Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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My dog Buddy is 11 years old and just had a grade 3 aggressive but small sarcoma-type tumor removed from below the ankle on his back left leg. They were not able to get all the tumor but can't do more surgery due to the location. The lung x-ray and abdominal ultrasound seem to show that it has not spread (but there is no guarantee). He seems totally fine and the leg is mostly healed. The most effective treatment to prevent the tumor from coming back is high amputation (about 95%). Radiation has a lower chance of extending his life (65%) and is much more expensive. Buddy is relatively active but has some osteoarthritis. He hikes with me but now that he is older he mainly walks and trots, rather than running. He is not overweight. How in the world do I decide to have his poor leg amputated when he seems so fine right now? Is this the right choice? What if he can't go up stairs or go for walks in the woods with me anymore?
Welcome! Your future forum posts will not require moderation.
We're sorry to hear about Buddy, but glad you found us. the Tripawds e-books library addresses the question about "Is amputation the right decision?" in greater detail, but the short answer is: Every dog is different...
Is Amputation the Right Decision?
First of all, you must believe that there is no one “right” decision. Only you know your dog better than anyone else, and it’s that knowledge that will help you make the best decision for you both. Ask yourself, “is my dog strong/healthy/spirited enough to endure an operation like this?” While nobody can guarantee that your dog will have a problem- free recovery and get along well on three legs after surgery, one thing we can say with certainty is most dogs do just great as Tripawds... (From Three Legs And A Spare )
Search these forums above for more feedback from others or search all blogs here. Be sure to bookmark Jerry's Required Reading List for many more helpful links too!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi and welcome to you and sweet Buddy....
You have definitely come to the right place for some answers to your questions, and I do have to say that Admin gave great starting advice in his post with e-books and required reading....also, what he said is absolutely correct, each decision on amputation is personal, and every dog is different.
My own experience with amp in my precious angel Polly, was due to hemangiosarcoma attacking her front right leg and after 2 unsuccessful surgeries to remove the cancer, we, as well as her surgeon and oncologist felt her best chance was with amp surgery. Cancers are all a bit different, too....we knew with this type of cancer in Polly, it was only going to be a matter of time until it attacked her internally, but held out hope that it would be way down the road. Many here have dealt with, and are dealing with osteosarcoma, another nasty "ugly c" and a very painful one as well. Most decide on amputation just to relieve the awful painful situation of a limb that has become pretty useless and prone to breakage.
So every situation is different, and there is no right or wrong when you have your best fur-love's interest at heart. Your vets can certainly be very helpful with forming a decision, but the end decision is still completely up to you and what you think is best. And I can tell you, that your Buddy will figure everything out after healing from amp surgery....there is no stopping our 3-legged bundles of fur-joy in life and how they go about their everyday adventures.....they have surprised many of us, for sure. There are so many stories here in the lives of our Tripawds, it will seem like never-ending happy reading !! Those walks in the woods, Buddy will still love too.
Hope this has helped you out a bit, but I know there are many others that will jump in and share their experiences and wisdom regarding amputation in their beloved pups and kitties.
Best wishes and keep us posted on Buddy,
Bonnie & Angel Polly
Hi there and welcome to the club that no one wants to join. I can understand your hesitation. Buddy seems fine right now so how can you remove his leg? Problem is, if they couldn't remove the whole tumor then it will likely recur, right? What kind of odds are your vets giving you on that outcome? What are the odds of recurrence and survival under that scenario versus survival with amputation? Did they give you sense of how quickly you need to make a decision?
We have three rear-leg amps in our pack, none due to cancer. All are GSDs and two have arthritis in their remaining hip. One is going on 9.5 years old and has been a tripawd since she was about 7 months old. She is our little energizer bunny and yes, she is starting to slow down a bit but still has plenty of energy to spare. Dogs have most of their strength in their front end. We have definitely seen this with our dogs--where the front end goes, the rear end follows, even if it doesn't work as well as it should! When we first got Codie Rae (our senior girl and first tripawd) we seriously wondered if she would ever walk "normally". She was still recovering from her amp and had been at the shelter with no chance to exercise for a month so could barely get her butt off the ground. But that didn't stop her in the least! And, given the chance to get some good exercise and build up her strength she became one of the fastest dogs at the dog park. Austin has arthritis in both elbows AND his hip and in spite of it all he is such a happy dawg. We just recently participated in a stem cell study and they both got injections--Codie in her hip and Austin in his elbows. This seems to be helping both of them.
It sounds like Buddy is in good shape and you said he was not overweight and those are two really good things in his favor. Plus the cancer doesn't seem to have metastasized, so that is three great things in his favor. The existing arthritis is certainly a consideration but not necessarily a game ender as evidenced by my pack. You know your Buddy better than anyone. He is not worried about the future, just the here and now. He will probably adjust just fine to life on three legs. His walks in the woods may not last as long but he will still enjoy the heck out of them. He may have trouble getting up the stairs or into the car but that's what harnesses are for 
.
