TRIPAWDS: Home to 22969 Members and 2152 Blogs.
HOME » NEWS » BLOGS » FORUMS » CHAT » YOUR PRIVACY » RANDOM BLOG

Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.

JUMP TO FORUMS

Join The Tripawds Community

Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:

Instant post approval.

Private messages to members.

Subscribe to favorite topics.

Live Chat and much more!

Please consider registering
Guest
Search
Forum Scope


Match



Forum Options



Minimum search word length is 3 characters - maximum search word length is 84 characters
Register Lost password?
sp_Feed sp_PrintTopic sp_TopicIcon-c
A question for the owners of three legged dogs
sp_NewTopic Add Topic
Member Since:
20 February 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
1
20 February 2009 - 7:13 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_EditHistory sp_QuotePost

Hello, my name is nick and I have searched around your forums for the past few days reading others stories and I have a question for the owners of three leg dogs.

First I will start with my situation, my dog Lucy is a five year and seven month old pit bull, recently I discovered a lump on the top of her front right paw, after going to the vet and collecting a sample from a FNA we found out the lump was a mass cell tumor, so my vet referred me to the New England Veterinary oncology group. Lucy and I met with the specialist and I decided to have staging done, thankfully everything so far has come back negative for bad cells, we are waiting for the CBC and the sample of the spleen fluid. I will know on Monday.

So if the remaining tests come back clean I am left with two options, the first is to have a surgeon remove as much of the tumor as possible then keep Lucy in a small crate for two weeks so that the paw has the best chance of healing, then if the paw has healed properly in the first two weeks we would move on to radiation (if the paw does not heal in two weeks a second surgery would be necessary to remove new cancer cells).

Since I live three hours from the treatment center I would have to leave Lucy with them for three weeks while they gave her radiation fifteen times under full Anastasia, after all that she would have to recover from the radiation treatment. Then we would hope that the radiation killed the remaining cancer and if so go on with our lives cancer free. This procedure has a success rate of about 75 - 80% but the success rate of the paw staying closed for the first two weeks is very low without keeping the dog almost motionless. (Or so I have been led to believe from the oncologist)

Option two is to have my vet amputate the front right leg and shoulder; this would have over 95% chance that cancer would not return.

Also Lucy is a nerves dog, she does very bad in a kennel, screaming and scratching at the door, she has also been very uneasy and nerves when being taken care of by someone else, for these reasons I am leaning towards option two. I feel very fortunate that Lucy has a cancer that can actually be removed and most likely she will live a full life. Also Lucy is not a very active pit bull, we go for one to two walks a day, and then she spends most of her time on the couch with me.
As I have read in most topics, most owners have no option about amputation, so I find myself an awkward position where I am afraid to make the wrong decision with my dog.

So my question is, do you feel like your three leg friends are getting along just fine, or (knowing everything you have learned from living with your three leg dog) if in a situation like mine would you have wanted to try option one in hopes of saving the limb. I know this is a hard question but I feel that the owners of three leg dogs on these forums will be able to help me make the right decision.

Member Since:
7 January 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
2
20 February 2009 - 7:37 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

First, let me say that I'm very sorry to hear about Lucy.  Cancer is a horrible, horrible thing. Frown 

Now, you said that you had "been led to believe from the oncologist" that the success rate of the paw staying closed for the first two weeks is extremely low.  Perhaps you should get a second opinion?  I know that when we adopted our boy, Bean (who had been hit by a car and suffered nerve damage), we were told that there was a procedure that we could do that would potentially save the limb.  The success rate, we were told, was very very low, and if it failed, we would have to amputate anyway.  In order to feel fully comfortable with amputating Bean's leg, we did some more research and consulted with other vets about this other procedure, and they all said the same thing: the best thing is to take the leg off.  It was then that we knew in our hearts that the absolute best thing to do for Bean was to take his leg off. We had to make sure, in order to feel completely comfortable.

At this point, I don't think it's a question of whether or not other dogs get around fine as tripawds, because as you can tell from the other people on this forum, they do!  Look at youtube, with all the tripawds running and playing.  Look at the "share your story" section of this forum.  It's clear that most dogs recover and live full lives, and I know for a fact that we don't regret doing what we had to do to make Bean's life better.  I think it's a question of whether or not you have exhausted all of your resources to the extent that you feel comfortable with the decision to amputate.  There is no harm in getting a second opinion!

