Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Our lovely Clio was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in her hind leg at the end of February. Initially the surgeon - also a Great Dane owner- did not recommend amputation as she was already having difficulty getting around with pain in her leg. We went through one chemo treatment and three radiation treatments. Her white blood cell count was too low for second chemo treatment and vet administered pamidronate instead. Meanwhile pain and mobility have worsened and xray shows significant enlargement of tumor- lungs though are still clear. Decision has to be made this week to euthanize our pup or amputate. Would love to have her with us longer but am afraid of putting her through surgery and recovery if will only to buy her a limited amount of time thereafter. Any thoughts or advice? She weighs 135 pounds - turns 9 this Saturday.
Hi Clio and family, welcome. Your future posts won't require approval.
I'm so sorry to hear about her diagnosis, it sounds like you've really been a great advocate for her, and her care sounds terrific. It's great that the vet is using pamidronate for the pain, but I'm so sorry it's not doing what everyone hopes it will. You're in a tough situation, that's for sure.
My first question is, is the vet a board-certified orthopedic surgeon? If so, that's where I would start, with a second opinion from a certified surgeon. Even if they give you the same advice, at least you'll have peace of mind knowing that you've done all of the homework you can do. Where are you located? Can you go to a veterinary teaching hospital? We always advocate for these institutions because not only do they have access to the best technology but also the most forward-thinking minds in vet medicine.
I know others will chime in so hang tight. Please know that whatever you decide, you're not alone, we're here to support you no matter what.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome to the group. I'm sorry about the OSA diagnosis. It really sucks. My advice is to read, read, read and read some more on these forums. You will see many large breed dogs that did well on 3 legs. We had Libby's remaining joints xrayed prior to surgery to see what she would be up against as far as mobility. She was a right front amp and had a perfect right hip and an arthritic left hip. It was well managed with joint supplements and she never showed any outward symptoms of pain.
The decision to amputate is personal and there are no wrong decisions. You have to do what is best for your situation. We are a very supportive group and like Jerry said, others will chime in here with more advice. Keeping reading.
Amy & Spirit Libby
Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13. Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14. She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self. Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14
Thank you so much for the comments - this forum is so helpful. We live in the Chicago NW suburbs and have access to a veterinary speciality center with board certified surgeons and oncologists on staff. The surgeon who initially diagnosed Clio and saw her again today indicated that due to his personal love of the breed he would probably move towards amputation if it were his dog. However he did note that we could only be looking at max 6 months survival time from date of diagnosis - which would put us to about end of August. I just have no gut feeling as to what to do at this point. He and the oncologist advised that amputation is immediate pain relief. I just know that this will be a major surgery. She had a biopsy in February and was out of it for a good five days. I just don't know how she would tolerate recovery from an amputated limb.
Please note that I'm new to this forum and I'm a tell-it-like-it-is kinda gal. I've just recently gone through what you are but my dog is only 5 and weighs 53 lbs. I did so much research the day she was diagnosed (3/22/14) and didn't think twice about amputation (4/1/14). I would have done it sooner if it weren't for my vet going out of town so we had to postpone a week.
I feel like you know your dog best and you really have to base this decision on what your gut thinks her quality of life will be. From all of my reading this cancer is so aggressive, and it sounds like this is validated by her xray, that two months is already a long period to have waited (sorry for my bluntness).
It's irrelevant at this point but I'm wondering why the surgeon did not recommend amputation right away but I suspect I'm missing something in your story.
Keep in mind the prognosis for this cancer - we'll be lucky to have them for a year after amputation, really lucky to have them for two and it's only occasionally to have them for more or that they are cured.
One thing that is very important and missing in this post is whether or not you would follow the amputation (should that be the direction you decide to go) with any type of treatment such as chemo. I started a protocol of holistic drugs (Dr. Loops protocol) the day after she came home from the vet and have purchased a bunch of additional supplements (which I have not yet started).
My girl, Greta, had her amputation (left rear) a week ago today and was doing so well until today. She definitely isn't feeling well and I'm scared about what it could be.
I'm not sure this post is helpful at all but I know the more people reply the better I feel. I think most other people are probably more positive than I am. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you receive a piece of advice that hits home for you and helps you to make the right decision for your family and Clio. I don't think you can make a bad decision in your case.