There are indeed no right or wrong or absolute answers. In the end it comes down to you and Buddy. Either way there are no guarantees. All you can do is weigh your options, trust your gut, look into your heart and Buddy's eyes, and make a decision. And no matter what you decide, we are here for you. Don't hesitate to ask more questions. Definitely do some poking around in the forums. Read up, look at the photos of our fabulous tripawds, watch some videos. Ease into the idea if you have the time to do so. I think you will find solutions for most, if not all, of the problems you can possibly envision!
xoxo,
Martha, Codie Rae, and the Oaktown Pack
Woohoo! Tripawds Rule!
Regulator of the Oaktown Pack, Sheriff of the Oaktown Pawsse, Founding member and President of the Tripawd Girldogs With 2 Names ROCK Club, and ... Tripawd Girldog Extraordinaire!
You've gotten GREAT insight and advice from Martha and Bonnie...good stuff!!
Martha' s pack is pretty legendary around here. Codie Ray is certainly a good example of how resilient our dogs can be! As Bonnie said, Buddy will figure things ou!
And you know what? Even IF Buddy didn't want to take as any really long walks in the woods...or wants to take a lot of rest stops...he would just as soon replace some of those extra long walks with tummy rubs and ear scratches! And that's still a very happy Buddy!
We understand how scary this is. It is major surgery and it has risks. Recovery is no picnic. Generally, but not always, rear legged amputees can go down stairs just fine. Going up stairs is harder. As Martha said, that's what harnesses are formis needed! But when the sparkle comes back and he doesn't have to have more surgeries and is pain free...YAHOO!!
You are not alone...we are here with you. You will make a decision out of love for Buddy...and that is the right decision.
((((((((///////////////HUGS))))))))))))))))))))))
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle 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!
Thank you everyone. I have a surgery consult this Monday at 10am with the possibility of having the amputation happen that afternoon. I can also delay it a day or more. I wish I knew if the cancer has spread without being visible but there is no way to know this. I do feel that I need to do something quickly (within a week) and this has been confirmed by the oncologist. I think one of the hardest things about this decision is that Buddy is fine right now. No pain, no limping, just a happy, easy-going guy. But I've now talked to every single vet who has been involved (four), including the pathologist in Colorado who did the biopsy. Everyone agrees that it is a bad tumor and likely to metastasize. Yesterday, it was confirmed as a grade 3 rhabdomyosarcoma. Does anyone on this forum know dogs that have had amputations for this type of cancer? I realize that most amputations due to cancer are because of bone cancer and that this can be very painful. Buddy's tumor was just so small and minor seeming. It's hard to believe it is so dangerous.
I'm pretty scared about that first week or two after surgery. Is it important to cover the hardwood floor in the room where he will recover so that he does not slip? How can I help him up those first few times after surgery? I heard that a sling might be tricky since it is a rear leg.
My primary vet also said that I should start giving him Dazaquin as a joint supplement and also mentioned an injected supplement that has been effective for arthritis. She said it would be important to keep him in good condition as much as possible. Unfortunately, he is afraid to go into water over his head and doesn't like to swim. Maybe I can help him get used to this though.
Thank you for your support - this is scary.
Hi Buddy and family!
So depending on the health of your dog, what you feel is best, there are different ways for your pup to live out their life to the fullest. You are the best advocate, so no mattter what you do, it will be a choice out of love for making their life as good as possible.
I can tell you what decisions I made with Chloe and why I made them. Basically Chloe has had both options (surgical removal and amputation) done.
For the first cancerous tumor, I opted for amputation (she was 9 yrs old), which "cured" her since it was a soft tissue sarcoma (and they have a low chance of metastisizing). For 3.5 yrs she was cancer free until I noticed another tumor on her right front paw. Same kind of soft tissue cancer. Since she's 3 legged we obviously couldn't amputate, so I opted to have surgery to remove as much as the tumor as possible. She has a just a skin patch scar on her paw since they couldn't close the wound (but it healed over).
Its been a year since the surgery and the tumor has not grown back. Not even a little (yay for small victories!). She's 14 now and since we are facing another cancerous tumor on her neck, due to other factors and considerations, I will not be doing any further treatments or surgeries to minimize or remove it.
It is hard deciding not to do anything since everything else has panned out well, but in her case at this point in her life, it is what I feel is best. I want her to be pain free and enjoy life until I have to say goodbye since she has other health issues.
As you can see, my decisions have changed based on her situation, so there is no "one" right thing to do. It all just depends. Just know that we are all here for you and encourage you to enjoy every moment you have 
Sincerely,
Chloe's mom
Chloe became a rear amp tripawd on 7-29-10. Another tumor was removed on front leg 2-20-14. Found 3rd tumor on neck 2-2015, but she's still kicking cancer's butt at age 14. Chloe's blog
Welcome to Tripawds.
I've been on these boards for years and I don't think I have ever heard of that type of cancer. But then, my memory isn't what it used to be either...
