Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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We just found out our 8 year old lab has cancer in her front leg. My husband and I do not know what to do. Our vet has mentioned amputation, which I definitely am not opposed to. The problem is she also has hip dysplasia. So how do we remove one of her legs that was supposed to be 1 of the good ones. My husband thinks this would be torturing her. But a lot of what I've read says how once the limb is removed so is a lot of the pain. Of course I don't take amputation lightly. I don't want to rule it out completely but don't know what kind of strain this will put on her other legs. Has anyone else had this same situation? I would love to hear from others.
Welcome to Tripawds, your future posts will not have to wait for approval.
I'm sorry you are facing cancer in your pup...what's her name?
What does your vet think about her and amputation- how bad is the dysplasia? You can discuss bisphosphonates
with your vet and see if that would work for your girl.
You can also consider another opinion, maybe from a certified rehab vet and see what they think about amputation and the dysplasia.
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
Her name is Shea. We take her in the morning to discuss options with the vet. I thought about taking her for a second opinion but I was thinking orthopedic. Would a rehab specialist be better? Her dysplasia has been stable over the last few yrs. We x Ray her hips yearly at her checkups. She takes Rimadyl daily and has continued to be pretty active. I will see what the vets options are and I will ask about the biophosphonates if he doesn't mention.
Hi Shea and her humans! , I know this is a scary time but, under the circumstances, there's no better place to be than right here with us. We understand like no others can. It's a scary time. It's a confusing time. it's a time for little sleep and a whole lot of research.
There have been many dogs here who have done well with arthritis, hip dysplasia, etc and yes an orthopedic surgeon is definitely a good resource to help determine if Shea is a good candidate for surgery. It sounds like that there is a real good possibility that she is.
The main objective of amputation is to remove a painful leg. Recovery is no picnic and it is full of ups and downs for about 2 weeks. Most dogs are up and moving within 24 hours. Some dogs take a few days longer to work out mobility issues. You are giving your pup an opportunity for more loving and more spoiling than you ever thought possible, all without pain. Yoy are doing this FOR her, not TO her!
The surgeon will do x-rays to make sure the lungs are clear. There Will Be Blood Work etc. Most likely a radiologist will look at the x-rays of the leg to confirm that is osteosarcoma. Once you get all of that out of the way you can proceed with the plan. Believe It or not, There is some relief once you make a decision on your plan of action. It sounds like she is a feisty little girl and has a lot of living to do.
Please keep us updated. You Are Not Alone on this journey. We are all right here by your side to support you in any way we can. And when you get a chance, please post more pictures of your pretty girl. Her Avatar picture is adorable.
Sending lots of hugs your way
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!
We are back from our vet visit. Shea did amazing. Happy, jumping and kissing everyone. The vet does not rule out the amputation but doesn't see her as the best candidate. Not because of the hip dysplasia but because of a gastrocnemius tear. Something I didn't mention previously because I was totally focused on the dysplasia.
A few months back we started to notice that Shea had a "drop" in her right rear leg. We thought she was compensating for pain in her hips. After x Rays and a visit to orthopedic specialist it was determined she had a tear. We opted not to do surgery to repair due to the high incidence of post surgical complications (according to the orthopedic). We went to a rehab specialist and had a custom orthotic made just for Shea. We only started getting her accustomed to the brace when she began limping on her front leg. We have done 2 sets of x Rays both without obvious presentation of osteosarcoma (per radiologist reading). Since we were x raying we went ahead and did the chest which was clear. But we still did not have a definitive answer. We decided to move forward with the biopsy that confirmed sarcoma cells. Which brings us to where we are now. So the vets concern is if that back leg can handle the additional strain. He said if it was the dysplasia alone he would go with the amputation.
We set up an appointment to discuss Non surgical options with an oncologist. And have placed a call into the rehab specialist. I'm curious to see if she thinks that resuming her therapy with the orthotic post amputation is an option. That is the route I'm leaning towards. When the morning started my husband was 100% anti amputation. I think he is starting to open his eyes to it. So we will continue to explore all avenues but if the rehab dr thinks it's a possibility we may be looking to do surgery by the end of the week.
