Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I think I have reached the day that many of you talk about where you struggle with regrets... I am trying not to let it get the best of me. I am going on my third day with very little sleep so everything is a little skewed. Having said that the last 24 hours have really sucked.
The vet called yesterday with the biopsy results and it wasn't good. Apparently, they found "histocystic sarcoma" in the biopsy and then they found Mestastic sarcoma in the lymph gland that they took. They are going to run further immunostaining to get a more exact diagnosis. That was a long fall from being told that the amputation was curative.
Etta seems to be more lethargic and moving less than she was the first few days we brought her home. I have had many conversations with the hospital and they have been helpful but of course no definitive ways to help her or give her relief. I bring her in tomorrow to get the bandage taken off and they will look her over then. Also, she is only peeing once every 24 hours.... slightly concerning but again the vet is aware. I think her back legs are very sore and she only walks a few steps before lying down. She may be holding it until she can't hold it any longer... She has also developed a seroma which they will look at too.... On the bright side her appetite is good! Any advice or thoughts is much appreciated.
julie
Our angel "Etta" amputation on 4-15-10 lost her front limb. initially dx'd with neurofibrosarcoma. However, after surgery they discovered histiocytic sarcoma a very aggressive cancer. After two full rounds of chemo our special angel lost her battle on 6-21-10. the sweetest and most gentle soul. Our lives are forever blessed for having known her...
Julie and Etta
What you describe sounds pretty normal. My Tazzie was a ball of energy when we left the vet clinic and for the first night. Then he transformed into a block of cement for a few weeks. He'd get up to eat, and would pee once a day. I would try to drag him outside to pee or poo, but he had none of it. I should have just let things take their course. He went when he needed to. So, I wouldn't worry about it. Just make sure she is drinking. It is good news that she is eating well, so she must be feeling okay.
The back legs can look as though they hurt as they re-learn how to walk. Tazzie hopped out of the vet clinic. Once he was home, he very slowly and deliberately learned to walk, testing all sorts of gaits on the way. Eventually he returned to the tripawd hop. Apparently he had bad arthritis which probably made him slower to recover. But, he did recover and we had a great few months after that!
I am sorry to hear your biopsy news. But try not worry too much about your biopsy news until you find out more - easier said than done, I am sure.
Susan
Tazzie said:
What you describe sounds pretty normal.
Julie and Etta,
I waited to gather my thoughts before replying and I am so very glad that I did considering the great advice and support from Susan. It is extremely common that the second day is not as good as the first. They often over-do-it on the first day back as they attempt to return to their normal. Such setbacks are extremely normal. I whole heartly agree with your desire to discuss this with your vet, be sure to keep an eye on Etta, take as detailed notes as possible for the meeting, but also try to relax. Cherry recieved her first chemotherapy treatment just hours after the surgery (just after the body returned to a normal temperature). She had a very good first day then we started to run into our difficulties. One often hears that the first two weeks are weeks from hell, but things do get better.
Try not to over react to the diagnosis until you get time with your vet or oncologist if you are considering chemotherapy. I really did not discuss in this forum how bad Miss Cherry's initial diagnosis was until early this year. Any discussion about life expectency would have mentioned months. However, we never had that discussion and fought with all our energy and were rewarded with 405 days. Every companion is different, but please do not lose hope and optimism.
Sending Pawsitive Thoughts and Prayers,
Spirit Cherry's Dad
It definitely sounds 'normal' for just 3 days post-amp. Remember, the first two weeks will have plenty of ups and downs. Have you ever had to go through a big surgery yourself? If so, remember how bad you felt... I remember during all my surgeries... I'd be in so much pain, even though I was on pain meds... and I didn't feel like getting up to go to the bathroom... or eating, or anything else. But once my body started healing... I slowely felt better... Etta will too!
