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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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Member Since:
11 January 2012
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1
11 January 2012 - 11:28 am
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Hi all,

 

This is my first post here as we struggle with our decision for our 4.5 year old great dane Gus.  He has osteosarcoma in the front left leg which has doubled in size since last week.  He is pretty much using only 3 legs--since Saturday.  We get our blood work results back from the vet today and will now have to decide what to do.

We are even considering a trip to Colorado to have limb saving surgery at the U of C in Ft. Collins...anyone know anything about that?  We just know we need to act quickly as his lungs still look great.

 

Sorry if this post is jumbled and rambling, I am just a mess and haven't slept much.

I was thrilled to find this site this morning!  Thanks for having it here!

 

Liz

Mom to Gus--blue great dane 4.5 years

& Guinness--blue merle great dane 6 months

krun15
2
11 January 2012 - 11:42 am
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Hi Liz and Gus,

Welcome to Tripawds.  Your future posts will not require moderation.

I'm sorry you had to find us- cancer sucks!

I don't know much about limb sparing treatments, so I can't help you there.  The only time I've heard about them is when the folks end up doing an amputation eventually and so they end up here.

For inspiration you might check out the blog of Queen Nova the Great Dane.  She is three YEARS past her amputation for OSA.

Also you might want to look through Jerry's Required Reading List, or download the ebook Three Legs and a Spare.  Both have good information on what to expect with amputation and recovery.  The information might help you make your decision.

You know Gus best, so you have to decide what is best for him. We have many giant breed pups here who get along just fine.

What ever you decide we are here to help.  Cancer is a rough road and it is nice to have a support group to help along the way.

 

Karen and the pugapalooza

In your heart, where I belong.
Member Since:
9 February 2011
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3
11 January 2012 - 11:43 am
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Hi Liz! Welcome to "that" club--the one you never wanted to join. I have no experience with limb sparing, but Dakota had his amp at Ft. Collins (he did not have OSA). We are near Boulder. If you have specific questions about CSU, I can refer you to my blog because I detailed our visits there (http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/). Also, the founders of the site have had tons of experience there, as have others here. So you can get your CSU fix here for sure.

There are Danes here. Sue has Nova, and Nova has been going strong for over 3 years after her amputation for OSA. She is also blind. There are other Danes and other giant breeds here. This site has had everything from 200-pound Mastiffs to teeny little teacup dogs. I'm sure the other big dogs will weigh in and give you info.

I know a few members have done limb sparing. I don't know that it solved their problem, to be honest. OSA is such an insidious, nasty, cruel, evil beast (can you tell I don't like it?) that most of us just want to cut off the leg and be done with it. We do have a veterinarian here, Dr. Pam (username tazziedog) who can give you advice about that.

So I don't have much to offer except for a welcome, a good word for CSU, an offer to talk to you more if you're local, and another welcome!

Shari

From abandoned puppy to Tripawd Warrior Dude, Dakota became one of the 2011 February Furballs due to STS. Our incredibly sweet friend lived with grace and dignity till he impulsively raced over the Bridge on 12-15-12.

Dakota's thoughtful and erudite blog is at http://shari.tr.....pawds.com/

Golden Girls
4
11 January 2012 - 12:08 pm
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Welcome Liz & Gus! I don't know anything about limb sparing, so I'll have to defer to others. This site should be able to answer most (or all) of your questions. I'm sure others here that have big dogs will weigh in with some additional info for you.

Whatever your decision, we are here to support you. There is no right or wrong decision.

Sending you many golden hugs,

Cathy

Massachusetts
Member Since:
23 September 2011
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11 January 2012 - 12:36 pm
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Hi Liz,

I am sorry to hear about Gus.  It is brutal getting the diagnosis of OSA for a member of your family.

I can give you the perspective from a giant breed amputee.  Fergus, my 5 yo Irish Wolfhound, was approx. 130 pounds when he was diagnosed in September with OSA in his rear leg.  We amputated a few days later.  His recovery took several weeks longer than the 2 weeks most people experience.  I believe this was do to his size and his desire to stay active.  I think the pressure of his large body hopping was too much on the incision.  He had to be re-closed several times including once under sedation.  After about 6 weeks he was running around like a champ on his three legs.  He did very well going down steps but we hadn't started on allowing him going up steps at that point.  He had a very large ramp which he ran up and down to get in and out of the house.  Unfortunately, 2 months post amp he was diagnosed with a second OSA tumor in one of his front legs.  We opted to say goodbye to him to avoid the risk of the leg breaking and him not being able to get himself up at all.  Fergus had 2 chemo treatments (carboplatin) and showed no side effects except being a little picky on what he would eat.  Still would empty the bowl but we had to find the "right" meal!