Warm wishes for Lucy's recovery, give her a big hug and a pat for me. Smile

- Bean and Erin

My heart lives at Rainbow Bridge
Member Since:
28 November 2008
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
3
20 February 2009 - 8:10 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

52cardpickup said:

 I think it's a question of whether or not you have exhausted all of your resources to the extent that you feel comfortable with the decision to amputate.  There is no harm in getting a second opinion!


I whole-heartedly agree with this.  The key to living peacefully with your choice is to know you have done all the research, asked all the questions, and received more than one opinion.

With us, the second opinion was our (and Trouble's) savior.  We found a wonderful vet that took the time to talk us though the choices, the odds, and which had the potential to give Trouble the best quality of life.  While he didn't sugar coat anything, he did stress what our best options were for a longer,  painfree life.

Yes, tripawds can and do live quality lives.  Trouble is a 9 year old pitbull very similar in activity to Lucy.  She takes a couple of strolls a day, but the rest of the time is curled up with one of us. Good luck with your decision, once it is behind you, you will feel so much better.

Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul.  Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.


Member Since:
22 August 2008
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
4
20 February 2009 - 9:37 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

I would take off the leg.  Mast cell tumors can be very aggressive and are very common in Pitbulls.  Tumors on the limbs or face tend to be higher grade (more malignant) and if you leave even 1 cancer cell behind it can get very "angry" and then spread faster.  My Pitbull Kona has had a Grade I MCT (more benign) removed from her chest once before and I am always on the lookout for more so I can remove them ASAP!  As you know Pitbulls are very active and hard to keep quiet so I would definitely opt for the amputation.  I know that it seems extreme but her prognosis for full recovery is very good.  My 180# Mastiff Tazzie is 6 months post-amputation and she runs around like a crazy dog.  The only thing she can't do well are steep flights of stairs and long walks.  Her endurance just isn't that great but she still enjoys life and is very happy.

Good luck with your dog. Please send a picture....

Pam and Tazzie

Member Since:
28 July 2008
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
5
20 February 2009 - 10:45 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

I would say amuptate. Who are you dealing with at NEVOG. I had Titan treated there.

Heidi

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
6
20 February 2009 - 11:06 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Nick, welcome to the Tripawds family. We hope that we can be of some help as you cope with Lucy's diagnosis. We are so sorry you're going through this. You've asked some great questions, thanks.

First off, all you have to do is look through Tripawds to see how hoppy and fulfilled our three legged dogs' lives are. While there are risks to the surgery that can be fatal...it's usually not. Almost every time, our beloved friends make it through surgery and recovery with flying colors, going on to lead great lives, with or without cancer.

I had a great life on three legs, and my pawrents wouldn't have changed one thing about how they went about it. If they were given the option of trying the limb-sparing procedure with a lesser chance of success, or doing the amputation with almost a guarantee of success, they still would've done the amp. Based on what we've seen here, it often isn't worth it in the end to take the gamble and risk trying to save the limb. Most times, we've seen that dogs who went through this type of surgery just ended up having another surgery later on down the road...the amputation. My pawrents often wonder why people fight so hard and spend so much money to save our "spare limb" when as you can see here, we get along just fine without it. That's just our two cents though. We can't tell you what to do, only offer our advice.

Hope this helps. Keep us posted OK?

Good luck!

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
28 January 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
7
21 February 2009 - 11:46 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_EditHistory sp_QuotePost

Hi Nick, 

My 6 year old pit bull/something/very cute, Lily, has such a similar story.  I have a “New Tripawd Lily” topic but I never really said what happened to bring us to three-leggedness.  This is the most athletic dog around.  She lives to run with my husband for hours.  She started limping months ago and after some rest her limping would stop so we thought she was just running too much.  Then we found a lump on the front of her front left wrist.  The FNA showed some cancer cells.  

Our choices were to try to remove the lump only or just remove the whole leg and most likely be done with all the cancer.  At first we thought we'd try the lump removal because wouldn't that be anyone's gut reaction and it was so much cheaper.  When I started reading here and talking to other doctors they really did recommend the amputation because taking off the lump would also be a big risky surgery.  They'd be messing with muscles and tendons and who knows what AND, like Pam just said, if ONE cell is left behind it comes back even angrier and then we'd have to do the amputation anyway!  

