Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi there,
my name is Alec and my fur baby is Bourbon. I adopted him at 4 months old when I was 20 and he’s my soul dog rescue. He’s turning 8 on July 26.
Two weeks ago he was playing in the backyard with his brother and his left hung leg slid below. I rushed him to the ER, thinking it was an ACL tear but after X-rays it revealed a break in his mid tibia. His er vet also said cancer and if it was osteosarcoma and he’d have about two months to live. His chest X-ray luckily showed no masses.
we sent his X-rays to a specialist that night and two hours later said it probably wasn’t osteosarcoma but a fungal disease or other sarcoma. The next day he was admitted to CSU Oncology in Fort Collins, Colorado where they said he’d need amputation regardless. They couldn’t fix his break and it wouldn’t heal on its own. They did an ultrasound and found no other tumors.
He’s been home for two weeks, pretty much off the pain meds and figuring out his new way of life. He got his stitches out yesterday and they said he’s healing so well and cleared for stairs and walks.
here’s the confusing part- we are waiting on his additional biopsy still. The vet said he has a sarcoma. Either fibro or osteo but they don’t know which and she said they most likely will not receive a conclusive answer after this second biopsy. His study is super hard.
We can start chemo and over treat him or not do chemo and under treat him. (Need it for osteo but not fibro). If we started chemo he’d do 6 doses every 3 weeks then just be monitored. CSU is one of the top vets in the country and it aches my heart that they can’t tell me which cancer it is and to do chemo or not.
Has anyone had to be in the over treat/under treat situation?
He’s young and he’s strong but I’m so on edge with over treating him :/
Alec and Bourbon, welcome! I'm sorry you both had to join our club. It's a stressful situation to find out that way. Amputation is not what any of us want to go through but there are lots of ways you can learn from Bourbon's strength and resilience, so be prepared for him to amaze you!
You're right, it sucks when an inconclusive biopsy comes back. We are huge CSU fans (check out our interviews), yes they are the best! We are based in Fort Collins ourselves during summer, and know for sure that you are in great hands with their team. If there's a chance that a diagnosis can be reached, they will get it figured out. And if they cannot (it may happen) I know that whatever their amazing onco vets recommend will likely be helpful for Bourbon's ability to fight cancer, and they will keep his quality of life as the #1 priority.
So when they say "over treat" it's not a matter of blasting his body with too much chemotherapy than it can handle. Rather, over treating is just that he may be getting a little more chemo than is typically recommended for whatever type of cancer they think he has. If it's too much, they will dial it down. Or, you can stop altogether if you want. There is no rule that says chemo is mandatory. Statistically it can help, but it still doesn't guarantee longevity. Many people throw chemotherapy at an inconclusive diagnosis just to be on the safe side. The "inconclusive" biopsy situation happens here all the time, unfortunately.
So, you have to do what's in your heart, and what you think Bourbon wants. He will tell you in his own way.
Thank you ❤️ this really means a lot. And finding Tripawds has been so helpful. It’s so incredibly hard making decisions for our dogs when we can’t communicate with them or talk about their pain.
I’m waiting to hear back from CSU (foco is stunning I hope you enjoy your summer). Your confidence in them really helps and to me, 8 years old is still young, especially for a mutt. To be determined, and I do so appreciate your response.
Aww you are so welcome.
Please keep us posted on how things are going OK? It will be interesting to find out what they recommend if a diagnosis can't be reached. It happens sometimes. So frustrating, I totally get it.
Finally heard back from CSU, “I just received the results back from the deeper sections of Bourbon's biopsy. They are still not completely sure whether this is an osteosarcoma vs fibrosarcoma bone tumor. My recommendation would be to follow through with chemotherapy for him as if this is osteosarcoma it can be quite aggressive, and the prognosis is much more favorable with chemotherapy (9-12 months on average vs 4-6 months with amputation alone).”
I am so torn on chemo. I understand it extends his life, but over treatment just doesn’t sit right with me. CSU’s oncologist team is amazing, has anyone not done chemo post amputation?
Hi Alec,
I'm sorry about that. We've seen this before, and it's a frustrating situation.
Remember, chemo doesn't guarantee anything. Statistically, it can increase the odds of longevity. But we've seen folks' dogs go longer with chemo, and without. Some dogs don't make it for very long even when they do get chemo. There are just no guarantees, unfortunately. Oncologists want to cover their bases so treatment is always recommended, but remember, it's not a requirement and you're not a bad pet parent if you don't do it. But do keep in mind that dogs handle chemo so much better than people. And the goal of oncology is always to preserve quality of life. If Bourbon doesn't do well on it, they can fine-tune the dosage so he doesn't have side effects, or you can stop it altogether.
So, lots of folks do opt out of chemo, we were one of them. For many reasons we opted out, and our Jerry lived two years. We are glad we didn't do chemo but I'll be honest there were many "what ifs?" we asked ourselves, especially when the cancer metastasized. You need to be comfortable with your decision especially if this does happen, because there's no going back.
There's no right or wrong choice, just the one that you feel good about making. We'll support your decision no matter what.
'Geez, just catching up on your frustration about a path forward..
First of all glad to kmow Boirbon has handled recovery like a Champ and his xrays were clear!
Ditto Jerry. She gave such Sage advice in her post above. Agree 100%. There just are no guarantees with or without chemo. The bottom line is for you and Boirbon to be as comfortable as possible with the decision to forgo chemo or not. Yeah, so much of this journey is about "forced choices". None are easy. What's semi-clear in situations like this is there is no right or wrong, You WILL make a decision out of love and with Bourbon's best interest in mind.
FWIW, it's my understanding that more recent studies ("recent " being a relative term) have shown four rounds of chemo to be just as effect as six.
Another thing to help in your decision....how does Boirbon react to carrides.....to visits to the Vet.....etc.
Wishing you clarith on the days to come....
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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