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.
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Welcome Crystal and family!
I'm so sorry you find yourself here with us and are facing this hard decision for Crystal. Whatever you decide will be made out of love and will be the right choice.
Because she is a GSD, I would consider getting an ultrasound on her vital organs before undergoing any treatment. I say this because as you noted with Star (in which I am very sorry to hear), hemangio is so common in GSD's. And if cancer is present, there may be a possibility of it elsewhere.
I know I sound like a big "downer" (sorry, I really don't mean to be). But when I hear GDS and cancer and elderly age, I also wonder if there isn't more cancer. I, too have faced hemangio - twice in a row.
I hope with all my heart, you find good news for Crystal. She sounds like a truly loved and dear furbaby!
Keep us posted!
Comet - 1999 to 2011
She departed us unexpectedly January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.
She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.
The surgeon at the clinic may be able to offer an informed opinion about Crystal but I would make sure they are available when you are coming in. They get into hours-long surgeries and can't just step out for a consult.
On the other hand, oncologists see the dogs for a longer time after their surgeries and see which ones do okay longer-term. Tate saw the surgeon once after his amp, to take the stitches out. Really, it was the oncologist that assessed his suitability as a candidate...not that there was much of a question with Tate, he didn't have arthritis or anything.
Good luck! Let us know how it goes!
http://tate.tripawds.com/
August 16, 2006 to November 28, 2011
TATE ~ Forever in our hearts.
Whew what a long day! Crystal and I were at the vet from 9 to 3 today and we got the best news we could hope for. After a bit of sedation, multiple x-rays, an ultrasound and a blood test, the oncologist (in consult with the radiologist and surgeon) thought that Crystal was a great candidate for amputation. Her blood work is great, there are no problems with any of her other organs, and her back hips look great as well. I'm dropping her off tomorrow morning and they will perform the surgery tomorrow afternoon. I'm a huge wreck of emotions right now! I keep fluctuating from being really happy and hopeful to being extremely nervous and anxious. I guess that's part of the process...
Woo-hoo for good news!
You're right, it's all part of the process. Tomorrow morning will be jumble of emotions, too. It's so hard to leave them, you just have to keep reminding yourself that you made the decision when you were in a more logical frame of mind!
http://tate.tripawds.com/
August 16, 2006 to November 28, 2011
TATE ~ Forever in our hearts.
That is really good news, we are so glad to hear this. Good luck tomorrow, and remember we are here to help however we can OK?
You'll have a lot of emotions and probably even doubt your decision, but just remember that you have taken every available step to ensure that she'll make a good Tripawd. You are an awesome advocate and she's a lucky girl to have you as a pawrent.
Keep us posted OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Not to give you more things to think about, but we looked into radiation as an alternative to amputation. It turned out we didn't have any problems that would suggest amputation was not the best treatment, so that's what we did. But when we were looking into radiation we looked into both traditional radiation therapy - something like 21 treatments - and a newer, stronger/more targeted radiation therapy that they have been having some success with. I believe the benefits were fewer treatments (and thus fewer anesthesias), as well as some indication that the radiation was more able to target the "bad" cells and spare the good ones. I think I may have posted about about it - radiation would be in the title and it would be in June of 2010.
They are doing a study on it at Colorado State Univ. and also in Florida. We spoke with a vet a CSU (even though we live in NYC), and they were able to point out a local place that could do it.
The reason I raise this is that our regular oncologist didn't mention it, as they did not do it there. PM me if you want more info and can't find it.
Good luck!!
kazy55 said:
But when we were looking into radiation we looked into both traditional radiation therapy - something like 21 treatments - and a newer, stronger/more targeted radiation therapy that they have been having some success with. I believe the benefits were fewer treatments (and thus fewer anesthesias), as well as some indication that the radiation was more able to target the "bad" cells and spare the good ones. I think I may have posted about about it - radiation would be in the title and it would be in June of 2010.
Is this what you mean?
"Chrondrosarcoma and Radiation"
We have discussed "Stereotactic Radiation Therapy" a few times, here are some posts about it.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
yes, thanks, I could not for the life of me remember the word - losing my mind. Stereotactic radiation, and sometimes it's called "cyber knife". EVen though cyber knife more commonly refers to brain surgery, it turns out that is what it was called when the folks at CSU referred us to a place on Long Island that could have done it.
The folks at CSU are doing research in efficacy of stereotactic radiation on OSA dogs - they are willing to discuss - might be worth a call to anyone going the radiation route for OSA
Hey Crystal's mom - either I'm a moron or our posts crossed - I didn't see that you had decided to do the surgery. Which is what we decided too. That's the best news, as the vets all told us that amputation was the "gold standard" of treatment. Sorry for clogging up your reading with irrelevant radiation info after the fact - good luck!
kazy55 said:
Hey Crystal's mom - either I'm a moron or our posts crossed - I didn't see that you had decided to do the surgery. Which is what we decided too. That's the best news, as the vets all told us that amputation was the "gold standard" of treatment. Sorry for clogging up your reading with irrelevant radiation info after the fact - good luck!
Don't be sorry! That information will definitely be useful for someone else who has to make that decision in the future. Plus it's always good to know more.
Crystal's surgery went well today! The surgeon said she can come home tomorrow if she can get up and move around a bit. If not, she will be home Friday. It's very quiet and uncomfortable here without her so I'm definitely looking forward to having her back. I know this is just the beginning of the process but I want to thank everyone for their support and advice. This community definitely makes dealing with her diagnosis a lot easier. Also, I'd like to give a special thank you to OK Scout who is generously sending us Scout's harness. Crystal and I really appreciate it.
Christina
Hooray for surgery going well! Rest up before she gets home! Sleep can be in short supply when they first come home and then everything seems like a bigger deal.
Be sure to keep us posted on how she's doing. If you have any questions, let us know. We've been there before!
All the best,
Jackie, Angel Abby's mom
Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!
Glad to hear the surgery went well, waiting for that 'out of surgery' call makes for a long day.
If I may put on my moderator hat for a moment: you might consider starting a new topic when you bring Crystal home. It will help other members follow your progress, and Crystal's recovery won't get lost in this decision making thread.
Do rest up, the next couple weeks can be bumpy, and everything seems worse when you are tired. Hopefully Crystal is one of those lucky pups that sails right through.
One other suggestion- you might want to look at some post amp pictures so you are prepared to see Crystal. Go to the gallery tab at the top of the page and scroll down a bit (sorry I'm on my iPad and can't post links).
Keep us updated, let us know when you get her home.
Karen and the pugapalooza
Great to hear Crystal's surgery went well-- I hope she had a good night and you can bring her home today. I remember reading some good advice posted here about collecting your dog post-amp. Like Karen pointed out, look at some pictures first, and then when you greet Crystal, look in her eyes, not at her incision. Tell her how much you love her and how proud you are of her; what a good girl she is. Be upbeat.. Because I was prepared, the incision itself was not upsetting. I just saw Scout. Funny now that I look back on pics of Scout (who had 4 legs for 9 years and 3 legs for 9 months) -- I think he looks odd with four legs. By the way, the harness is on its way.
Scout: January 31, 2002 to November 7, 2011
Scout's diagnosis was "poorly differentiated sarcoma"; amputation 1/11/2011. Scout enjoyed 9 fantastic years on 4 legs and 9 glorious months on 3 legs. If love alone could have saved you…
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