Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Angela Riddle said:
I picture her looking at me after surgery and expressing with her eyes and whines, " why did you do this to me?" Did any of you have these concerns or issues? Sounds crazy, I know.
I am so very glad that we were able to direct you over here for this discussion. Just weeks ago, Darlene - Tahya's Mom, went thought the struggle that you are now facing. You can find that struggle and a great deal of helpful preparation at /forums/share-your-story/amputation-to-happen-on-dec-29th-2009/
The short answer to your question is YES! I do not believe that there is anyone here who would tell you that this was an easy decision. I remember mine, a Friday diagnosis, a gut wrenching night, but in the end there never really was any choice for us. Amputation to remove the source of the pain and a very aggressive chemotherapy treatment would provide the best long-term prognosis - the best chance for Cherry to return to the quality of life that had defined her before cancer. A Monday morning session with the team that would accomplish this task, and a Wednesday amputation. Cherry's first chemotherapy occured just hours after the amputation.
During a mid Summer trip to Cherry's breeder, I told her that even after seven months, I have difficulty admitting that I willingly had her leg removed. Boy did I get an earful. I was informed that the only reason Cherry was alive was because of that decision. I was informed that Cherry was not just alive but that she was ALIVE - Enjoying life to the maximum - Enjoying the love. Patty wanted to stop any misgivings or regret. She said all this with love and was correct. It was not just my selfish need to hold onto Cherry but it was the gift of extending her life and the quality of that life. I keep sending you else where but you may want to check out Cherry's three day celebration where we celebrated her birthday, her one year amputation anniversary (ampuversary), and had a parties with the care givers. This page is located at: http://home.com.....ration.htm
This is all a long winded reply to let you know that your aprehensions are normal. Regarless of your decision, we know that you will do what is best for Maggie. However, please do not your aprehensions get in the way of doing what is best for Maggie. Your love tells me that it will, in the end, be all about Maggie - as it should.
Bob
Hello,
I posted in your blog also- What kind of cancer does your Maggie have?
My Maggie is a 16.5 lb pug, and is pretty small. She has mast cell cancer- that is why she lost her leg. She was not in much pain either from the tumor, although since it was in her knee her range of motion was deteriorating.
Depending on the cancer there are other issues though- one we had to face was the fact that the tumor was continuing to grow and would at some point ulcerate the skin and produce a wound that would never heal. It also had potential to further damage her knee which would have caused more pain.
But the biggest problem for her was the threat of mets from the cancer getting into her lymph system and spreading that way. In fact after her surgery that was the diagnosis, that it had spread, which is why we did chemo.
None of the thoughts you are having are crazy- these are huge decisions to make. And yes there are things that Mag can't do anymore- but most of them are because of her size, and now her age, she is almost 11.
Rear amp dogs also have it easier than front amps. Once your Maggie heals up she will amaze you with what she can still do. Check out the blog of another rear amp Maggie- she is starting to do some of her old agility training!
http://maggie.t.....b-therapy/
The first couple of weeks after the surgery tend to be pretty tough, and this is a major surgery, and there are always risks with that. But once through that most of us have gained quality time with our dogs.
I had doubts at the begining, I asked the same questions you are asking yourself now. But I have absolutly no regrets about any of the decisions I have made for my Maggie.
In the end all you can do is make the best decision you can for Maggie.
Karen and the pug girls
That's not a crazy thought at all. I, too, went thru those thoughts..more after surgery than before. I will tell you it was a HORRIBLE sight for me to behold my first agility dog for the last 9 years, now 3 legged. I'm not going to sugar coat it for you. BUT I'm also here to tell you that it was the RIGHT choice....there were only two choices...put her to sleep very soon OR do amputation. Drugs were no longer really having an effect on the tremendous amount of pain she was in - her left rear leg. She wasn't using it anyways and had severe muscle atrophy.
I have since watched some old Youtube videos of her when we were trying to figure out what was wrong with her...at the time, was told it was her ACL... and the pain that she was in, was tremendous. I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooo glad she is pain free now!!!!!
Stay tough...follow your heart...
Tracy, Maggie's Mom
Maggie was amputated for soft tissue sarcoma 10-20-09
Maggie lost her battle with kidney disease on 8-24-13
I don't mean to be the bad guy here, but ... this thread is seriously wandering off topic now and is about to be locked if replies continue to be unrealted to its title: Regrets About Amputation.
Everyone, please encourage others to start a new topic for sharing stories and progress reports. While we encourage members to provide as much info as possible about their dogs, that information will be much easier to find if we keep these forums organized and topics on track.
Great advice like the early annecdotes in this topic, and helpful opinions like those of pababyblue, can easily be lost among this discussion for readers seeking help about their amutation regrets.
Thank you for your understanding. No replies necessary.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Funny thing, last week a friend of mine saw Supai for the first time and couldn't get over hoe different she looked. I told him what we are doing for complimentary treatments and he asked if it was all worth it. I answered with a "Hell Ya!". We had 3 choices, Put her to sleep on Nov. 23 (The day before Thanksgiving), Manage her pain and watch her sleep, eat and do her thing or the amputation w/ complimentary treatment. We are now walking, playing fetch, she plays with Barley our other dog and most importantly she is Smiling! Supai won't live to a ripe old age but what ever time is left is quality time. Supai has a quality life to date, I am even hoping to get her out for a little pheasant hunting next Fall if the Good Lord is Willing!
shaun & Suapi
pababyblue,
Thank you about being so honest about your regrets to operate. You are right, you did what everyone thought was best for Angus and it did not work out that way. I am still so so sorry about that. Try to remember what you did was his best (statistical) chance at life.
