Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi!
I'm glad to have found this forum, though sad I need it at all...
About a month ago, our 19 month old goldendoodle (60-ish lb) was playing roughly with another puppy and she started limping. We thought she had strained a muscle or something... over the next few weeks intermittently, but would get better. But over the past week, it seemed to get worse, so we took her to the vet and found that she has what appears to be an aggressive tumor on her tibia. We scheduled her for a biopsy. We took her for a second opinion to a specialty vet hospital where the vets are board certified. The vet there said that she thought it was in an unusual spot on the tibia (right in the middle) and so might not be osteosarcoma, but another type of bone tumor. Her bloodwork and chest x-ray look good.
She hasn't traveled outside of the pacific northwest, so fungal infection is unlikely, and the vet said she's too healthy appearing to have a bacterial infection. I'm fine to have the amputation done immediately, and went ahead and scheduled it with the specialty hospital. It kind of doesn't make sense for me to have her go through a biopsy only to amputate anyway, but my partner feels like she can't live with herself if it turns out to be something which we didn't need to amputate for. Our friend is a (human) pathologist and has offered to look at the specimen for free, but I understand biopsies are painful. The vet said she thought it was a 98% sure that amputation would have to happen.
Anyway, what do you think? How painful was it for your dog? Was the information you got from the biopsy worth the cost and pain?
Offline
Oh my gosh your pup is so young, I'm so sorry!
We're glad you found us too. The line around here is, this is the club nobody wants to join. But if you have to, we'll be here to provide support any way we can.
It really does sound like you're having great care done for this pup, kudos to you. So it sounds to me like the needle aspirate was inconclusive?
When it comes to bone biopsies, they do hurt like hell and there is a risk of the leg fracturing, which necessitates amputation anyways. The general thinking is, if you plan on amputating anyways, do the bone biopsy after amputation to spare your dog the extra surgery. My folks skipped the bone biopsy for me. My tumor was also in a strange location but I was in so much pain they didn't want to delay things any more than they had to.
If there is any doubt in your vet's head about what type of problem this is, then the thinking is, do the bone biopsy. However, 98% certain from a board-certified vet is a pretty good indication that you're looking at amputation, but unfortunately only you and your partner can make the decision whether to bone biopsy or not. This is such a hard call to make.
We will support you either way of course, so please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Welcome to the site. I know it is terrible to proceed with something as serious and permanent as amputation without being certain it is necessary and that is a decision only you and your partner can make because you are the ones that will have to live with it.
That said, I will tell you that our experience with the bone biopsy was terrible. Our vet recommended it at the time the tumor was spotted on x-rays. Not knowing anything at all about bone cancer at the time, we agreed to the biopsy and it was performed that same day. We didn't know at the time that these tumors normally have a very distinctive appearance on x-rays and we most certainly didn't know how painful it would be. Zeus was in SO much pain after the biopsy. That night he was up crying and whimpering the entire night. He was very reluctant to move for at least a week. The biopsy results came back that it was definitely an 'aggressive cancer' but inconclusive as to the type. We proceeded with amputation and then had the entire leg sent for a second biopsy which returned as Osteosarcoma. If we had to do it over again, we would not do a biopsy.
Good luck to you!
Lisa
Zeus was a Husky mix diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at age 11. A visible lung met and suspicious spot on his liver meant a poor prognosis-six weeks was our vet's best guess. We decided to fight for our boy and his right front leg was amputated on 12/1/11. We did six rounds of chemo, changed his diet and spoiled him completely rotten. We were blessed with 10 great months after diagnosis. Against the odds, the lung met remained a single met and grew very little over those months. A wonderful furbaby with the most gentle spirit, he fought with a strength that we never imagined he possessed. We have no regrets...
http://zeuspod......pawds.com/
jerry said
It really does sound like you're having great care done for this pup, kudos to you. So it sounds to me like the needle aspirate was inconclusive?
No --- it's scheduled for Tuesday morning with our regular vet who wanted to do the biopsy first. And we have an amputation scheduled Tuesday morning with the specialist vet who said it wasn't necessary because it was clearly a tumor. I need to either cancel the biopsy or postpone the amputation -- so I'm looking for feedback from folks who have done it either way.
So sorry you find youself with us. It is so very scary!
Zeuspod and Jerry pretty much answered your questions and I certainly don't have anything to add since I didn't experience bone cancer. But I want to say welcome.
Just a thought, if anyone is on the fence about the xray- can't you have another radiologist look at it ? Maybe I missed something, but my first thought was - get a second opinion from radiologist so you don't have to do a biopsy. Or have three radiologists look at the films! If two say yes...then I'd proceed. I don't want that to sound glib so I hope you know what I mean.
Sending you tons and tons of good wishes.