Well, we did it and it's been just fine, really.  She is cute as ever, mobile as ever, and seems completely normal.  We are at 3 1/2 weeks now and she walks with us more and more each day.  It has actually been a good experience, reminding us how much we love all these creatures.  

Our pathology is still not clear for some reason, and now there's some debate over what it really was or was it anything… But the truth is, she was in pain and I don't think it was going to get any better, and now she's great.

Member Since:
17 December 2008
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
8
21 February 2009 - 2:52 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Max is a 1 1/2 yr old black lab...still basically a puppy in many ways and very active. We also struggled with what the "right thing" to do was. Our doctors at the University of Wisconsin VMTH referred us to this site and the rest is history. He had his left hind leg removed this past Dec and is doing VERY well. Max has some other issues not related to the amputation (auto immune issue), but I can say with 100% certainty that if I were faced with the decision to amputate all over again I would not hesitate one second. After seeing Pam's post (who we all look to for professional guideance and advice) I would do exactly that...remove the leg. The first 2 weeks of recovery will be a constant watch for you, but Lucy will not have to be in a crate which by the sounds of your post would be a benefit. 

Best of luck on whatever you decide. Please keep us posted!

Paula and Spirit Max

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
9
21 February 2009 - 6:12 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Member fast dogs mom posted this, but apparently meant to hit reply and accidientally hit the link for reporting the post as questionable...

I am also sorry to hear about lucy. We have a greyhound called Jet who was 6 when we received the devastating news that he had osteosarcama. Jet was a ex-racer who very quickly became a big part of our family, he suddenly pulled up lame he did not make a noise just looked at me in a strange way. We thought he had just pulled a muscle, it is devestating and such a shock i will never forget that day.We arranged for a biopsy and planned to take him to somerset to save his leg, we did not want him to have his leg amputated he is a large greyhound 32kg. We planned to go the next monday fate then changed our mind.

On the Friday before his leg broke we thought we would have to put him to sleep, we arrived at the vets distraught. luckily the vet on duty was very calm and said why not change our mind and amputate after some discussion, we felt jet had one last chance.This was a hard decesion as another greyhound from the trust had died the previous week due to the same cancer when having his leg amputated.The surgeon was very calm and asked did we want to remove the shoulder or leave a stub,we took her advice and removed the shoulder. Jet had the op but would not eat the next day ,a bad sign for a dog who loved his food it took another day for the nurse to persuade him with his favourite chicken.

Jet returned to us the next day,from the moment we saw him we knew we had done the right thing,he was our Jet and i did not think about his missing leg, he surprised even the vet by jumping into our landrover as normal he was quiet for a couple of days whilst still on tablets and we were very glad when he no longer needed painkillers. Jet has just received his 5th chemo session he luckily has no side effects he is still enjoying life loves his walks although he cannot walk for miles (most greyhounds do not want to anyhow)enjoys playing with lizzie his 3 year old greyhound pal,chases her upstairs and down still at 40 mph even on 3 legs. He loves his food and loves lazing on his special chair. We have always had a special dog with Jet ,we are so glad that our vets have helped jet lead a pain free time for the last few months. Only you can decide what to do,it is a difficult time and I hope everyones comments will help you we only found this site a couple of days ago and it does help reading others views. My advice is to get as much advice from your vet and you will know yourself in the end what to do. Our thoughts are with you all the best.

Eve and Pete

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Member Since:
20 February 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
10
21 February 2009 - 6:36 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for sharing your views and stories, i am fairly certain that i am going to have the amputation done, i have an appointment with my vet for next thursday to perform the operation, they say she will be able to come home on Friday. now i am just waiting for the CBC and the sample from the spleen to come back on Monday, i also am having my vet send a slide from the FNA of the tumor to a pathologist to be certain that it is a mass cell tumor. i will let you know how things go on monday. untill then here is a pic of lucy.

Image Enlarger

Northern Indiana
Member Since:
15 January 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
11
21 February 2009 - 6:53 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Lucy has such a sweet face!! It sounds like you are at peace with your decision. Good to get to that point, hope you have good reports on Monday. She will be better the day after the amputation than the day before...the pain and diseased leg will be gone.

