Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I was just told that because my dog's tumor is in the lower leg the surgeon recommends doing the amputation cut in the femur and not the hip. I had not heard this was a possibility and I would like to hear what other folks know/think about this?
Thanks.
I can't claim to be any sort of an expert, but I see no one has responded. I will just share what our vet (Animal Medical Center in NYC) said, which basically came down to: it's always better to amputate at the hip unless there is some specific reason not to. So it's definitely worth asking your surgeon some questions as to why that particular recommendation.
Our Abby is a front leg amp, so not the same situation, but I remember her onc saying the amp can be done with or without including the whole scapula. He recommended taking the scapula too (and said that is most common) as it leaves a 'cleaner' spot for the dog to lay on. With the scapula there, there would be a nub that might get in the way or cause pain if she laid down on it wrong. I would think it would be similar if the back leg was not amp'd at the hip -- but I'm definitely no expert.
Maybe someone else will weigh in who has experience with this...
Good luck!
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!
Hi,
Fergus is a rear amp whose tumor was near his ankle. My doctor said to take the entire leg or else it "gets in the way and gets caught on things". He did not cut any of the hip because he said that is super painful. I hope this helps.
Tara & Fergus
My dog is a rear amp and was amputated to the hip - her tumor was on her knee. My vet preferred to the hip over in the femur area...to have the best chance of clean margins and she also just preferred to the hip.
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Maggie was amputated for soft tissue sarcoma 10-20-09
Maggie lost her battle with kidney disease on 8-24-13
My little pug Maggie was a rear amp, her mast cell tumor was in her knee. Her surgeon amputated high up on femur. His explanation was that it was a less complicated surgery than dis-articulating the hip joint. He padded the remaining femur bone with muscle. Looking at her you could not tell there was any femur left, you could feel it though. She usually sat on her amp side, and often laid on it too. She often used a sit maneuver to change directions. All of that to say that she never had any problems with the way the surgery was done in her almost 4 years as a tri-pug.
It is maybe a preference by the surgeon?- assuming the tumor is at the knee or lower.
You could always post this question in the 'Ask A Vet' forum and get a perspective from our resident vet Dr. Pam (posts as tazziedog).
Karen and the pugapalooza
This is a popular topic. One place where we and Dr. Pam discussed it is here:
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
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