I'm right with you on the tumor not causing pain. My little pug Maggie had a mast cell tumor in her knee. Other than a little stiffness (which I didn't even notice until after I knew about the tumor) Maggie was not in pain. It was very hard to come to grips with the fact that in our case amputation was the best course of action in a dog with no pain!
I know it is hard to think about taking the leg, but think of it this way- you are GIVING Buddy a chance at more time with you. In our case I was thinking the amp would be curative, but after the amp we found cancer in her lymph nodes. Tests pre-surgery had not shown spread. Honestly, if I had known about the spread pre-surgery I might not have done it. As it turns out Maggie beat the odds and lived almost 4 years after her amp.
You might get some rugs or yoga matts for the slippery floors. I used throw rugs with Maggie, but lately my old quad-pug has had mobility problems and for her yoga matts work better. Also- keep the fur between his pads and toes trimmed short.
I've had both of my quad pugs on dasaquin- it works well for them. My 8.5 year old boy Obie has bad knees, and my 14.5 year old girl Tani has terrible arthritis (she was diagnosed at 6). Was adequan what the vet mentioned for arthritis? I've been using it on Tani for a couple of years, I do the injections myself. It is expensive and doesn't work for every dog, but it has been a wonder drug for Tani. Also- chiropractic has helped her.
Good luck with the consult Monday, and keep us posted.
Karen and Spirit Maggie
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Personally if he was my dog I would amputate. It sounds like he is good candidate other than the arthritis, but high grade soft tissue sarcomas can be awful. It's a good sign that his ultrasound and chest rads came back clear.
Did they happen to test his regional lymph node(popliteal) for any spread as well? If not that would definitely be something to check if you're leaning more towards radiation because that lymph node would also need to be removed and the location radiated if it was positive for cancer spread. If it did come back positive it would personally give me more motivation to amputate as well.
Has anyone spoken to you about chemotherapy post amputation? For low grade STS amputation can be curative, but high grade tumors definitely benefit from follow up therapy.
Hi Buddy and family =)
Wow yeah.. I was in your shoes just a month ago. It took us a month to decide on surgery for Bonzai. Literally every single day leading up to surgery I would cry and mommy would cry and we would stress and go back and fourth. From one hour to the next.. No we aren't amputating we can't do that to him...next hour.... Yes we are amputating we can't NOT do that FOR him. It was the roughest emotional roller coaster I think I had ever been through in my life.
Not one of our friends or co workers ZERO thought we should amputate they thought it was cruel. It was just these amazing people and their amazing stories that finally made us see 100% that amputation is not a punishment but relief from a painful leg. (Well painful for bonz as it was in his joint but I am sure all cancer is painful) I was soo skeptical.. In addition to it being Bonz's front leg... He is also blind. But in just a month so much of Bonz has returned. He was up walking the next day.
I do not know Buddy but it sounds like he is very active still at 11. Bonz is 11 too and went for walks but did not even seem active as Buddy so personally I think Buddy would be great after amputation.
To say the least that the week or two after surgery were ROUGH is an understatement getting him adjusted and the after surgery and all but it just made the moments of seeing him smile and go for a walk on 3 legs just that much more special and heartwarming.
Snooperloop, thank you so much for taking time to share Bonz's story. You are as courageous as he is!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks again for all your support and for sharing your decision making with our family and Buddy. I am still undecided. We met with the surgeon and he did a great job of explaining the odds, etc. Regardless of what we do, there is still a 50% chance that the tumor has spread without being visible. If it has spread, cancer will probably show up in 6 to 9 months elsewhere. And if we amputate and it has not spread then Buddy should be fine (95% or so). If we do radiation, there is a 35 to 40% chance that the tumor will still come back. We discovered that Buddy has a particular kind of strained muscle in each of his thighs called iliopsoas. I'm really glad we have figured this out because now we can treat this and hopefully improve his mobility. But of course it might make it harder for him to manage on just one back leg. I'm back to considering radiation instead, again because he does not have bone cancer, is not in pain, and maybe we will be lucky. But radiation is so expensive. I'll keep you posted.....Does anyone have experience with soft tissue sarcoma grade 3 in a lower leg and the amputation decision?
cascully said
Does anyone have experience with soft tissue sarcoma grade 3 in a lower leg and the amputation decision?
We don't but you'll find lots of folks here who do. Try searching the Forums for 'soft tissue sarcoma' and you'll come up with a lot of situations similar to yours.
Have you seen today's News blog post? Maybe it'll help you decide either way:
Frequently Asked Questions about Tripawd Dogs and Cats
I know it makes your head spin with all the statistics that vets throw around but one thing to keep in mind; stats are based on other dogs, not Buddy, and they are not predictors of what exactly will happen. We have seen many dogs of all ages go on to defy those odds, both with or without metastasis. Not always, but many times.
Zeus' story about doing amputation even with mets may help you as well:
X-rays vs. CT Scans for Canine Bone Cancer Staging
Keep us psoted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thank you. Everytime I look at this website I find a bunch more information. It's amazing.
I'm in the chat room
right now if you want to talk.
Glad you're finding helpful tips here!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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