I'm sorry to hear about the updated diagnosis... especially when you were first told it was something curative. None of us know how long we have with our babies after their diagnosis... and neither do the vets. Oh, they can quote the statistics for each type of cancer... but they are just the average numbers... which means that some dogs will be below the average and some way past it.
For instance... my Jake was given 4-5 months to live after his diagnosis/amputation and we were prepared for that... but he barely made it to 8 weeks. 
Then there are so many other dogs with the same diagnosis as Jake had... who lived 7-8 months... some a year or almost 2!!
So, you just never know... all you can do is to love them, and make sure their lives are as happy as can be, for as long as they have left. Enjoy every single minute with Etta... take lots of pictures and videos... give her lots of love, treats, kisses... make her feel as if everything is normal... Try not to cry and be depressed when you're with her, as dogs can pick up on their owners feelings. I would cry all the way to work and back... but as soon as I got home... I smiled and went into 'happy' mode when I was with Jake. It was the hardest thing I could do... but I did it for my sweet golden boy.
Sending you and Etta lots of hugs!!! 
Angel Jake's Mom
Jake, 10yr old golden retriever (fractured his front right leg on 9/1, bone biopsy revealed osteosarcoma on 9/10, amputation on 9/17) and his family Marguerite, Jacques and Wolfie, 5yr old german shepherd and the newest addition to the family, Nala, a 7mth old Bengal mix kittie. Jake lost his battle on 11/9/2009, almost 8 weeks after his surgery. We will never forget our sweet golden angel… http://jakesjou.....ipawds.com ….. CANCER SUCKS!
Every thing Susan said x2. You're tired, Etta is tired, when you both get a little rest, it won't seem so gloomy. Rely on the vets to give you the information you need, then do your research, then search your heart and make each decision based on what is best for Etta. There are no wrong decisions, and there is always tons of support here when you're feeling down.
Right beside you and Etta, sending healing thoughts.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
grrranamal said:
I think I have reached the day that many of you talk about where you struggle with regrets...
Many (including us!) have found the book Without Regret to be helpful in coping with the decisions we've made regarding amputation for our dogs. It is still very early in Etta's recovery. The best advice we can give it to try and remain strong and take things one day at a time. There will be good ones, and bad, but hopefully before long Etta will be surprising you with big happy smiles as she hops around happy to be free of the pain. Hang in there and keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Following Mackenzie's surgery, about the 3rd day on, we had a very difficult time. She was so listless and wouldn't eat for several days - I was feeling so hopeless about her situation. There were many moments during this time when I second guessed the decision and couldn't possibly see the light at the end of the tunnel. But the light came and now 4 1/2 months later, Mackenzie is doing great. Had I known then what I know now, I would have let things ride its healing course and not get so worried and stressed (believe me, easier said than done.) They do end up healing and in Mackenzie's case, it wasn't until the 10th-11th day of recovery that I finally started to see some improvements. Plus the pain meds do a real number on them. When we took Mackenzie off her pain meds at about the 10th day, she made a complete turnaround. So don't despair - there is hope and Etta will do just fine - we promise! Just by the fact that Etta has a good appetite is really good news so just try to get through these next few days and know that this all part of the normal course of recovery as everyone has said. I wish I had known about this forum during Mackenzie's recovery time because I sure could have saved myself a lot of heartache and worry by hearing what some of the other tripawd pawrents went through during this time. So you are not alone!
We are keeping our paws crossed for Etta and hope that she starts to feel better very soon. Good luck tomorrow.
Kami (Mackenzie's Mom)
My sweet golden Mackenzie. She became my angel on Dec 29, 2010 at the age of 8 1/2 although she was always my angel from the time we brought her home. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in Sept 2009 and officially became a tripawd (front leg) on Nov 5, 2009. She will be forever in my heart and now she's running free with all of our other tripawd heroes. I love you Mackenzie!
