Hello Tripawd friends - I haven't posted in a long time, so just thought I would check in with some good news.  My baby Butch will be 9 in June.  He was diagnosed at age 7 in March of 2023 with osteosarcoma and I made the tough decision to amputate and do 6 rounds of chemo.  Today, April 8, 2024, one year and one month after diagnosis Butch is doing great!  Thank you Jesus for answered prayers!!! 

I wanted to write this post to encourage those of you who might be facing the same fate with your fur baby to take heart. I have absolutely not a single regret that I chose the amputation. Yes, it was hard. Right after the amputation and probably for at least 10 days, I wondered if I had done the right thing.  But I'd say two weeks in, he was returning to normal and getting around, and losing weight - which was important when you only have one back leg! His white cell count/immunity wasn't the best during chemo and the doctor suggested extending the length of time in between treatments.  Doing this, we made it through all 6 treatments without a hitch.

Today we take long walks and even run and chase the ball with our neighborhood buddies.  With the help of a ramp we can go on car rides.  With the help of an ottoman, he can get up and sleep in bed with his mama (and be the bed hog that he always has been!) I have no doubt that my Butchy boy will be celebrating his 9th birthday, and I'm hoping and praying that he is among the 25% that makes it a lot longer.  I hope this offers you all some encouragement out there, and if you have any questions regarding Butch's journey, please don't hesitate to message me.  I'll try to check in more often.  

Also, if there are any of you with tripawds in the Las Vegas area, please msg me.  I didn't see any groups on the community forum, but would love to meet up and let our doggo's know they are not alone - and neither are we!  

Thank you and God bless you on your tripawd journey!