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.
Hi, sorry you had to find us here. Our dog was also quite young (15 mo.) when she started limping. Because she was so young and because the vet thought the xray wasn't conclusive, we did the biopsy. But everything happened so fast, I didn't really know at the time that bone cancer should be fairly obvious from the xray. If I'd known that I probably would have gotten another radiologist or the oncologist to look at it. But the vet recommended the biopsy and we went with it. To be honest, Abby didn't really seem to be in any more pain after the biopsy then she had been in from the tumor to begin with. She never once cried out or whimpered. She just limped around for the few days while we waited for the results like she had been doing because of the tumor anyway. Knowing what I know now, I wish we'd saved her the pain and us the money and also gotten that tumor off of her faster and just gone ahead with the amp. Of course, having said that, I can see where it would be a very hard decision to make to take the leg without knowing for sure that it's bone cancer.
One other thing you might want to ask about/look into is whether it is true that the biopsy can cause the cancer to spread. I read that somewhere after we'd done the biopsy, but don't remember where I read it.
All the best with your decision. Keep us posted.
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!
Hello
So sorry you and your girl have to go through this.
Our lylee had a bone biopsy done before amputation. The xrays were inconclusive and so we didn't want to amputate unless we had to. The biopsy also came back inconclusive. Our surgeon had her on lots of pain meds and she didn't seem to be in any significant pain from the procedure but taking bone samples will be painful so good pain control is necessary. But she had been in a lot of pain from whatever was causing her limping. Jerry did say to us that from since the starting of this forum that cancer is usually confirmed after amputation (These aren't the exact words Jerry used but kinda) This gave us confidence to go ahead with amputation. Osteosarcoma was diagnosed from the pathology.
I know that I would do a bone biospy again if the xrays were not decisive. But then again your surgeon used the 98% remark. Sorry not to be more clear but just wanted to share our experience and thoughts
Please let us know how it all goes
hugs & wags
joanne & Lylee
http://lyleegir.....ipawds.com
I'm sorry to hear about your dog..and so young! 
My dog had a soft tissue sarcoma not bone but I did do the biopsy prior to surgery. My vet wanted to do it, so I agreed. I will say that her leg EXPLODED to a huge size after the biopsy. Surgery was just as soon as we got results from biopsy ~ 1 week later.
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
Tracy's comment made me think of one other thing you might want to consider is the timing of everything - how long will it take to get the biopsy results, and then will you be able to quickly reschedule the amp if needed after getting the results. It's best to move quickly if it is bone cancer. For us it was only 3 days for the results and then the amp was 4 days after that, but we lucked out and there was a cancelation that allowed us to get the amp done that same week.
Good luck with your decision. I know how overwhelming this all is.
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!
I would skip the bone biopsy and amputate. Anything that is eating away the bone is not good and you are right; here in the Northwest we do not have fungal bone disease. I do sometimes see Valley Fever in the bones but only in dogs who have visited Arizona.
Pam
Hello and welcome. So sorry you needed to find us.
Pam, or tazziedog, is our wonderful and resident veterinarian. It sounds like you have 98% + 1 now.
Keep in mind that it doesn't really matter whether or not the dog has cancer or what kind of cancer right now. If the leg has to come off, the reason isn't important at the moment. They can biopsy the tumor after the amputation, and it may save precious time and prevent further pain. A pre-amputation biopsy, when the vet is already almost completely certain amputation is needed, would seem unimportant to me. I'd vote for getting rid of the pain and then figure out what the cause was.
My dog, like Maggie, had a soft-tissue cancer. It wasn't biopsied in advance, though it was offered. Even though it wouldn't have been as painful as a bone biopsy, I just asked if the result would change the treatment. They said no, so I said "take the leg" and they biopsied it after.
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
Welcome! If I were you I would have it off faster than a prom dress on prom night.
Osteosarcoma really presents in a certain way. Although I was trying to be hopeful that Cadence's swelling was something else, there were only two options from what I found in my research. Weird fungus or osteosarcoma. Since we live in the midwest, it was almost with 100% certainty that it was the bone cancer. Also, Cadence's cancer appeared very textbook due to the location of it and the appearance in X-ray. We had our local vet, plus the oncologist, plus the surgeon concurring that it was most likely OSA, even to the point of telling me if it was their dog, they would amputate. We did not wait for biopsy. I read too much about biopsies and how they can make things worse and be painful for the dog, compromise bone, etc. We opted to go ahead and amputate right away without waiting for results. I'm glad we did not wait because it took 9 days for the results to come back (Which did confirm OSA) and I could have sworn that the tumor had increased in size in those 4 days before her amputation. We caught hers while it was barely visible externally. Had we have not been observant and just had her groomed, I think we would have missed it. She was barely bearing weight off that leg. I would have thought she had just strained herself. The surgeon told us that inside the bone it looked really good but outside around the bone the tumor had just gone nuts. If it helps, I have attached a picture of Cadence's X-rays. Let us know if we can do anything else. Good luck!
