Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I've had a question in the back of my mind since the osteosarcoma was diagnosed, and am curious if any of you made a similar observation on your dogs.
Last September and October, which was about seven months before Tazzie starting limping at all, and 10 months before the limp became regular, he used to lick at the same spot on his forelimb as the tumour appeared. He licked the spot A Lot, to the point where there was a slight pink colour at the location. (I did not see a wound, so not sure if he caused it to bleed or if the redness somehow came from the moisture, which does not really make sense, but there was no sign of an open wound.) This went on for quite some time - maybe 6 to 10 weeks, maybe longer. I was so preoccupied with a new job that began last September that took every waking moment and Tazzie was not limping, so did not worry about it enough to take him to the vet.
The vet thinks it is probably coincidental.
I am just wondering it the cancer was just starting to develop and sending an early sensation to him. Have any of you noticed this sort of thing? The licking stopped long before he started to limp. Of course he did start to lick it again when the limp got worse and must have hurt.
I did read some information that says that Osteosarcoma can occur at a site where there is a previous injury, in some dogs, so maybe this is what happened and might explain the early licking.
Susan
This is so funny because I've wondered the same thing! After surgery Jack began licking his back leg (on the side right above the paw). He licked it so much he made a wound and we even went to bed one night and found his dog bed covered in blood (he puts himself to bed early, so we did not know he was licking it). I asked the vet (I can't remember which one...we have so many) and he thought it was probably a sign of boredom. We started taking his bed into the living room and closing any doors where Jack could go hide and lick. He finally got sick of being yelled at and stopped licking - he now has a big squishy bare spot on his leg where it's still healing. He's seen all 3 of our doctors (vet, surgeon, onco) and I've mentioned it to each of them, and none have expressed any concern in the matter. Today I took him to get his nails clipped and he slipped on the linoleum and seems to be not wanting to use that leg...I'm hoping he just hurt where he'd been licking and that he's not hurting in the bone again 🙁 I'll be sure that that leg is x-rayed in a couple weeks along with his chest. Not sure what good that would do, though...it's not like we can take another one off 🙂 You're not alone in the licking thing, but everything I've heard from our doctors seems to be it's just a nuisence thing. But that doesn't mean we still don't worry about it!
I imagine the other legs can get sore after surgery, which might have happened with Jack. I hate to think of another leg getting sore, but guess it happens.
Actually, Tazzie was more chewing it, or worrying it, with his front teeth (the way he grooms the cat!) than licking it (my mistake, but probably not much difference), last fall long before any other symptom showed up.
S
Well, we're not vets or anything, but our thoughts are this....
Dogs' senses are so powerful, they can easily sense disease and illness in bodies. Even by smelling someone's breath they can tell if they are sick. So, wouldn't it make sense that a dog might feel the disease growing inside him, long before any human ever suspects there is something there? Thus, all that licking might be a way of trying to cope with disease?
This perspective is probably too "out there" for traditional vets to consider, but we think it's something to consider.
Although, after Jerry's surgery, his thing was licking the carpet and the bed! He would lick and lick the general area where his missing limb woud've been, but never licked on his body, just the area he was sitting on. So what does that say? I'm not really sure!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
ldillon81 said:
Today I took him to get his nails clipped and he slipped on the linoleum and seems to be not wanting to use that leg…I'm hoping he just hurt where he'd been licking and that he's not hurting in the bone again
Oh we hope he feels better soon! Remember to try using ice and heat, and some doggie massage might help him feel better too. Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
You know I hadn't given it any thought, but for quite awhile before surgery, in the evenings, Toffee would lay in the family room with us, stretch out and lick the "wrist" on her right foreleg. She never made a sore, but I had wondered if it was bothering her or if it was some sort of self comforting thing. I haven't noticed her doing it all since she lost her left leg......interesting thought.
I didn't ever catch Yoda licking the area he had his tumor intently until the night before his regular vets finally did a second x-ray and found it. He had been limping for months by then and you could then also feel the area was a bit enlarged.
A very early warning sign I think we may have had though was that probably as much as a year before Yoda was diagnosed he inexplicably stopped wanting to get in the car and this was when most of his trips were to the dog park, or training classes, or my parents' house - all places he loved going. For a while I treated it like a behavior problem. The hatch door wasn't reliable and came down on me one time when I was putting him in, so I thought maybe he was afraid of that, but treats and everything didn't help so I finally asked my vet to check him out in case he had some pain I didn't know about. They felt him all up and down, but without doing an x-ray assured me it was probably just behavioral. He has been much more prompt about getting in the car since his amputation. Anyone have a similar experience to that?
Back to the licking - I've read about and seen programs on TV about dogs being able to smell cancerous tumors in people when they're still barely detectable. So if they can smell it on people, why not themselves?
Yoda has been doing a lot of post-amp licking as well. Recently he stopped, but it got pretty raw and seems to be a pattern he'll continue every time after he gets an IV so I must remember to ask the vet for tips after his next tips (open to your tips as well). We tried bitter apple spray, but unfortunatley I believe I triggered an allergic reaction with that. Lots of mucus dripping from poor Yoda's eyes for a few days, but we got some eye gel that he'll have to use for another week or so and that keeps the mucus away.
Yoda&Mom united: 9/5/06 …….… Yoda&Leg separated: 6/5/09……… Yoda&Leg reunited: 10/14/09 ……… ……………….………….………….……. Yoda&Mom NEVER separated! …………………….….……....….…… Though Spirit Yoda currently free-lances as a rabbit hunting instructor for tripawds nationwide
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