Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello! My dog Archie has been diagnosed 3 weeks ago with both Osteosarcoma is her right rear leg and also has 2 mammary tumors. We've been advised that amputation is recommended for the Osteosarcoma. My partner and I are uncertain on how Archie will cope, since the mammary tumors are also present. Both cancers presented at the same time in November 2024. Has anyone dealt with their dog having 2 cancers and doing the amputation? How did it go? Archie is a bit overweight at 65 lbs, she should be at least 60 lbs, maybe 57 lbs.. (She's been on a diet and has lost weight, but not enough yet). She's not the most active dog- she likes going on walks, but doesn't really play very often, has not been interested in toys since we've had her, she is very food-motivated. We've had Archie for 2 years, she was in a shelter before that for 3 years through no fault of hers- she's incredibly sweet. A family had given her up due to having a baby, and then another adoptive family's dog attacked her, requiring surgeries, and led to her being in the shelter.
Thank you for any advice!!
Hi and welcome to you and Archie. I'm so sorry for the dual diagnosis! She sounds like such a sweet girl and has been through so much. And let me just say that you two are incredibly kind humans for adopting her at an older age. 
So, it sounds like the vets think that despite her extra weight she will do fine on three legs. That's great! Dogs can lose weight pretty quickly with our help, and recovery is a good time to get things moving along since pain medications do affect appetite in most dogs. The best vets tell us that neither size nor age should impact a dog's candidacy as a Tripawd. Sounds like she's a good candidate overall.
What I'm most concerned about is the two cancers. Have you seen an oncologist to get the mammary tumors graded? It would be good to know how far advanced that cancer is before proceeding.
The thing about osteosarcoma is that amputation is the fastest way to help get rid of the awful pain it causes. Bone pain is the most severe there is, for humans or dogs. But you also want to make sure that the mammary cancer isn't so advanced that she won't have time to recuperate from the surgery. For older dogs generally it takes a few weeks longer than younger ones, and add a little more time for overweight dogs to get their bearings.
There are other palliative treatments for osteosarcoma that wouldn't require amputation, such as cementoplasty or stereotactic radiation therapy. Did your vet mention any of those options to you? These newer therapies can bring down pain levels and buy her more quality of life if they are an option for you. Cementoplasty tends to cost about the same as amputation surgery but SRT is quite expensive without pet insurance.
Archie certainly hit the jackpot when she found her forever home with you! Your love for her comes shining through! I really have nothing else to add other than to say ditto to every single thing Jerry has said.
I really have nothing else to add other than to say ditto to every single thing Jerry has said.
So yeah, if possible, see if you can get some more information on the mammory tumors. It may be they can even be removed during surgery if you proceed with the amputation. I have no clue, but just throwing that out there.
Will look for more feedback when you get a chance. We are definitely here to continue to support you in any way we can. Again, I can't stay enough how lucky Archie is to have such a loving caring home.
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!
Thank you both for your replies!!
Mammary tumors were biopsied and came back looking like benign, but they couldn't rule out malignant. If Archie didn't have Osteosarcoma, they would remove the mammary tumors and the mammary chain, but with Osteosarcoma, they do not plan to address the mammary tumors. They do not want to remove the mammary tumors during the amputation surgery because they think it would be too much for Archie.
We have not been able to see an oncologist to grade them and we are unable to afford to do so. When we adopted Archie, she had preexisting conditions, so we have to pay for all these treatments out of pocket and are scraping together funds for the amputation; it's already been about $2K for the existing scans, diagnostics for Osteosarcoma, mammary tumors, surgical consults, etc as you can imagine.
With the mammary tumors and the osteosarcoma both presenting at the same time, it seems there is cancer spread throughout Archie, although lung scans did come back clean. So we've been trying to determine if the cost of surgery is worth it for what may just be a few months of prognosis, and if Archie would have too rough a time adjusting, while having another cancer still to deal with. It sucks to have to consider the cost, but that is the reality for us. Archie had a health crisis earlier this year already with a horrible skin infection that began with horrible allergies, and we've already spent a ton of money to keep Archie alive once this year. She ended up being diagnosed with Pemphigus vulgaris, an autoimmume disease that causes the body's immune system to attack healthy skin cells and mucous membranes that presents like allergies. So that's also a factor, and Archie is on immunosuppressant medication, Cyclosporine.
The vets had not discussed other treatment options so thank you for the ideas! I'll reach out to them to ask about Cementoplasty if the cost is comparable; we prob could not afford SRT.
Thank you again for your replies and support and encouragement.
Hello and welcome.
I'm sorry you are dealing with cancer and possible amputation, and then another chance of cancer! My first Tripawd lost a leg to mast cell cancer and then developed another cancer but they were spread over a few years.
Jerry gave you great advice.
One thing I would add- please don't feel bad about having to consider fiances when making treatment decisions. I think most of us have done that at some point. And even if you had unlimited funds there are no guarantees that treatment will work. You do the best you can for you and for Archie!
Also, if you want to get Archie moving more you can maybe tempt him with food games or puzzles. I know you are trying to get his weight down so you can play games with his normal food- basically get him moving while he eats to burn some more calories. My current Tripawd Elly lost a back leg at 7 months old after being hit by a car. Her first year with us she got breakfast in a food puzzle which she loved. Food games and puzzles are also a low impact way to work on balance and core strength so if you do chose to amputate you can keep Archie moving after he heals up.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Wow you guys are amazing humans.
We all get it about the cost of vet care. Our Nellie was adopted by us as a senior and has loads of conditions that are not covered by her pet insurance, so I understand the decisions that have to be made when it comes to cost. Nobody judges anyone here for the treatment they can or cannot do, I promse.
This is a tough, tough decision. With all she has going on physically, it makes the decision so difficult. I wish I could tell you what to do, or even what I would do, but that wouldn't be right because I'm not you and our Nellie isn't your Archie. All I can say is that you have to balance her quality of life needs with what can help manage the pain from the cancer. Cementoplasty may be an option, I hope. Please keep us posted OK?
Oh and we are having our last Zoom call of the year this coming Wednesday so please feel free to join us.
When: Dec 18, 2024 03:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.....H6b68FyGF-
Hi,
You sound like dedicating and caring folks. Don't feel bad for being limited by finances. It's a sad reality of having pets, that there's only so much you can afford to do.
daniharv said
Mammary tumors were biopsied and came back looking like benign, but they couldn't rule out malignant.
Ok, from my experience this is very good news. It sounds like that the mammary tumors were not cancerous. Labs are very precise and what they are saying is they didn't find cancer, but can't completely guarantee it. I know it's overwhelming, but try to consider the positive outcomes as well as the negative.
One other tip I'd give, is you could see if your vet would be willing to consult with an oncologist. At my hospital we do offer veterinarians free consults with our veterinarians. Given that Archie has a lot of complicating factors going on, this might be something that would help your vet and you without the expense of an oncologist.
daniharv said
With the mammary tumors and the osteosarcoma both presenting at the same time, it seems there is cancer spread throughout Archie, although lung scans did come back clean
While I was in oncology I have seen dogs present with two different types of cancer. I have also seen a dog present with cancer (I don't remember the type) and mammary tumors that turned out to not be cancer. I'm not a vet and just assisted in the oncology department so take that into consideration with everything I say.
Topher
Vet Assistant (in school to be a licensed vet technician)
1.5 years Oncology department, moved to rehab & sportsmed December 2024
Tripawd Angel, Cora the Determined <3
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