On a side note to benny55... Her avatar picture is one of my favorites. I was standing in another room and I see the curtains swaying all over the place. When I go in to see what's going on that's how I found her. She has so much personality🐾
You have lined up all the right experts to help you make a well informed decision and one that is best for her. She is a lovely looking dog! Paws crossed!
Lisa, Minneapolis
On October 27, 2016, nearly 6 months after amputation, and 18 months since his cancer likely started, we lost Pofi to a recurrence of Soft Tissue Sarcoma in his spine quite suddenly. His canine sister also succumbed to cancer on March 1, 2019 - we lavished her with our love in the interim, but life was never quite the same without her only real canine friend. Cliff kitty had to leave us, too, suddenly, in August 2019. Lucia kitty grieved all these losses, but helped us welcome two new Lurchers into our home and our lives, Shae and Barley.
I'm in the chat right now if you want to talk.
So sorry to hear about Shea's diagnosis, it's always such an awful shock, nobody is ever prepared for it.
I do really like how you are making all the right appointments and talking with multiple experts. Paws up! No matter which way you go, you will feel good knowing that you made an educated choice for your sweetie. Either way, we'll be here for you and Shea.
Keep us posted OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Geez, talk about between a rock and a hard place...ugh!!
Some good news in this post though! YAY FOR CLEAR XRAYS!!
YAY FOR SHEA BEING SO HAPPY!
Shea is blissfully unaware of any ole diagnosis and isn't the least bit concerned for her tomorrows! But we humans....we don't do as good a job as dogs and worry a lot and get all worried about oir tomorrows!
You are doing an OUTSTANDING job of checking out all options and asking all the right questions! Also, you could possibly make use of a stroller to help during the healing . It's good that Shea is fairly well adjusted to the brace.
Please keep us posted. We are all cheeri g for this precious pul! Clearly she is a very spunky gal! 🙂
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, my dog Molly is 2 weeks post op for rear leg amputation due to osteosarcoma and also has hip dysphasia.
Like you I was also concerned about how she would cope following amputation but she is doing amazing!
The vets have made sure she is on the right medication and next week we start hydrotherapy sessions to help strengthen the remaining rear leg that has the hip dysphasia.
Stay positive and keep talking to your vets. This site really helped me get through a tough time so we are all here for support!
Hi ! my husband was also totally against amputation with our Golden Retriever - front leg, osteosarcoma, clear lungs. My husband was only convinced to give Johnnie a chance after he saw a video of a tripawd Golden. It's a tough decision, but remember it is not a cure but a way to rid your dog of pain and to prevent a leg break that would lead you into emergency surgery. So glad you found Tripawds. You will find advice and support here in this community. Good luck!
Daniela & Johnnie
Our awesome Golden Boy was diagnosed for OSA in April 2014 in the proximal humerus, front-leg amp on 05/20/2014. Finished chemo (Carbo6) on 07/10/2014. Ongoing treatment: acupuncture + K-9 Immunity Plus ( 3chews) and home-cooked no-grain diet. Stopped Apocaps because of liver issues. Liver issues: controlling altered enzymes with SAM-e and Milk Thistle. October 17: started having seizures. Taking fenobarbital for seizures. April 18: started prednisone.
So nice of you to share that story Daniela, thanks.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Yes, thank you Daniela. I can't get off this site. I just keep reading other experiences and words of encouragement. The more I read the more I am hoping that the amputation will be an option. Now today my husband doesn't seem to be onboard. I know he's confused, scared and upset. We don't have any children and our pups are our life. I can't even imagine loving them anymore then I do. Of course this is a decision we both will need to make. And I'm afraid we are not going to be on the same page. In my past experiences somehow he always gives in to what I want (I am not manipulative or controlling, he is just that awesome). But a lot of times in the end he was right and I was wrong. But it's with stupid stuff what movie to see, what to have for dinner, etc... This is major and I feel so strong that what I want for her is the best decision. But what if I end up being wrong. I know it's not about who is right or wrong and is about what's best for Shea.