Cadence Faye: Born 10/30/04, stepped into our hearts 12/23/2004. Rear leg tumor found 7/24/11 by mom and dad, Xray on 7/25/11, Osteosarcoma suspected 7/26/11, amputation 7/29/11, Carboplatin started 8/23. Met free so far!
Welcome to you and your pup, but sorry that you had to find us. 🙁
X-rays alone in most cases diagnose osteosarcoma. Charley had a bone biopsy done, but that was only because we had been going to the same oncologist for 7 months prior because of another issue in the same leg and the oncologist wanted to confirm what was going on because his x-ray was not typical.
Here's his history: Charley was initially diagnosed with probable OS when he was 22 months old, but the oncologist didn't think it was OS because it was in the mid-humerus. A fine needle aspirate was done which revealed an aneurysmal bone cyst which is extremely rare. We were getting x-rays every 1-2 months at the onco and the cyst was resolving, but the onco saw something going on in his proximal humerus and Charley was limping on/off. The onco did a core bone biopsy of that area because of Charley's rare aneurysmal cyst, but it came back OS. Charley did cry after the biopsy and he was in pain. I sometimes think we should have amputated as soon as the cyst was diagnosed and then the OS would have never have formed...but the onco reassures us that there was no need to amputate becuase of a cyst and the surgeon would not have done the surgery. Charley had his L front leg amputated when he was 2-1/2 years old.
I would just amputate. Bone biopsies are painful and increase the risk of the bone fracturing. After amputation, the leg will be sent for a histopathology to confirm the type of cancer.
Hugs and chocolate labby kisses,
Ellen & Charley
Charley's Blog: CHOCOLATE KISSES
DOB: 3-29-08, male chocolate lab
Dx: OSA L proximal humerus 10-19-10
Amputation: L front leg & scapula 10-28-10
Chemo: 5 rounds of Carboplatin
Video (12 weeks post amp):Tripaw Charley Playing
♥♥♥ Lots of supplements and love!!! ♥♥♥
An update:
I actually ended up taking our pup for a third opinion (in part because I just didn't care for our regular vet and wasn't planning on going back and because the specialist hospital wanted 3500 for the amputation and the other local vet does it for half the price).
The third vet was very down-to-earth and felt that the x-rays were over-exposed and it wasn't a clear-cut case at all. He agreed that if it was OSA, he would recommend immediate amputation, but that things didn't fit and we needed more information before making the next decision. He examined her yesterday and then today took x-rays and did the biopsy. A couple interesting things came up... first, he noted that the leg didn't seem painful for her at all when he poked and prodded at it. On the x-ray, it turns out that what looked like a lesion on the first x-ray appears to be the callus of a healed spiral bone fracture. But below it is a 'moth-eaten' area and further down the bone are dark spots. He thought it could be multiple myeloma, but said anything is possible. I think he's quite intrigued. I suspect that the moment a month ago when my dog hurt her leg playing with another dog was the time of the fracture... which is, I guess, likely a pathological fracture due to the cancer...
The shocking thing to me, though, is that my dog has been happily running around and going on long hikes and following me on cross-country ski trails and even pulling the kids with a sled with only an intermittent slight limp... yet the x-ray looks just horrible.
Anyway, so far she hasn't had much problem from the bone biopsy. I brought her home this afternoon and she's wagging her tail and walking (tenderly) on the leg and she happily gobbled up all the food I gave her and even tried to chase one of our chickens before I caught her. So... I don't know what's going to happen. I suspect an amputation will be forthcoming. I'm cautiously hopeful that it will turn out to be something just confined to her leg or at least something (like multiple myeloma) with a better prognosis than osteosarcoma. We should get the pathology report from the actual veterinary pathologist on Thursday or Friday and from our friend (a human pathologist -- who we got some bone core samples for) by tomorrow.
I'm glad you were able to get another opinion. You certainly wouldn't want to take off your dog's leg due to crummy films. It does sound like OSA, with the old fracture and the moth-eaten area, but we'll all cross our fingers and toes that it's not. And if it is, it sounds like you've found a doctor you really like and trust. That's priceless.
Dogs continually amaze me with their ability to participate in life. You figure your dog must hurt with that leg, but apparently the lure of children and playtime is very strong. Just imagine how much better she will feel if it is indeed OSA and she gets rids of the leg!
Keep us posted on the results of the biopsy and what the plan is. And what's your pup's name?
Shari
From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.
Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/
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