Thank you to EVERYONE. I am a reader and researcher to a fault and although we felt very confident that amputation would make our Benny have the most pain free days, I am scared. Like many, I feel guilty and second-guessing our choice as he is only 3. As I sit here reading through everyone's experiences, I feel relieved but also unprepared.

A quick backstory: Our boy, Benny the Jet; Curls for the girls, is the sweetest, most loving family member. He is a golden retriever we were lucky enough to have join our family from my cousin's litter. He has human siblings, Peter who is 6 and Vivienne who is 4 who love him dearly. In September, we noticed a small limp as he was running with another dog at the park. Being so young - healthy and active, we assumed sprain. He did not seem to get better, so we took him to the vet. She agreed sprain/strain and he was put on anti-inflammatory. He was still not getting better and we notice a lump on his front, right wrist. We took him in for x-rays and were told most likely osteosarcoma. The vet recommended a punch biopsy (which in hindsight, I wish we just moved two weeks ago for immediate amputation as the biopsy showed no cancerous or diseased cells - I am thinking they did not get a good sample as the tumor has blown his bone out). We sent his records to an oncologist who referred us to a surgeon - we are very happy with the specialists and their awesome hospital so far. We met with the surgeon this Monday and scheduled his amputation for today (Thursday 11/11/21). 

We heard from the vet that his chest x-ray is clear, he is comfortably resting and doing well. Phew. 

Thank you to this site, advice from professionals, and our gut, we KNOW we are making the right choice for him but we are sad and scared. I am worried I will not be able to care for his wound, or that he will still be in pain from the surgery site. It was helpful to read the bandage tricks, and t-shirt idea, and raised food bowls. I feel so unprepared, I think that I kept my head away from the reality until today - so runners, and food bowls, safety gates and adult diapers are on my shopping list. Any idea how long he will need to wear his cone? He licked his punch biopsy site raw.

The kids seem to be very understanding that this was the best thing to do for Benny to take away his pain but I am scared they will be scared of his wound - I am worried about talking to them as this progresses but we are hopeful. Any tips on talking to kids about his recovery, or cancer?

The surgeon said that Benny was like a Buddhist FratBoy and that every day he wakes up thinking this is the BEST DAY; I am hopeful for a fast recovery and our sweet boy to feel good again. 

Thank you so very much for having such an active community here. It is so reassuring to see how well some of the dogs are doing after surgery and it really gives us hope. 

Kate, Geoff, Pete, Viv and Benny