Hello everyone,

Our Malamute Husky mix had a subq hemangiosarcoma on her right forelimb.  We managed to keep it under control for a good 2 years using a protocol of Chinese herbs (yunnan baiyao / turkey tail / milk thistle).  It suddenly started growing again a couple of months ago and we woke up one morning to see blood everywhere - she had chewed through her bandage and actually eaten a large part of the tumor.  It was a huge, bloody mess that looked like the zombie apocalypse!  We had no option but to do an emergency amputation.  For a 14yr old, her mobility is pretty good.  3x daily walks, we get her to do a gently run for about 20 seconds, and she's otherwise healthy.  She does have arthritis and it takes her a bit to get up in the morning (she does some pretty funny doga streches).

First 2-3 Days:
We were told the typical hospital stay is 24-36 hours, sometimes a little longer.  She was there for 48 hours because she had explosive diarrhea, likely from the tumor she partially ate, and because her blood work was just a little off.  She had little to no appetite the first 2-3 days and it was a challenge to get her to eat anything.  We bought packets of organic baby food (bison/squash, chicken/squash) and injected syringes of honey into her throat 3 x day.  She could not get up at all w/o help, nor could she walk w/o being held up by a "help em up" harness, guiding her straight and partially holding some of her weight.  She had a terrible time holding up her head because with a full amputation of leg, the shoulder blade is also removed.  It was like she had no energy or ability to keep her head up, so we'd hold it while she drank.  She got better and better as each day went by, with her holding up her head more and more.

First Week:
Slow and steady improvement.  At 1 week, she was holding her head up much better - about 90% of normal.  Appetite still very erratic, but after speaking to a naturopathic vet, I was told that anesthesia and medications can seriously impact appetite for up to a couple of weeks.  It can actually take that long for the effects of anesthesia to work it's way out of the system.  We were recommended to give our pup a liver formula and blood cleansing formula (both from Standard Process).  Her mobility is a little better, though she is having an impossible time walking straight.  Her back legs immediately fall to the left and she rotates clockwise when she tries to walk - we have to use the harness to keep her in a straight line.  If anyone has had this issue and has advice to give, i'd LOVE to hear it.

Day 10:
She can hold her head up with no issues now - much brighter and more alert, even starting to show a bit of a sense of playfulness in her demeanor (just a little).  She is still not able to get up by herself, nor walk without support but we were told this is very normal for her age and situation and should be expected.  We were told it could take about 2 months of therapy before she is more independent, but may always need a bit of assistance getting up.  I find that the more I act normal with her, and play with her (chomping on her face, playing with her paws, playing games while she's lying recovering), it's going a long way to get her spirits up.

Hope this helps anyone that may have questions or similar experiences ^..^