Katie Mae and Chakro, welcome. I'm so glad you decided to post. Your future posts won't need to wait for approval so post away.

First I'll try to answer your questions: 

I know this was long winded, but ultimately, have you seen dogs with osteosarcoma survive a year or more?

Absolutely! Our Jerry thrived for two amazing years after an osteosarcoma diagnosis, and he did really well. Yes, the cancer metastasized to his lungs later, but he lived out the normal life expectancy for his breed (and he was 75 pounds!). Since then we have seen many dogs outlive those depressing prognosis. 

What you have to remember is that those statistics are based on OTHER dogs, not Chackro! He is his own dog, with his own physiology. Cancer will do what it wants and sometimes it will play nice and behave for longer than anyone dreamed, even when chemo wasn't done. We've seen that happen often here. Not all the time of course, and I'd say that many dogs' disease will follow the prognosis, be we see enough here who do not that I feel comfortable telling you that there is always a chance he will beat those odds even without chemo. 

How has front leg amputation effected a larger dog?

LOL 72 pounds is pretty normal around here, we've seen dogs as big as 175 do fine on three legs. The key is to keep the dog lean, and know what good and bad activity looks like for YOUR dog. Keep him doing what he loves within the limits of what the rehab therapist feels is safe, and he's going to do well with mobility. Rehab makes a huge difference and it's why we encourage everyone to get a rehab reimbursement evaluation for their Tripawd. And, Tripawds Foundation can pay for that first rehab visit regardless of income level so please take advantage of the program.

What can I really expect during recovery?

We've got you covered! Check out our What to Expect articles .

Can I work during recovery?

If you can have the surgery done on a Thursday so you can take a long weekend off, that will be important. If not, having someone keeping an eye out for him throughout the day for at least the first week is so important. If that isn't possible, Tripawd-proofing your home will keep him safe when he is by himself. Do you have anyone who can at least look in on him for the first week, maybe two depending on how things go?

Will he run again?

Of course, but you really want to do that within the limitations of what a rehab therapist tells you is safe for him. 

My vet says he will stay overnight, but I'm unsure if they do 24 hour care (I will check on this), but if not, what can I do?

Definitely want overnight care but if they don't have it, you want to take him home that night. Warning: it will not be easy and he will be really out of it. You wont' sleep much if at all. But if his pain management is good, you can get through it relatively easy. You want to have a good discussion about pain control with your vet before surgery regardless of where he sleeps that first night. Good pain control = a better recovery.

How often have people experienced the cancer spread after amputation?

With ostosarcoma, the majority will reach a point where it spreads to the lungs, and limits a dog's capacity to move and breathe well. It's what happened with our Jerry too. In rare cases we've seen it metastasize to the spine or other bony areas, but don't panic and try not to think that far ahead. If there's one thing you learn with this cancer is to take things day by day, and enjoy every minute as best you can. 

Remember, no dog has an expiration date stamped on their butt, with or without cancer. Nobody can predict Chackro's future.

Please don't beat yourself up about not catching his cancer sooner. Many of us share that same story (myself included). The important thing is you are treating it now so that Chakro can get back to enjoying life without pain. Oh and please make sure he is on some good strong pain management right now. This is the worst pain anyone can endure and by the time a dog is limping, it's really bad. At the very least he should be on gabapentin and something like codeine with tylenol, as well as an NSAID, to control the severe pain before and amputation surgery pain afterward.

I hope this helps! Please let us know what other questions you have, we are here for you both.