Dear Julie and Etta: We'll chime in with everyone and say how rough those first few days are---really the first two weeks. Romeo spent two nights in the hospital, seemed surprisingly good when we brought him home---but then the next day we were back at the vets for some sublingual morphine derivative (something with a b...). After the first night home he barely ate. For a few days we had to always bring him food and water which was worrisome because Romeo is a lab/golden mix and he is all about the food! My partner is a nurse practitioner and she dealt better with the recovery than me---she just kept reminding me that major surgery and anesthesia really take a toll on the body. It did seem two steps forward, one step back for awhile---Romeo would have a good morning and enjoy sitting outside on the lawn with the neighbor's dog---then spend the next whole day sleeping. At one month, however, his recovery seemed miraculous!
We decided against chemo for a number of reasons. We did some herbs and still do acupuncture from time to time. We recently celebrated his eight month ampuversay! You'll be amazed everything Etta can do when she gets her strength back!
We're so sorry about the biopsy results, but we're sure you have gained some pain free months for Etta. We look forward to wishing you and Etta congratulations on many, many ampuversaries! Definitely keep an eye on the seroma (they seem to slow recovery from what I've read posted here) and lack of urination. Poop can take a while--I think it took Romeo about five days.
Hang in there, hugs to Etta, Eve and Romeo
Julie and Etta, Hopfully very soon things will start getting much better for Etta. Tasha always had a good appetite but her 4 & 5th days were terrible for her, I talked to her vet and they had me increase her pain meds she was so uncomfortable. Tasha went almost 24 hours during her really bad days without going pee. Her bladder was so full that she was leaking on the floor, I finally got her to go outside but she just didn't want to get up but on day 6 things improved and we were able to cut down on her pain meds. Tasha did a lot of crying I think more from the meds than from pain and by day 9 she was off all pain meds and very soon afterward the crying stopped. What a relief that was!
Today we are going on 7 months and Tasha is so full of life, happy, silly and a very vocal girl. She amazes us everyday, I hope that Etta will be doing the same for you very soon. She will be showing you Tripawds are awesome!
Jo Ann & Tasha
Tasha 8 years old, First cancer diagnosis 6/26/09, Last cancer diagnosis 9/26/09, Amputation 10/01/09, Loving our girl moment by moment.
Tasha lost her battle and became my Angel on May 4 2011. Forever in my heart….
Julie, I'm so sorry to hear about the findings, yeah, that's really hard I'm sure. But wait till you get a solid diagnosis until you consider what may or may not happen in the future. Hang in there.
I know it's not a whole lot of comfort but it sounds like these are pretty normal signs that she is in recovery mode. It's not easy, losing a leg. Imagine how painful it is, and tiring your body can get from trying to get used to moving around differently. It's good that you're talking to the vet and asking lots of questions. Keep doing so. In the meantime, try to remember that from here on out, it's all about one day at a time. And remember to celebrate the little achievements, even going potty!
She'll be back in the swing of things in no time we're betting. Keep us posted and remember that you're not alone here. Many hugs to you both.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi Julie....We are five weeks out and if you read the update, we also just had a really bad diagnosis with lung mets showing up already 
However, Magic spent the first 5 days at the vet with me visiting every day for a couple of hours....this was due mainly to MY physical inability to really help him til he was a titch more mobile (114 pounds)....so he had a start when he got home, but some of what you are seeing WE did indeed see...I worried about how often he would go pee, since I had the doggie door closed til I could have a new taller clear one made, so I would drag him out when I THOUGHT he should be going and poop? I don't think he pooped once at the vet cuz he has ALWAYS only pooped at home....so he did, sort of...
Our change came in retrospect, with the slowing down of the tramadol....and if I needed any reinforcement of THAT idea, I gave him ONE on a day when he seemed stiff and sore....he turned into stranger canine...wouldn't look at me, wouldn't interact with me...took OVER 24 hours for it to wear off....and Magic also came home with a fentanyl patch....it is amazing looking back that he could move at all!
