Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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We just found out that our beautiful Maggie has bone cancer, and a full front leg amputation is an option. We have spoken to a few different vets and are getting different opinions. One concern is that she is 7 years old, but we are more concerned about her size, as she is an extremely large dog that weighs 190 pounds. She could lose a few, although, she is not obese.
One opinion is that a dog this size would have too difficult of a time trying to navigate on one leg and would not recommend the surgery, while another vet feels that although it would be a difficult recovery, that she could probably do fine.
We want to do everything that we can for her; however, we do not want to be selfish, and in our hope to have all the time we can with her, put her through even more misery than the cancer itself. We are facing a very difficult decision and would truly appreciate any input and information that anyone can offer.
Hi Marla,
I'm so sorry about Maggie. This is a hard decision for any dog but especially when the pup is older or larger. But the best vets in the world have told us that neither size nor age should exclude a dog from being an amputation candidate as long as they are otherwise healthy.
Are any of these vets orthopedic surgeons? Typically when a vet immediately disqualifies a giant breed dog from amputation surgery, it's because they just don't see enough of them or do enough amputations to convince them that these dogs can and do just fine.
I agree that a giant breed amputation recovery can be challenging. Older and larger dogs need more time, and a bit more support than others during those initial weeks after surgery. What is her support team like? Will you have help to assist her if she needs it? Not all dogs will, but when a dog comes home from surgery they can be pretty woozy for a couple of days and need assistance getting in and out to go potty.
Also, how if your home set up? Do you have stairs? Slippery floors? Those things are also challenging to navigate with a larger dog.
Good pain management is also critical. It will make or break a recovery, so you really want a vet who does a lot of amputations and understands the importance of pain control at home.
There may be ups and downs but not every recovery has to be hard, and many bigger older dogs will surprise everyone with how well they recover.
Just check out some of our giant breed Tripawd stories for examples.
If you decide not to proceed with amputation, that's OK too, we will support you either way. There are other options like stereotactic radiation therapy to control pain, and when combined with bisphosponates (a bone building medication) it can also reduce the risk of fracture. Another new treatment called cementoplasty is a great option for dogs like Maggie.
I hope this helps. Stay tuned for feedback from others.
Hey Marla,
My Ellie is *only* 100 pounds, but is about 2 months post op for a forelimb and she's also 7 years old. She adjusted really well to 3 legs, but she wasn't magically 100% at 2 weeks. At 2 weeks was when I stopped hovering over her all the time and felt comfortable with the decision I made. I would say it took her about a month to get to her new normal.
Also highly suggest Physical Therapy, but I would have your first appointment as soon as you can. Ellie actually received therapy just hours after her operation and a couple more times over the 24 hours she was in the hospital, I'm convinced that alone helped greatly in her recovery. The fact she was as big as she was and already able to get up on her own was huge. With that said, booking physical therapy is kind of rough, they are usually booked out really far, so you might need to prepare well in advance (like 3-4 weeks in advance for me)
Jerry mentioned pain management and I couldn't agree more, it seems a lot of vets will stop pain management around 2 weeks, please make sure you have extra beyond that, as a large dog I can almost guarantee she will need it beyond that. Ellie was on Gabapentin for about 6 weeks. originally she was on 400 mg every 8 hours, and when I got a refill from my vet they gave me 100mg pills so I could slowly reduce her amount over time. That was really helpful, and alleviated a lot of stress for me. I did learn after that fact that gabapentin works well to stay ahead of the pain, so having it on a schedule works well, but not as a one off.
One thing that I don't see mentioned a lot on here is how people get their big dogs into their vehicles (seems like most just lift them, which isn't an option for all of us). Ellie was in a clinical trial and physical therapy so we were going to the vet sometimes twice a week. I was so very thankful I invested in a extended length ramp for her to get in and out of my SUV since there's no way I would have been able to lift her. I know people have mentioned dogs don't like them, but she took to it really easily, if you go that route highly suggest the extended length, it knocks the angle down quite a bit, to make it easier for the dogs to use. This is the one I got It has held up well, kind of bulky to store, but we make due.