With a giant breed, you can't just pick him up and carry him outside when the need arises.  You need to determine what he will accept for assistance.  For Fergus it was a beach towel sling to help along his back side until he became comfortable.  Steps are tricky and he had to go slow or else everyone was going down, hard!  Many people have luck with a harness.  Building a ramp off our back deck was a huge help.  But, be sure it is wide enough for a large dog.  The one I built was 4 feet wide.  Fergus wouldn't use a narrow store bought ramp because I don't think he was comfortable where his rear leg was landing.  I was amazed how well he did on the ramp once he got used to it.  He would tear up and down it to protect the yard from the deer and squirrels.

I can't give you any input about the limb saving surgery but if you have any giant breed amp questions, ask away!

Good luck as you start your journey with Gus, you will know the right decisions to make for him.

Take care of Gus and yourselves,

Tara

piddles
6
11 January 2012 - 2:55 pm
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Hi,

So sorry that Gus has developed osteosarcoma. My border collie Piddles(Panic) was diagnosed with it in her left front leg on the ulna bone. We elected to do limb sparing surgery, fortunately because it was in the smaller ulna she simply had the affected ulna removed leaving just the larger radius bone. This option greatly reduced the infection risk seen with surgical implants. Her recovery was quick and she was left pain free with a fully functioning leg. Unfortunately, after 18 months she had to have an amputation as the cancer was back in the radius but I am happy with our decision as she had full mobility for that time.

What part of Gus's leg is affected, maybe if it is the ulna simple removal is something you could consider. Talk to your vet about the benefits and possible problems of surgical implants especially as he is a large heavy breed. Ask if he has carried out this proceedure on dogs of his size before and the outcome. If cost is a consideration amputation is the cheaper option but if you are insured that should not be a problem. Whether you decide on limb sparing or amputation the pain of osteosarcoma will be removed and he will feel so much better.

Let us know what you decide and good luck to you and Gus.

Hemet Ca.
Member Since:
25 April 2011
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7
11 January 2012 - 3:02 pm
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I had the cancer specialist explain the limb sparing surgery to me as an option for Roman(he's bigish 85lbs), and it sounded very invasive and the odds of long term success weren't that great, it was also very expensive. Roman has done great on 3 legs and he is 9 months post amp. Right front leg, no chemo or radiation. Sorry about your pups diagnosis, and good luck with whatever you choose.

San Diego, CA
Member Since:
29 October 2010
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8
11 January 2012 - 5:08 pm
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Welcome Liz & Gus, as other said - sorry you had to find us here, but you won't be sorry you did. This is a great site w/ the most supportive folks around.

We had the option to do limb spare as Abby's OSA was also in her ulna. However, we opted not to do it for several reasons - the main one being that she would have had to be crated for 2 months for the recovery. Abby was also young like your Gus (only 15 months old) and VERY active. There was no way I could imagine crating her for 2 months. It would have been torture for her, especially compared to the ~2 weeks recovery time from the amp. Another reason was that our onc said something like 50% of limb spares end up with an infection that can sometimes turn quite serious. And... I forget the third reason to be honest... I know it wasn't the cost - but that is something to consider since it would have been a lot more than the amp.

We were very happy to have done the amp., although Abby was small compared to your Gus (only 50 lbs), but as others noted, we've seen BIG breeds do very well here on three legs.

We just lost Abby yesterday but we had the most amazing 14 1/2 months with her. Whatever time you get with him - love him up. Dogs teach us to make the most of each day, and that is the best thing we can do.

Keep us posted on what you decide,

Jackie, Angel Abby's mom

Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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9
11 January 2012 - 7:10 pm
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Welcome Liz, we're glad you found us. I'm so sorry that Gus was diagnosed.

You've gotten such great advice here, and as you can see this is an awesome bunch of folks with a wide variety of perspectives and experiences. While we can all share our stories and results of our choices, keep in mind that every dog is different and only you know what Gus would want.

Our first experience with another Tripawd, was when my pawrents were looking for examples of larger dogs who lived on three legs. They found Moose, a Great Dane who was their inspawration for proceeding with my surgery. If it wasn't for him, Tripawds wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have lived another two pawesome years. You can read about Moose here.