When you have family members with differing views it can be rough. It can also be a great rool in coming to a consensus because so many great ideas and thoughts are brought to the forefront. No stone is left unturned.
This is a rotten piece of crap disease and it makes us decide on "forced choices" that no-one should have to make for their loved one. Regardless, there are no guarantees with any option anyway! We make decisions out of love and that is alwaw the right decision.
Hopefully you will get enough feedback from the professionals to help you determine is Shea is a good candidate. Do not hesitate to get second and third opinions if you can!
For whatever it's worth, I went from "'I absolutely woukd NOT amputate my Happy Hannah's leg (osteosarcoma) to finally making the decion TO ampute, to actually canceling the sjrgery appointment because I was so panicked about EVERYTHING! Ner pain sstarted to worsen and I finally proceeded. I didn't join this site untile day 6. I was horrified that I had made an awful decision! Her recovery was rough. At the end of three weeks though, I was finally able to say I had do ee this FOR my Happy Hannah and notTO her!
Question: What would Shea say? Seriously, how would she want to proceed? Sounds like she's a very spunky gal and lives lofe to the fullest in spite of challenges!
Update when you can. I know you have your paws full right now.
Sending lots of hugs to all
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!
Amputation was also the right decision for us. Otis has mild arthritis in his hips, and our regular vet expressed some concern, and talked about a limb sparing procedure. The surgeon, however, felt that Otis was a great candidate for surgery, and in fact, he is getting around great. He can't take long walks anymore, so I just find other ways to keep him stimulated. Sometimes, I just put him on a long hunting lead and we sit out in the front yard for a while. What is most important is that Otis is happy, and we are together.
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.
Like everyone has said, this is the best place to be when you're facing amputation for you pup. We all know how distressing a time this can be.
You mentioned that you and your husband need to be on the same page. We're also a childless couple so I can relate to how important your pups are to you. When we faced this decision, both of us said 'no way' at first. We just couldn't imagine Ellie as a tripawd. But we had about 10 days between bone biopsy and confirmation of OSA to decide and slowly, gradually we both learned enough to know that we had to give Ellie a chance. Part of that was just knowing Ellie, and knowing that other than this rotten leg she was in good health. And she showed us that she just was not ready to go.
There were endless, endless talks about what to do for her. We didn't both 'come around' at the same time but we just kept talking and talking. We knew that because OSA is so very very painful, we had to face either saying goodbye, or give her a chance to live out her days free from the pain of OSA. Each time we imagined taking her to the vet to be PTS, we just couldn't get past it. We kept imaging her thinking that she had done something wrong and that we didn't love her anymore! (I get teary-eyed just thinking about it again.) So as hard as the decision to amputate was, it was not as hard as deciding to say goodbye while she still had a chance.
In the end, we were both on board for amputation. And I do think that is important because caring for a tripawd in those first weeks post-amp can be pretty trying on everyone. There will be times you wonder if you did the right thing but most dogs bounce back from amputation much better than you expect. We had 10 months with our Ellie post-amp and neither of us regretted the decision to amputate. And when it was time to finally say goodbye, we knew we had done everything possible for her and were saying goodbye because we had no choice at all.
Denise, Bill and Angel Ellie
Active 10+ Pyr mix suddenly came up lame with ACL tear in left rear leg. Scheduled for a TPLO but final pre-op x-rays indicated a small suspicious area, possibly OSA, which could have caused the ACL tear. Surgeon opened the knee for TPLO but found soft bone. Biopsy came back positive for OSA. Became a Tripawd 9/18/14. Carbo6 with Cerenia and Fluids. Pain free and living in the moment. Crossed the Bridge on 7/12/15 after probable spread of cancer to her cervical spine. A whole lifetime of memories squeezed into 10 months. Here's her story: Eloise
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