gryffyn said:

…Prior to this, one would have thought he was 7 or 8 years old - he was in very good shape for a Borzoi his age, and still very active.

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I originally posted a question about dogs that didn't do so well, immediately following surgery…since pretty much every account I've come across describes dogs walking out of the hospital/clinic or at least by the next day.  It's day 7 and mine still isn't walking on her own for more than a few steps.  She took her first real steps on day 5.  I've subsequently kept a bit of an update going in that thread.

Like you, my tripawd is almost 11-years-old.  She's a Great Dane and, prior to getting osteosarcoma, the most common question I was asked on walks was, “How old is your puppy?”  When I've replied 7, 8, 9, and now 10, the person would invariably say, “Oh, 10 months.  How adorable,” or something like that.  I would always have to clarify that I meant years, not months…much to their disbelief.  (And don't get me started on the psychos who think Great Dane lifespan is 7, 6, 5, or as absurdly-little as 4 years.  10+ is very common nowadays, and is even higher amongst those who don't bloat or get cancer or have CM.  I've known 15-year-old Danes.  I know of 16-year-old Danes, and I even know one woman whose anecdotal account is of a Dane that died at 19.  If not for OSA, I dare say my girl stood a good chance at being one of these long-lived wonders, given her overall health and fitness.  …Darn it!  We used to jokingly say that she was going to live to be 20.  Hey…there's still a chance, right?)

It's going to be weird now that I probably won't get those puppy questions, and may even get “poor dog” kinds of responses, once we're fit enough to be out on walks in public.  No matter how much she bounces back (fingers crossed), I suspect that (slower) hopping gait, combined with the grey face, will have people assuming she's her age.  😉  One of the things this dog naturally had was a floaty, bouncy trot that had to be seen to be believed.  I didn't think about it until just this second, but I guess that's gone.  C'est la vie.  I had it for over 10 years.  That was plenty. 

EDIT: Oh, and the cost was quite a surprise to us, too.  It cost us $2,000 just to get the OSA diagnosis.  When I had my pre-surgery consults with various specialists (oncologist, orthapaedist, cardiologist), that cost $1,300.  The next day was surgery, and I had to pay 85% of the estimate upon admission: so another $4,000 when I dropped her off in the morning.  She was discharged two days later, and the remaining tally was a few hundred dollars.  I swear, when I thought about amputation, I was thinking more like $1,500-$2,000, not over $6,000.  It was a shocker.  I expect chemotherapy to be another $2,000-$4,000 (but would love for others to give me a guideline on that, for a giant breed dog).

In any event, good luck with your pooch.  I am more than happy to share solidarity and support.  🙂

Hi there!  Welcome to the Tripawd family.   My dog Shadow is also considered a "senior" dog,  estimated at 11 years old.  Same as you described, nobody ever believed he was 11 years old before his diagnosis.  His energy level and personality had him pegged for much younger than he was.   Not all dogs are up and about as quickly as some of our fortunate tripawd buddies here.  Shadow laid around for the better part of the first couple weeks.  He only got up when we made him go outside for potty, and to eat with our assistance.  All dogs react to pain meds and anesthesia differently, so it's really hard to compare how fast they should be healing.   I received alot of support and advice here, everybody told us to take it just one day at a time and the first 2 weeks are the hardest.   Hang in there!  Your boy will recover at his own pace.  Here's to a speedy recovery!

jerry said:

People are so weird. It seems that unknowing people give one of two responses when they see a Tripawd. Either “oooh, poor dog,” or “Wow! They adapt so well don't they?!” We think it's very reflective of human nature; you're either an optimist at heart, or a pessisimist.

Our response to the “poor dog” comments is “Poor dog nothing! Are you crazy? Look at him! He doesn't care that he's missing a leg! He's loving life!” It's also an opportunity to educate kids who might hesitate to ask what happened. You can change their impression of “special needs” forever!

Regarding costs for large breed, check out these threads:

“What sort of costs can I expect?”

Transcript: Ask A Vet (search for “cost” and you'll see costs outlined from Titan and Tazzie, both mastiff's (and Tazzie's Mom is a vet).

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Thank you!  In reading, I see the upper limit should be around $5,000 for chemo.  (But the estimate for amputation was up to $2,000, and mine was $6,000.  So I'll assume maybe as much as $7,000 for our chemo.)  No matter what the figure is, it's just nice to have a ballpark.  Thanks (again) for the links.  I've read maybe 1% of this site so far, and should really get at reading the other 99%, huh? 😉