CSU is an awesome school, we've also had firsthand experience with the vets and surgeons, who are among the best in the world. Their Argus Institute can give you the details on the limb sparing procedure and how to decide if you want to consult with the docs there. We have met dogs who did fine with limb sparing, and others who did not and ended up needing amputation anyways after ongoing infections, etc.. It's a gamble but if you can afford the cost and are confident that Gus can handle the confinement period after surgery, it could give him a longer quality of life. Remember that osteo will not be cured by amputation or limb sparing; this disease will metastasize eventually.

One thing to keep in mind...there are no guarantees with anything, or any "right" answers. Cancer doesn't play fair or even make sense at times, it's all so random and what works for one dog may not work for another. This is one of those situations where you need to trust your gut, and listen to Gus in order to decide what's best for all of you.

Good luck, please keep us posted OK?

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

New Jersey
Member Since:
4 June 2011
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11 January 2012 - 10:32 pm
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Sorry to hear that you're faced with this decision. We know how hard it is to decide the best path to choose.

Our Rumbles didn't have OSA, but he had a large hemangiopericytoma on his elbow and a mast cell tumor in his 'armpit'. We had the tumors removed surgically with no chemo follow up. So we just had to wait. Then 6 months later the hemangio tumor was back and we proceeded with the amputation. I have often wished that we would have followed our vet's initial advice to amputate. It just seemed so drastic to us that we went with the less drastic option. I don't have any big regrets about it, but I do now feel that we shouldn't have been so afraid of the amputation. Rumbles has adjusted beautifully and is closing in on 8 months post-amp.

Whatever you choose will be the best path for you. Good luck on your journey.

Las Vegas, Nevada
Member Since:
14 August 2009
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11
11 January 2012 - 10:40 pm
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Welcome Liz!

I'm so sorry you find yourself here with us because of Gus.  Poor baby. 

Everyone has written some wonderful information so I'm sure it will be helpful.  I really can't add anything.  (my dog was born 3 legged)  I just wanted to welcome you and to send you warm welcome wishes!

Please keep us posted!

Her Retired AvatarComet - 1999 to 2011

She departed us unexpectedly  January 23, 2011 at the age of 12 1/2.

She was born with a deformed front leg and a tripawd all of her life.

Member Since:
11 January 2012
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12 January 2012 - 6:30 am
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Thanks so much for the welcomes and the great advice.  We have decided to go ahead and do the amputation.  We meet with our surgeon today.  I will keep you posted on when it will happen and will look for lots of advice on the best things to do once he is home after surgery. 

 

Thanks so much!!

 

Liz and Gus

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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12 January 2012 - 12:07 pm
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stysgal said:

...will look for lots of advice on the best things to do once he is home after surgery. 

best wishes for a perfect procedure and speedy recovery! Please do keep us posted. You'll find lots of recovery and care tips in Jerry's Required Reading List, and for immediate answers to the most common dog amputation questions download the new Tripawds e-book Three Legs and A Spare.

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Angieb0211
14
12 January 2012 - 12:45 pm
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I just found Tripawds today. My English Mastiff, Spike, was bitten by a brown recluse spider two and a half years ago. We tried for six months to try to save the leg. An infection set in and the doctor said the only option was amputation or Spike would become septic and die.

I made the very difficult decision to proceed with amputation. I worried about how he was going to get around and the effect on his other back leg and hip, since he is so large. But he had essentially stopped using the leg about two months prior. He had surgery on Friday, came home on Saturday and was running around like a puppy on Sunday. He is two years post op and will be six years old in May. He can do everything with three legs that he did with four. He gets down the stairs faster than me, he plays with the other dogs and he jumps on my bed. He does get a little tired on walks and he tried to pee on a tree while lifting his remaining leg:-)

I know that his situation is different than Gus'. I just wanted to let you know big dogs can do well. I keep him a little lighter, 150 pounds, so there's not as much stress on his remaining back leg. He's healthy and happy. I wish I would have made the decision earlier since he was in so much pain. It was the right decision.

Good luck to Gus.

krun15
15
12 January 2012 - 1:47 pm
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Hi Spike and pack,

Welcome to Tripawds, your future posts will not require moderation.

Thanks for sharing your story- I can't remember if we have had a spider bite tripawd here before!

 

You might consider starting your own thread under Share Your Story to introduce yourselves and tell us more about Spike and maybe share some pictures.

 

Karen and pugapalooza

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