Take care and love Lucy one day at a time,

Gineej & Paris

Grateful for every moment we had with Paris…..no regrets!

Honoring her life by opening our hearts & home to Addy!

Member Since:
7 January 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
12
21 February 2009 - 11:20 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Awww, she's such a cutie.  I can't believe these precious dogs are banned here 🙁 They're so beautiful.

Good luck with your decision, I'm sure that whatever choice you make, it'll be the right one for your Lucy.

Hugs,

Bean and Erin

My heart lives at Rainbow Bridge
Member Since:
28 November 2008
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
13
22 February 2009 - 7:26 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Lucy is beautiful, of course I have a really soft spot for pitties. They are real troupers and she will do just fine as a tripawd.  Trouble was back to her old routines (with just minimal modification) within a week of being home. Lots of good thoughts coming your way from me and Troubs.

Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul.  Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.


Member Since:
20 February 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
14
22 February 2009 - 8:04 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Nick,

I am so sorry to hear about Lucy.  We have recently been through a similar situation.  I have a 12 year old Jack Russell Terrier.  In October, she had a mast cell tumor removed from her right front paw.  Unfortunately because of the size of the tumor the vet was not able to get clean margins.  Our next step was radiation.  The closest place to take Onassis was Auburn University, which is 4 hours away.  We went for our initial visit with intentions of starting radiation.  However, when we got there we were told that we would have to leave her there for 4 weeks and she would have to be put under general anesthesia every day.  I was not really comfortable with that and she was so scared and nervous while we were there that I just couldn't leave her there.  Onassis has never even been boarded in the 12 years we have had her and she is very scared when we leave her with anyone.  It was a hard decision but I talked to my vet again and we decided to monitor her leg.  She had been in twice since October for aspirations of the site and everything looked great until 2 weeks ago when we noticed some swelling.  Unfortunatley the cancer came back and our only option was to amputate.  We had the operation on Friday and she is home and seems to be doing great.  I have really struggled with this and was so upset last week about having to have the surgery but have felt much better after reading the posts on this site.  I have learned just how resilient animals are.  It is a difficult decision to make so I wish you the best.  Take care and we are thinking about you and Lucy.

Jennifer


Member Since:
22 February 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
15
22 February 2009 - 8:12 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Nick, like you I have also been reading the forums and the blogs on this website to help answer the most difficult question I have ever had to answer:  do I amputate or not?  My 5 year old pound puppy Roscoe has a very similar story to your Lucy.  Three weeks ago he had a mast cell tumor removed from his left front elbow and the biopsy said it was a Grade I tumor; however, the vet could not remove the whole tumor because part of it was wrapped around nerves and blood vessels.  When I asked the vets about radiation, I was told that Grade I tumors are not radiated, and that the nearest clinic that could perform the radiation is 4 hours away.  I was also told that Grade I tumors of the leg rarely spread elsewhere.  The oncologist says to amputate the leg, but the vets are leaning toward waiting and watching...which scares me.  I can tell from this webpage and from the stories told in it that having only three legs does not seem to bother dogs, but I am afraid that Roscoe will not be able to enjoy his favorite activity:  running.  I am also afraid that a part of his personality might be changed because of the amputation.  It is comforting to know that some one else has been faced with this decision, and I would also like any advice that the owners of three legged dogs could give.  What I am the most of afraid of is that I will fail as a three legged dog owner... can I give him the care he needs?  Will he understand that I am doing what's best for him, or will he hold a grudge (which he seems to do sometimes)?    I hope Lucy's surgery goes well and that I can be brave and make the decision you made with confidence.

Roscoe and Rosie

Forum Timezone: America/Denver
Most Users Ever Online: 946
Currently Online:
Guest(s) 174
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 1268
Members: 17731
Moderators: 6
Admins: 3
Forum Stats:
Groups: 4
Forums: 24
Topics: 18610
Posts: 256797
Administrators: admin, jerry, Tripawds
Tripawds is brought to you by Tripawds.
HOME » NEWS » BLOGS » FORUMS » CHAT » YOUR PRIVACY » RANDOM BLOG