Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello- a little over a month ago I had one of my dog's hind legs amputated because of osteosarcoma. We have been going through chemo treatments, two so far. Ellie will have a chest x-ray recheck at the time of the 4th treatment in about a month. I'd like to know what some signs are or things to look for that might indicate her cancer has spread to the lungs.
Welcome to Tripawds, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I wanted to get your post approved so other members could comment. I have to run right now, but I will check back later.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
I am pretty much in the same boat as you. Otis' 3d chemo is Tuesday, and they will do an X-ray then. I know that the only true meaning behind the X-ray is so that they do not continue to put Otis through chemo if it is not working, but I am still really nervous. I find myself watching him trying to see signs. Is he sleeping too much? and does that mean the cancer is spreading? Is he panting? and does that mean he is in pain because the cancer is spreading? Is he less active than yesterday? etc. And I remember that I saw no real sign that I could recognize before he was diagnosed, so suppose it unlikely that any of these things are really signs of anything. (Seems like a true sign would be something obvious enough that I would identify it as such). I have added nothing to your search for answers. But I think we are feeling a common worry.
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Yes, I am definitely overanalyzing every day's activities. I guess I'm just hoping to find out what to look for - Ellie is a 100lb. Greater Swiss Mountain Dog/German Shepherd mix so she is a big girl on three legs. She's still eating, appears happy, wants to go for walks, etc. I just want to know what some warning signs might be.
Otis is a 96 lb (without the leg) black lab/Dane mix. He is 8, and has mild arthritis. Front leg amputee. Doing all of the things your Ellie is doing. I know that someone is going to jump on and tell us both to "Be More Dog ," which translates to enjoy the moment, don't worry about things that haven't happened, generally act more like our dogs. But I will still feel better once the X-ray is over on Tuesday! For what it's worth, I have started reading some of the posts from members who have lost their companions. (At first, it was way too hard for me to read those posts, but I almost feel a duty to other members of the community who are sharing in my journey to also share in theirs). In most cases, it looks like the signs that it was the end or near the end were pretty obvious to the owner. And, a lot of the dogs with mets still continued to live a normal life for some time thereafter. The discovery of mets was not the "end." So, for us, a bad X-ray is nothing more than a decision not to continue chemo. (Otis, of course, doesn't think about any of this and would be delighted to not have to go to chemo anymore!).
Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016. Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016. Lung mets August 25, 2016. Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016. Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.
Wherever they are, they are together.
Online
Ellie sounds like a great big smoochable pul! Can't wait to see more photos!
Sorry you find yourself here but, as you can already see, you are surrounded by lots of support and first-hand knowledge.
We all understand the overanalyzing every little hiccup and worrying ourselves nuts over an ingrown hair. Tess is right. She has been jere long enough to know how Be More Dog
is our mantra!
But it IS soooo important to get the art of living in the now, in the present, mastered as wuickly as possible! The last thing in the world you want is ro give this stupid piece of crap disease the power to rob you and Ellie of your time together! NOW is all that matters! That is all Ellie cares about! She isn't worried about a thing! A "diagnosis" doesn't mean squat to her, nor do days on a calendar! And she certainly does NOT have a timeframe stamped on her fluffy butt!
The "symptoms" vary with every dog. I almost hesitate to sjare you my Happy Hannah's experience because it really does vary dog to dog. But as Tess said, at some point, most of the time, it can become more obvious. Happy Hannah, a "chunky" Bull .astiff started becoming more and more tired. Being tired does NOT necessarily mean anything, okay? Ellie is a big girl and walking kn three legs is tire and in the summer she will pant more than usual because it does take effort to trot along. Happy Hannah did have some noticeable change in breathing pattern and must got more and more tired. Nothing painful. No coughing, no sneezing.
My Happy Hannah completed her course of four Carboplatin treatments. We must got on with living life to the fullest with no more poking or prodding, just spoiling and loving and living in the moment! We did no more xrays after that until about year later when those symptoms showed. Only then because there were things we could still do to continue her quality even with the met.
Happy Hannah and I had the mlst glorious year and two months of laughing and loving and spoiling and treats and sunbathing possible!!
Do not give that piece of crap disease any power over you. You and Ellie just get on with living life to the fullest, take lots of pictures and throw in a scoop of ice cream every now and then! She is doing great and will continue to great for a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time! 🙂
Hugs and love!
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!
Hi again.
My rear amp pug Maggie had mast cell cancer so for us it wasn't xrays but abdominal ultrasounds every 3 months. Mag's prognosis after her amp was poor- 6 to 9 months with chemo. I fully expected her to vaporize between the 6 and 9 month mark. While I spent most of the first 6 months worrying about every little thing Maggie was figuring out how to do what she wanted to do without the back leg. She just got on with things. I was so lucky that Mag beat the odds and far outlived her prognosis so I was able to cut back on the worrying and focus on each day we had together, that was my first lesson in Be More Dog .
I have tried not to make that mistake again but it is definitely still a work in progress.
And for what it is worth- many pups didn't show signs of mets before they were seen on xray.
My current Tripawd is a rear amp pug mix named Elly 
She was hit by a car and so we are not dealing with cancer this time.
