My Otis also broke his leg, seemingly for no reason, and was diagnosed with osteosarcoma.  We amputated and he did remarkably well as a Tripawd, even with mild arthritis in his hips.  He did not take very long walks, but everything else was the same.  He slept on the sofa, chased cats and squirrels, played with his sister, and stole food off the countertops.  Amputation will remove the pain Miles is in, and hopefully, if his is a fairly slow growing tumor (2 1/2 years!) give him more quality time.

We really had no choice.  Otis' leg broke on a Sunday.  He spent that night at an emergency vet.  They felt that the pain was too much to try to manage at home, plus he was a 106 pound dog.  No way I could carry him.   On Monday, he was transferred to a vet hospital with a surgeon and oncologist.  They felt he was a good candidate for amputation, and the surgery was scheduled for Tuesday morning.  He came home Wednesday night.  It was hard seeing him without the leg.  He was such a physically beautiful dog before.  But, I am so happy for the extra time we had with him.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Hello:

In our case, the cancer is not osteo, but soft tissue sarcoma and it was missed for about a year despite referrals to the specialty clinic he is now being treated at.  So we did not have much time to spare to think or consider.  The pain was suddenly acute and with the simplest diagnostic test we suddenly knew what had been wrong all this time.  On April 15 we first heard the words "peripheral nerve sheath tumor in the brachial plexus" and were thinking surgery in a month's time or so. But in the intervening days, as if he had heard and understood the diagnosis, he was suddenly a very, very unwell and unhappy dog.  May 3rd was our confirming MRI (needed for surgical planning) and that process really escalated his pain and he stayed in hospital and surgery was performed the next day, twelve days ahead of the original plan.

I regret only that we did not know sooner and did not amputate sooner.  I have had a happier and certainly much less pain riddled dog since that day four months ago.  Pofi turned 12 this week and is a Tripawd champ.  Take a look at our blog (in signature) for pictures and videos of how happy and spirited an older dog can be when pain is no longer a constant.

Best thoughts for you and your pooch!

Hi, I don't remember the exact price, but I think it was in the $3500 range. We had it done at a referral vet so he would have someone with him 24 hrs; my vet could've done it (for about $1000 less), but he would've been alone at nite and I wouldn't do that. It seems like you're focusing on his age - but is he in good shape for his age? Some dogs are a "young" 12, and others are an "old" 12. There are many dogs here that are 12, some even older, that do amazingly well.  And the biggest benefit of amputation is to get him out of pain; its normal to think about "how long will he survive after surgery - will it be worth it?" But even those whose dog only made it a few months after surgery tend not to regret the decision, beause those months were pain-free. As humans, we tend to get caught up in numbers; I, myself did at first too. Then you learn from this site to "Be More Dog " and live for the moment. Keep us posted, we're here for you.

Paula and Nitro