Good luck! Look forward to seeing how Maggie does regardless of what you choose to do!
Thank you, Jerry & Whitney, for your help!
I scheduled Maggie's surgery this morning with her primary vet/oncologist; however, upon doing that, I discovered that the surgeon is not actually a board certified Veterinary Orthopedic Surgeon, but does orthopedic surgery for dogs. And, the facility does not offer overnight care - we would have to pick her up after her surgery. So, because of her size, I decided to reach out to another vet in town that is a board certified Orthopedic Surgeon. They are going to take a look at her x-rays and get back. If anybody has thoughts on wether or not that should make a difference, please let me know.
I have spoken to Sally several times via the Tripawd hotline, and she has been amazing!! She has done wonders to keep me calm, as this whole thing literally makes me want to vomit!! I also have Maggie's brother who had leg/tplo surgery in November. He also weighed about the same as Maggie when he had the surgery. He had some complications, as there was some injury to his larynx during the surgery, and he is now down to about 165 lbs. It was/is a hard road to recovery with him, as he still has breathing issues and vomiting issues, which is why this is all so overwhelming! He is just now getting around well on his leg and beginning to act like himself. He was supposed to have surgery on his other leg, but now that he has developed these other issues, we are not sure if that is a possibility. But, at least he has one strong leg now, and the other seems to be developing scar tissue, so he is managing. Yes....we discovered all the things you mentioned....Trying to get them in and out of the car, the tile floors, stairs and the pain!! We did not purchase a ramp for Milo, as it was more of a temporary issue, but I just purchased the ramp you recommended, as Maggie losing her leg will be much more permanent.
On top of everything else, we have to take a trip for my husband's work and will be gone for 2 weeks, so I am feeling a lot of pressure to make very important decisions very quickly!
Thank you all for your help and support!
oh my gosh Marla that is a LOT! to say it's overwhelming is an understatement. I think you looking for a board certified surgeon is a smart move, and I would definitely find a clinic that can keep Maggie at least overnight. That first night is going to be rough for Maggie even if everything goes perfectly, and since she's so big there's a possibility they will want to keep her a few nights just to set her up for success when she gets home. Ellie got to come home within 24 hours, but she did have stomach problems coming off anesthesia and they were able to give her IV medication to immediately help her out versus me being up at 2 in the morning trying to get pills in her when she already feels like poo.
I have not had a dog go through tplo surgery, but from my research on here the amputation surgery is much easier on the dogs, and they rebound a lot faster so you will probably be well prepared for Maggie! I'm sorry to hear about his larnyx/mobility issues, poor guy!
I hope the ramp works as well for Maggie as it does Ellie!
Wow you have been through so much lately! I'm so sorry for all the stress to you and Maggie's brother as well.
I agree, it was a good move to find the boarded surgeon. A vet with a strong interest in orthopedics can be an awesome surgeon even if they aren't board certified. But in a case like this with your dog being an atypical patient, it's comforting to know that all the safeguards and experience with amputation are in place. As long as the clinic has 24/hr care and someone to check on her throughout the night, and possibly board her for another night or two until she gets her sea legs, it sounds like a good choice.
And yep, amputation recovery is a picnic compared to a TPLO recovery. If you can do that, you can do this!
I'm so glad you'be been posting here and getting additional support to help confirm you are on the right path to help Maggie.
As you can see, these very knowledgeable and thorough replies from Jerry and Whitney help align with our conversations and add validation on your path forward.
YOU are amazing and YOU are doing an excellent job of research, asking questions, processing the different Vet opinions, etc
Let is know what the Orthop Surgeon says after reviewing xrays, etc.
Maggie is so lucky to have you as her advocate!
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!
So sorry you’re going though this, but you are definitely doing the right thing for your furbbaby. Mine is almost 2months post op front leg amputee as well and she’s kickin butt & taking names! I have high hopes for yours, big senior pup and all <3
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