Tell us more about your Ellie and your journey so far.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Hi....my Dobe Nitro is a front amp coming up on his 2 year ampuversary from Osteo. He had 6 doses of Carbo followed by 10 months of metronomic therapy (low dose, daily chemo pill). I made the decision to not do x-rays since his initial ones done at the time of diagnosis; I couldn't bear the stress and agony of what they would say. I felt we'd done all we could do, the treatment wouldn't change regardless of what the x-rays showed. Cowardice? Perhaps. But I couldn't obsess about this disease anymore than I'd already done. I still worry every single day, about every little thing....but I'm TRYING to live in the moment. This journey is a very personal and individual one, you will find the strenght to do what is best for you.
Paula and Nitro
Nitro 11 1/2 yr old Doberman; right front amp June 2014. Had 6 doses carboplatin, followed by metronomic therapy. Rocked it on 3 legs for over 3 years! My Warrior beat cancer, but couldn't beat old age. He crossed the Bridge peacefully on July 25, 2017, with dignity and on his terms. Follow his blog entitled "Doberman's journey"
"Be good, mama loves you".....run free my beautiful Warrior
Murphy is coming up on his 3 year ampuversary from histiocytic sarcoma. We did x-rays every few months for awhile, too, to try to keep an eye on things. The last ones were last fall and they also did an abdominal ultrasound at that time. The ultrasound found a tiny amount of fluid in the abdomen, but not enough to aspirate, and what looked like a tiny cyst on one of his kidneys; his chest x-rays were still clear. The plan was to repeat the x-rays and ultrasound in 3 or 4 months, so I made the appointment. But as the date approached, I spoke with my husband about why were we doing them? They weren't going to change anything, we weren't going to do anymore chemo, or any further treatment. Yes, I want to know what's going on - that's the nurse in me, but the parent in me, the part that's really trying hard to "Be More Dog
" says why? So I called and cancelled the appointment. The oncologist called me and we talked. I told her that Murphy is still doing really, really good! He eats every day, he runs, jumps, barks, drives us crazy lol. So seeing his lungs and kidneys really doesn't change what's going on with him, and she agreed. I know that if something changes we can make an appointment and take him out there for some x-rays, but for now we're just letting Murphy be Murphy 
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Can't blame you for wanting to know, anyone coping with osteosarcoma is always vigilant about the signs. But there's an old saying "Seek and ye shall find" and that relates to signs of metastasis as well. What I mean by that is, it's easy to obsess about every little behavior, even things our dogs have always done only we never paid much attention to it before. Do your best not to, because it really takes you out of the present and into a place where you have no control. That's what cancer does best; robs you of your ability to enjoy today. Don't let it win.
To answer your question though, clinical signs of lung mets are tiredness, a dry hacking cough and sometimes coughing up small chunks of bloody mass. I know, not fun. No need to fret though, things are good today, so that's why it's important to focus on how happy your pup is now 🙂 Enjoy every minute!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
My Diesel Dog is three months post amputation from osteo. He is a front leg amputee. I opted against chemo as his diagnosis was not good. We are now starting to experience some coughing and shortness of breath. After a vet visit she assured me it was likely mets to the lungs, more so on the right side. I did not get the chest xray to confirm. We are treating his cough with tramadol, and taking each day as they come. This forum alone assured me that no decision is easy and everyone's journey is different. I like what the vet told me yesterday... you know your dog the best, and you will know when the time is right. So for me as long as he is eating/drinking and visibly pain free, I'm going to take each extra day as a blessing!
Hi Kerri, welcome. Your future posts won't need approval so post away.
Thank you so much for chiming in. It sure sounds like you and Diesel have a great bond together, your confidence in all of your decisions comes through clearly, that's pawesome.
I'm sorry Diesel is showing signs, I know what it's like, it's not always easy to know in the back of your brain what's going on. When it comes to the coughing, there are things you can do that work better than tramadol (which is a pain killer but won't stop the coughing from happening). Here's a post that can help if you need to look at some remedies:
How to Help Coughing From Lung Mets
Keep us posted, and start a new topic of your own if you're so inclined, so we can follow along on your journey OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Thanks for the information Jerry! I think I'll consult the vet about the astragalus. I have read Artemisinin can also help. Worth a shot for some added comfort.
DIESEL!!! YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!! BEYOND CUTE! Please lost more pics when you can!
You CLEARLY have Diesel's best interest at heart. Your devotion to making everydzy a quality day for Diesel comes shining through. You DO know your dog best and have made every decision based on your love and connection. You always have and you always will! I have no doubt that this extended pain free bonus time you and Diesel have gotten together (and will continue to do so) has been chock full.of more loving and spoiling than either of you imagined possible!
Yes, there are I deed things can be done to continue to give Diesel comfort and quality. And many, many dogs have gotten extended time after a met diagnosis. Sassy, a lovely gentle Rottie, got almost eight months after mets were found. Jerry is certainly another wonderful example.
When my Happy Hannah's met got to the point where it was causing symptoms (change in breathing pattern, tiring easily, no coughing though), that's when she was put on Prednisone and an occasional tramadol. Piroxicam can also be used in lieu of the Pred. Anyway, they definitely helped.
The extended time Happy Hannah a d I had, even after the met, was absolutely SPECTACULAR! You clearly have mastered the art of living in the nkw and staying in the present with Diesel! Let NOTHING rob you of your time together...Diesel sure isn't!
We're here to help in aanyway we can. Hope to see more pics too!
Now give Diesel a scoop of ice cream tonight on me! Happy Hannah had me convinced it had healing powers! I know it made her happy and that's all thst mattered!
Love and hugs
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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