When I started this post that is what I was wanting, an honest dialogue about regrets. Those of us that had longer have no regrets. Even if it is not long enough, and it never is, we got to see our babies recover from the surgery and go on to enjoy life for the time they had left. It didn't work that way for you and I am very sorry you did not get to enjoy Angus longer. Thank you again for your honesty.
Debra & Angel Emily
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
I also had no regrets. Leo was wanting to chase squirrels only a couple of days after surgery even though he was not allowed. Of course I did hours of research before the amputation actually happened. Leo enjoyed 15 months of painfree life as a tripawd. I can never regret that.
Sheri and Angel Leo
I have absolutely NO regrets about having the surgery for Jake!
In his case, he had a pathological fracture of his leg, and because of the cancer, it couldn't be fixed. He would have had to been put to sleep right away. Instead, we got almost 8 more wonderful weeks to spend loving him. The first 2 were difficult as he was recovering from his surgery, but he was able to start swimming again just 2 weeks post op... and enjoyed his life until the very end. NO REGRETS whatsoever!!!
Well, just one regret... that Jake didn't get to live long enough afterwards... I miss my sweet golden angel! 
Angel Jake's Mom
Jake, 10yr old golden retriever (fractured his front right leg on 9/1, bone biopsy revealed osteosarcoma on 9/10, amputation on 9/17) and his family Marguerite, Jacques and Wolfie, 5yr old german shepherd and the newest addition to the family, Nala, a 7mth old Bengal mix kittie. Jake lost his battle on 11/9/2009, almost 8 weeks after his surgery. We will never forget our sweet golden angel… http://jakesjou.....ipawds.com ….. CANCER SUCKS!
Thank you all for your comments! I hope it will make my decision a bit easier.
My 9,5 year old dog (Rottweiler X Boxer) has Osteosarcome. 2 days ago we did a CT scan and his longs are clean!
Tomorrow we'll have a "chat" with our vet about what we are going to do, amputate or not.
All your replies have helped in a positive way. Thank you all!!
Best wishes from Holland,
Bertina (and Boris)
Plenty of anxiety but absolutely NO regrets! If I had any regret, it'd be that we couldn’t discover the OSA sooner. Polo's horrible pain is gone, he's not on pain meds and his quality of life hasn't suffered, it has increased.
Mike and Polo
Polo Jones, Golden Retriever, Shalimar FL
I also have no regrets NOW. In the first couple of weeks I wondered if I had done the right thing. Although I knew I had no choice, the pain was unmanageable, I felt guilty. Tai had always been a very "Foot oriented" dog who shook paws, chewed bones relentlessly, wrestled with her feet etc and I thought those days were behind her. I was wrong. They find new creative ways of doing things that make you realize how adaptable they are. My vet told me that when she did a customer satisfaction survey regarding amputations - 99% were highly satisfied and would do it again.
Tai – 9 yr old lab. Diagnosed Osteosarcoma Dec 18/09. Front right leg amputated Dec 21/09. Started chemo Jan 7/10. Lung mets discovered Sept 16/10. Valiant to the end on Oct 26/10 when cancer reappeared in a leg and we made the decision to set her free. Forever in my heart where not even cancer can take her from me.
Tai, thank you, that's great input. And you're so right; dogs are so great at adapting and moving on to find new things that are fun to do.
Do you think your vet would like to talk to us about publishing some of the survey results? It sounds really interesting.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
My 6 year old lab, Roxy, has her front left leg amputated last Friday, and these past few days I have thought about regret. She often cries at night, and when moving around, and prior to this, she has NEVER cried! She has very labored breathing and difficulty walking to go outside to potty. She has not been able to poop since yesterday morning which also worries me. I would really like to know when this gets better, since I've heard it does, but at this point, it's very hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. She seems sad most of the time, and I don't know what to do to make it better...
roxylove said:
She seems sad most of the time, and I don't know what to do to make it better...
You can start be being a strong pack leader, so Roxy believes all is indeed OK. If you want her to act "normal", pretend everything is normal. Don't show your fear, uncertainty and doubt around Roxy, she'll pick up on the vibe and follow your lead. That's what these forums are for.
Many members have found the book Without Regret to be helpful when dealing with the emotions you're experiencing. We sure did. But please keep in mind that it is still very early in Roxy's recovery process. And much of the behavior you notice is likely reactions to the pain meds. All dogs are different, but you should expect to see Roxy acting herself again within a couple weeks, or as soon as she gets off the medication.
If you haven't already, be sure to bookmark Jerry's recent Required Reading List post with lots of tips and advice. Then consider starting a new topic or a blog to share your story with the community. Thanks for joining and best wishes for a complete speedy recovery!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Ohhh, that feeling is such a human thing. It's hard not to feel sorry for us after surgery, but remember, it's part of the recovery process. Ask yourself, "how would I feel less than a week after a leg amputation?" I think you'll find that Roxy is taking it much better than a human would.
Part of the issue is the pain meds. Dogs aren't used to seeing pink elephants and feeling all dopey like that. And they make us constipated. It makes us nervous and unsure. Like Admin said, if you project strong, confident energy, so will Roxy. Try not to dote over her tooooo much (I know that's hard not to), and once you start believing in the "new normal" so will Roxie. Add some pumpkin or a small bit of Metamucil or bran cereal in her food, that should help move things along.
Give it time, it hasn't been long at all. But if you are at all nervous about any of her behavior, by all means, call your vet. A phone call can be very reassuring at a time like this.
Hang in there, we're cheering you on from here! Keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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