rotten and let us know how we can help OK? And we aren't typically "religious" either but we sure believe in the Power of Pawsitivity and are sending truckloads of it to you and your adorable family! Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Just wanted to post an update to give the thread some closure:
I ended up getting a 2nd opinion about Allie from another oncologist. This Dr. worked at the facility of the surgeon who was scheduled to do her amputation. Long story short, this doctor gave me some more information about her prognosis, and actually spoke to the 1st oncology doctor who originally suggested Allie have her front left arm removed. The ultimate decision was made to not move forward, as it was not actually likely limb removal would significantly increase her lifespan. We have already moved forward with chemo treatment and will monitor her condition over the coming weeks and months. Her current prognosis is about 4-8 months, but with the information I have learned here about healthy diet and so on, I think Allie can life a happy and healthy life for longer than this.
She's a strong gal with or without her limb! I appreciate everyone's words and thoughts, it was certainly not an easy decision for the family. We spend as much time with her and make sure she's loved as much as possible. [Image Can Not Be Found]
"Thanks guys for thinking of me!" - Allie
Allie is a strong gal I deed, and she has strong pawsitive hoomans to help her stay that way!!
You have gotten good feedback from the Surgeon and Oncologist and can now move forward with a plan. There's always a sense of relief moving past indecision and onto solid ground with a plan.
Absolutely check into nutritional support as well as supplemens, holistic alternatives, etc to continue to keep her immune system strong.
We hope you will stay connected and let us know how your sweet girl is doing. We've all fallen in love with her with her Happy smile and the way she is so gentle with her hooman sibling ♥️
And keep these adorable pictures coming!!!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
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