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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Hello, my dog was diagnosed with osteosarcoma 3 weeks ago via X-Ray. FNA with ALP staining confirmed that last week. She will be having an amputation of her right hind leg sometime this week. As like all of you, our family is devastated. Reeling with this information. The last few weeks have been tears, grief and more tears. She had some staging tests done and her cancer has not spread visibly. Upon looking back at some previous X-Rays of her abdomen, our vet actually found evidence of the bone lysis going back 14 months ago. I am terrified, absolutely terrified to put her through amputation, but I know it is the only thing that will get rid of her pain and give her a chance at any type of longer term survival. We also plan to do chemo and incorporate some holistic supplements. I have very severe anxiety, and I am beside myself at the safety of this amputation. It sounds so barbaric, so horrific. I can't find any statistics on the safety of the procedure, although I do understand it is very commonly performed and most animals do very well. My gut is in knots and I feel sick to my stomach every time I think about her undergoing this. Can someone please let me the know the safety profile of this surgery? I don't have a choice, she has to do it. I am just trying to find some peace of mind going into this, and finding it nearly impossible. This situation has wrecked me completely. I am so scared of losing my dog.
Hi and welcome. Your future posts won't need to wait for approval so post away. What's your dog's name and age? Breed type? The more info we have the more we can help you try to cope with everything. I know it's hard, nobody ever expects to be in this situation. But rest assured you are not alone. Our website has had some technical issues lately that we are working on so my apologies in advance if you are delayed posting or researching. If you ever want to talk, the Tripawds Helpline 844-TRIPAWD has volunteers ready to listen.
Meanwhile:
Can someone please let me the know the safety profile of this surgery?
We aren't vets, but I'm guessing the reason you can't find a specific answer to this question is that there are just too many variables with every surgery. Everything from the health of the patient to the skill of the vet team to the clinic's procedures are at play when you consider any kind of safety profile of any procedure. The truth is that any kind of surgery has risk. One way you can minimize that risk is to ask these pre-surgery amputation questions, and consider an AAHA-accredited clinic if you haven't selected one yet.
I am just trying to find some peace of mind going into this, and finding it nearly impossible. This situation has wrecked me completely. I am so scared of losing my dog.
We get that. It's hard not to think the worst, and there are some worrisome recoveries that happen. But if you are willing to take the leap of faith that your dog will bounce back from surgery (the majority do), then it's up to you to set a positive tone for your dog. We say this because some of the hardest recoveries happen when the pet parent cannot keep their emotions in check. They end up projecting their fears onto their new Tripawd. And as experts tell us, animals project our emotions back to us. What we put out, they give back. So project an upbeat, optimistic attitude, and your dog will too. Easier said than done, but you can do this! I can tell you love your dog, and you have the strength to do this together!
Also, check out our Tripawds Quality of Life Survey to get some insight into recoveries.
Hope this helps. Stay tuned for feedback from others.
Our German Shepherd underwent amputation surgery on Monday, August 29th for an osteosarcoma on the radius of his forelimb. We got the diagnosis confirmed by the oncologist on August 6th and made the decision on August 9th to go ahead with amputation surgery and chemotherapy.
It was a heart wrenching decision for us and I'm sure all families with their beloved dogs and cats. We were very frightened and amprehensive leading up the the surgery, the day of surgery, and the day following surgery when we saw him for the first time and took him home. I"m not going to lie, it's been rough at times over the last 8 days that he's been home.
There was one morning where he woke us up screaming and I moved at light speed to comfort him and he was calm and seemed OK within a couple of minutes. There has been typically one lesser crying episode every other day since he's been home. He is moving OK on 3 legs given the surgery was only 8-9 days ago. He has eaten OK. Not at the same level he was but he will take treats and eat when he is hungry. He drinks consistently and thankfully his plumbing is working. He was pooping regularly but we are now at a point where it's been 2 days since he has defecated. We are being told that is normal and not to worry.
The other observation is his energy level. There has been times where he has been restless and moving around a lot and then days like today where he has been very lethargic. The surgical wound and incision has been healing without incident. The pain, anxiety, and healing medication has been consistentl and seems to be helping him through this.
He will be starting chemotherapy a week from this Thursday on September 15th so we will be nervously starting that next step. Good luck with your decision and journey with your pup.
Bruce said
Our German Shepherd underwent amputation surgery on Monday, August 29th for an osteosarcoma on the radius of his forelimb. We got the diagnosis confirmed by the oncologist on August 6th and made the decision on August 9th to go ahead with amputation surgery and chemotherapy.
Bruce, thank you for sharing your pup's story, it's so helpful for others to see there is hope! I'm glad your dog is doing well. Please consider starting an all new topic so we can support you on your journey together. And if you register as a member your posts won't need to wait for approval. Hope to see you again!
Thank you for sharing your story, Bruce. I am sorry to hear that you've had ups and downs throughout the recovery. Through my research so far, that is what I've been hearing is those first 2 weeks are the hardest. Hopefully you are almost over the hump with him, and things will be progressively getting better every day. How is he doing since the 6th when you commented? Our dog is now scheduled for Tuesday the 13th for amputation, and then will be starting chemo 2 weeks after that, so it sounds like we'll be a couple weeks behind you on the same treatment schedule. I can't blame you for being nervous about the chemo. Every step in this process is nerve wracking, I guess we can only take it one step at a time or it becomes too overwhelming (which it already is
). I wish you the best of luck with your boy, and hope you have lots of good quality, healthy time left with him. One thing that strikes me about this cancer, is that we have to take a giant leap of faith and hope that the treatment works. We have to hope we make the right decision, but only in the end will we have that answer. If we can get good quality life left with our Skye, then it will be well worth the decision. But that amputation....wow...that's the hardest decision I ever made in my life. It's a journey that none of us want to be on, but here we are. Please keep me posted. Is your boy doing Carboplatin or do they have another chemo they want to use?
You are so right, one step at a time. Get through amputation surgery day, and recovery is a day by day, sometimes hour by hour thing. We are here for you every moment so keep us posted.
As upi can see, you are def in the right place surrounded by people who understand every emotion involved in this seemingly "crazy" decision to amputate a leg.
And boy oh boy do I understand the fear and uncertainty, non stopped crying (more like hysterics). I hadn't found this site at first and even cancelled the scheduled surgery out of sheer fear and panic. And then, not knowing anything about what to expec with recovery, Imjoined her six days after surgery. My first post was something like, "Six days post surgery and I fear I have made a horrible decision! ". This wonderful community threw me a lifeline. They reassured me, they shared invaluable first hand information on what to expect during recovery, tips to make it easier, etc, etc.
Giving Skye a chance at a quality pain free life is exactly what Skye would want. Nope, no guarantees when taking this journey, but everyone here did it because we had to TRY....we had to give them that chance.
We are all jere ro help you navigate thru recovery and jnto celebrating as Skye gets his sparkle back.
STAY CONNECTED! YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
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!
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