Clearly some dogs are better candidates than others.  Clear lungs are a good sign.  It was surprising to me how many dogs are good candidates for amputation.  Otis was 106 pounds, with mild arthritis in his hips.  I know there have been other dogs on the site in similar circumstances, especially since osteo tends to set in between 7 - 10 years of age, for a large dog it is not uncommon for there to be some issues.  Does your surgeon think Victor is a good candidate?   Your description makes it sound like he is otherwise healthy, which should make him a good candidate.

Every dog recovers differently, some take longer than others.  But, I don't think they feel depressed or disabled.  They just figure out how to do whatever they want to do in a different way.  Otis cannot take long walks anymore, but he still enjoys going out - just a much shorter walk.  Everything else is pretty much as it was.  

This is major surgery, and there are no guarantees.  Many members have chosen not to do chemo for a variety of reasons.  The amputation will give Victor the best shot at a pain free life, for however long he has left.  Don't worry about the statistics - Victor doesn't.  

To me, your answer is in the statement you made about wanting his last months, however many there are, as comfortable as possible.  For that, I think you have two options, palliative management with pain meds or amputation (with or without chemo).  As has been said, many here choose not to do chemo for multiple reasons. 

Sadly there is no crystal ball.  Either option comes with some risk. The first is a path where pain will surely get worse and there is the risk of a bad fracture.  The second, there is the risk of the surgery itself and recovery which can be rough.  

All I can really tell you is my dog is older, so 8 seems just middle aged to me.  Pofi is back to being the dog he was before all the pain started (except for the hopping) and I am exceedingly grateful for every moment.  I hope it lasts a very long time, but these last 6 weeks post op with no pain are just so precious to me.

We are doing at home chemo, which, depending on the drug, is not necessarily that expensive.  We were considering radiation, which is more effective for his cancer type and stage, but I am less convinced I want to pursue that than I was a few weeks ago.  If you do the amputation, you can decide later if any oncology is right for you and your boy.

There is no right answer and there is no judgement here.  Every path is unique, every dog is.  We are here for you however you proceed.

Hi there - I had almost exactly the same concerns as you. Like you, my reason for considering amputation was to remove pain and the risk of fracture - the risk of fracture was probably my biggest concern, along with the fact that my vet told me realistically you can't keep them entirely pain free with just pain meds. And like you, I felt like why put him through amputation when the prognosis is so short. In the end, I felt giving him whatever pain free time I could was the best I could do for him. I also am not doing chemo so I'm just hoping he'll be on the longer end of the anticipated post surgery life span but even if he is not, I hope I at least made him comfortable.

Have a frank discussion with your vet about your concerns. I was really upfront with my concerns, and he was able to help me with the decision. I even did what one of the topics says not to do - I asked him what he would do if Clyde was his dog. In the end, it just made sense to me to try to keep him pain free and without the risk of fracture. My vet also told me that when the lungs finally do get involved, it is not painful for them. That helped me because I was questioning why do this if he'll just end up back in pain when the lungs get involved. There are no guarantees, but hopefully you'll feel better about your decision whatever it is and know that there are a whole lot of people who have faced the same issues.

Clyde is just a little over two weeks post amputation, and after some ups and downs, is doing really well. I sometimes get sad that he can't do everything he could do before the surgery, but it doesn't seem to be bothering him. I thought he seemed depressed during the first days after his surgery - but now that his meds are out of his system, he's much happier.

And don't feel guilty or stupid about thinking his limp was nothing more than a sprain or something. I think we all did - I only took in Clyde because I figured he might like some pain meds, I certainly did not think it was anything serious. You are doing everything you can for your buddy.