You are fortunate her appetite is good...Magic's appetite is just now returning a bit (he needed to lose and he did, he is now 97 pounds)...and Magic developed a seroma AFTER they took the stitches out and his vet prefers to let it heal naturally rather than poke it...I guess every vet does their own thing. It has been getting smaller and I tease him about his boy boob
I will chime in with everyone and say take a breath..I know it is hard not to focus on the new information (believe me I DO KNOW)...but we really don't know how much time we have so make it all the best you can. This place will save your sanity and these people will bolster you on this journey that none of us ever contemplated taking.
Hi Julie,
As you know, I haven't dealt with anything like this since my Comet has a defective leg from birth. I hope everyone here helped you see, her reaction is fairly normal.
I did want to add, please don't lose site of the fact you took the pain away for your baby Etta. Whatever pain is there now is surgery pain. Surgery pain gets better.
Also, please remember you are sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation amplifies your emotions. If you were well rested, you'd probably be starting this topic by telling us that her appetite is great! Dogs wanting to eat is one of good signs we get from our dogs that they are okay.
But always feel free to come over and get anything off your chest! It's better to talk about it than suffer in silence.
Wishing for a better day tomorrow!
Comet's mom
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.
I'm sorry to read of Etta's cancer spread to the lymph system. Harley has Histiocytic Sarcoma which was also microscopically detected in the lymph node taken during amputation … so I know how you feel. We are now 5+ months post amputation, but Harley has had cancer for at least a year (diagnosed as a soft tissue injury for 6 months).
I definitely went through the regret stage. For us, it was figuring out that too much Tramadol and not enough Tramadol can produce the exact same symptoms … and that Harley could only handle very little Tramadol without seeing pink elephants.
I am out of town until next week, so I will be spending little time on Tripawds.com until I return home … I hopped online to check my PMs and just quickly and randomly clicked on a thread of the forum to see what is going on in Tripawd-land … and it happened to be a story very similar to mine. If you have any questions about Histiocytic Sarcoma & our experience so far (or anything else), feel free to PM me.
Amputation on 11/10/09, due to Histiocytic Sarcoma in left elbow. Angel Harley earned his wings on 06/24/10.
There are Histiocytic Sarcoma clinical trials at Ohio State and Colorado State. Not sure where you live or if you would be interested in participating, but last time I checked they were still offering it. I will try to post links later, if I have time.
Here are the links for the clinical trials I know of (for the drug Liposomal Clodronate):
Amputation on 11/10/09, due to Histiocytic Sarcoma in left elbow. Angel Harley earned his wings on 06/24/10.
Julie, We are 2 weeks out today(wed) with Gus having his fron leg amputated. You will find this forum and website are a gift from God, don't be afraid to ask about ANYTHING. just to let you know what our experience has been so far. We had the biopsy, it came back negative but our vet and ohio state vets thought it looked like cancer from the x-ray, although he felt we got it early. About day five Gus started letting out these blood curdling howls at the top of his lung, probably phantom pain . He had a few more of those episodes over the next week but they did seem to be more of a loud whine that full blown howls. Not much you can do except be there while it happens and comfort the poor guy, but it will tear you up having to listen to it. Sorry to be blunt but this is the way it will be, although some people didn't experience the phantom pain . He just didn't act much like himself either, expect that. Our experience with tramadol didn't seem to good, we switched to gabapentin and his appetite was better and his restlessness at night wasn't quite so bad, although he still would move from one place to the other. He still has a few mild pains I think, but they are more of a whimper. First 2 weeks will not be much fun, but these last two days Gus has shown remarkable improvement and hasn't looked this happy for almost 2 months, so I am feeling every penny was worth it right now, but I know there is no guarantee what the future holds. Hold on for the ride, there are alot of friends out there right with you, take care
My buddy Gus had a left front amputation on April 7, 2010 and lived a great life until July 26,2010
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