To be clear, we didn't 'wait' to amputate. The surgeon advised that our dog was not a good candidate for amputation due to some front leg arthritis and difficulty balancing at the time of diagnosis, which is why we decided to follow a radiation and chemo/bisphosphonate protocol. Unfortunately the radiation treatment was not as effective as controlling her pain as we and the oncologist had hoped and she quickly deteriorated. The surgeon and oncologist do believe that she has recently demonstrated her ability to get around on three legs, however, and think that she could possibly do well with amputation - they just can't be sure. If we decide to amputate and she does not have major complications we likely would pursue chemo to increase her prognosis.
You are fortunate to have good care so close to home. As far as the 6 month prognosis (prognosis, schmognosis, as some here would say 
)...I've been on this site long enough to know that statistics don't mean a whole lot. We enjoyed 14 additional months with Libby after amputation of her right front leg from OSA. We did not do IV chemo, but chose metronomic therapy instead.
Good luck to you and keep researching and reading until you come to a decision you are comfortable with.
Amy & Spirit Libby
Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13. Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14. She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self. Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14
Thank you Amy - we decided to amputate - she is scheduled for tomorrow morning. We are very much looking forward to seeing her freed from her pain. Fingers crossed that it all goes well!
Keeping all our paws crossed that she has smooth sailing. Have you read some of the material here about how to prepare your home for her return? Covering slick floors with non skid rugs, raising the feeding dishes (which you might already since you have a Dane)..have some yummy people food to entice her to eat if she needs it? Some low sodium chicken broth to mix with water to get her to drink? You may not have issues with either but it's good to keep these things on hand just in case. Do you have a harness or temporary sling to help her walk til she gets used to her new normal? Libby adapted fairly quickly we only used our homemade sling (a canvas shopping bag split down the sides) for the first day or 2.
Good luck and please keep us posted.
Amy & Spirit Libby
Liberty (Libby) was diagnosed with OSA on 1-22-13. Right front amputation on 1-31-13. No IV Chemo. Metronomic Therapy started 2-19-13 along with supplements and some home cooking. Lungs clear until 1-06-14. She's still her happy, hoppy, bossy self. Living the dog life to the fullest and a proud Winter Warrior. :) RIP my Libby 4-21-03 to 3-19-14
Good luck with the amputation! Please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Good Luck with the surgery tomorrow.
Please keep in touch with all of us here.....the support is great when you have questions or concerns or just want to "chat" with people who have been through this journey.
Sending lots of pawsitive thoughts
Linda and Tucker
Reading this a little late. Good Luck Clio! My Irish Wolfhound (140# and just turned 6 years old last Monday) had her left front leg amputated in January due to OSA. It was a agonizing decision, but she amazes me every single day. She is so happy now, I can't believe I agonized so long. I hope Clio gets through her recovery phase very soon and is back to being a bit more pain free!
Hugs to you all!
Beth & Mara
Gosh, I'm getting here late also!
You've done your research and you ave good advice from your vets! This is such an nightmarish time and I'm sure tears have been flowing non-stop!
Sou ds like you Clio has no i terest on giving up on life a d would we.come a second chance! And everydo is soooooo different! Some dogs blow statistics out of the wster.....some don't! It's just a crap shoot!
But one thing is for certain, you are aking your decision out of love and to give her a chance at a quality and pain-free life. For me...if I didn't give her that chance I would be second-guessing myself a long time!
Oh, and in doggy years..-six months s over three years of loving and spoiling!!
Recovery is no picnic, especialy for larger breeds. Stay connected to us...we understand...been there done that and pretty much know what's "normal" during the recovery.
Clio will be high as a kite and not feeling a thing! Yu....you need to immerse yourself in choco,ate and ice cream until you are high as a kite on sugar!
Sending HUGE HUGS and lots of love!
Sally and Happy Hannah
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!
Reading all these wonderful comments brings tears to my eyes! We just brought Clio home and she is laying down peacefully in the sunshine. She made a beeline for the grass as soon as we got her out of the truck. The vet kept her for two days and but for some swelling in her face and feet she is just fine. Her incision looks great - we were preparing ourselves for much worse- and were surprised she looks as good as she does. Amy - we did prep the house - thanks for the tips -carpet runners everywhere, plus chicken to eat, raised bowls, harness for assisted walking. Now it's just recovery time. Am pleased that the vet has already decreased her pain meds from before the surgery. I have a few weeks to think about steps for treatment going forward and would like to know what folks have tried. The vet initially recommended a 6-8 treatment course of chemo - rotating between carboplatin and doxorubicin every three weeks. He also discussed palladia as an option but it sure is expensive. Am just starting to read up on metronomic chemo and haven't yet discussed that with the vet.
Thank you all for such nice and thoughtful comments!
Leigh, Victor and Clio.
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