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Our dog, Skittles was diagnosed with bone cancer and shes only a five year old yellow lab. She just got her front left leg amputated yesterday and is in a lot of pain, but shes a tough cookie. The only thing that we’re worried about is that she has moderate arthritis in both hind legs and we dont want her to be in pain.
But thanks jerry for being a great inspiration to us !!!!
-Marianne and Skittles
Thanks for the comment Marianne, and best wishes to Skittles for a complete speedy recovery. Jerry had mild arthritis and displaysia in his hips too. He was eight at the time of his amputation so i wouldn’t be too concerned about Skittles. These pups are tough indeed. Consider Bella’s Hot/Cold Pain Relief Pack for the arthritis pain, and start swimming instead of walking once Skittles regains her strength. You will also find much more advice and support in the discussion forums. See ya there!
Our baby, Jibbitz (he is a Rat Terrier) got hit by a car and will have his leg amputated tomorrow. Found your website and I can’t thank you enough. Lots of great support and information. You can check out his Youtube debut at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBs3XAefmXI
Thanks for the comment! We look forward to hearing more about Jibbitz in the tripawd discussion forums.
My 3 year old Golden has bone cancer that has already spread to his lungs. The vets said it was too late to amputate. If anyone has a contact I can talk to on medicine for our Largo, please let me know. Thanks, Linda
Hi Linda, sorry to hear this. Please consider posting your concerns in the Ask A Vet discussion forum. You will also find much more help, advice and support by starting your own topic so others can reply. Best wishes to you and your pup.
Hello
I adopted my boy Champ a year ago a couple of months after he had his front leg amputated by the shelter he was surrendered to after his original owners returned him. (They had adopted him from the same shelter a couple of years earlier when he was a puppy.)
He didn’t lose his leg to cancer, but to a badly broken leg that had healed wrong. His owners left documentation from the vet they took him to a few months after he sustained his injury, but they were unable to afford the costs to repair his leg surgically. Unfortunately for Champ (previously named Charlie – but Champ is a more fitting name!) by the time they gave up ownership, his leg could not be saved.
I just came across your website today, and just wanted to let you and others know that it’s possible I’ve adopted the Worlds Most Perfect Dog…second only to my 4-legged dog, Bella, who is Champ’s best friend, playmate and partner in crime.
It makes me so sad when I think of this sweet-natured boy sitting in a shelter for months waiting for someone to adopt him, and even more sad to think he lived with a badly broken leg that was unusable and causing him pain for over a year. According to the shelter, we were the first family to request a meeting with Champ, as others took one look at his missing leg and kept on walking. It was THEIR loss!
To anyone out there who is considered adopting a 3-legged dog, you will not regret it! I forget he only has 3 legs, as he is able to do anything Bella can do, and is a good-will ambassador to everyone he sees. It’s the most amazing thing – how people who spot him run over to ask about him. He loves the attention. He’s our own little superstar!
I only wish people would stop referring to him as a “tripod”….for he is A DOG….not a piece of equipment that is cold and impersonal.
Ya’ll would love him….
That’s why we came up with “TRIPAWD” … to empower the word, and the dogs. Thanks for the comment!
Thinking of you and praying for your continued healing. Hope the weather is in the NW and you get to enjoy the beautiful holiday weekend!
Wenche Abd Al-Aziz
Mrs.Wenche Abd Al-Aziz
My wonderful golden Lola had her right front let removed yesterday after cancer was found in her scapula. Her prognosis is good and I am looking forward to getting her home and helping her recover. Just found this great website and it was great to see all the other tripawds enjoying a great quality of life. I am looking forward to taking her on a one week camping trip at the end of July.
Thanks again for the great site and all the outstanding information.
Thanks for the comment Jim, and bless you for taking such good care of Lola. She’ll love that camping trip. It might just be a little early for any serious hiking. You will find much more help, advice and support in the tripawd discussion forums.
Hello; I need help, I don’t know what to do, I have an 8 yrs. old female Rottweiler, Gretchen which has Osteosarcomas, She had her left leg amputated on 6-3-09, She is doing well, But, I went to see the cancer doctor at Cornell Univ., And she said that I must choose what to do, The chemo they use is Cisplatin, And it would be very costly, I don’t make that kind money to do this, She said, It would make her sick. I don’t want to do this to her, If I do nothing she has 4 to 5 months., I don’t know what to do, I love my girl so much, I had her on K-9 immunity only, And pushing alot of protein (Chicken, gizzards,livers, eggs,) Please I need input, And alot of help! THANK YOU, Chris
You’ve come to the right place. But you will really find much more advice and support in the tripawd discussion forums than we alone can provide here in the guestbook. The doctors told us Jerry only had a few months prognosis after his amputation so we opted not to do IV chemo. He lived nearly 2 years. We attribute his longevity to the K9 Immunity, his metronomic therapy, and healthy diet. I hope these links help. Also be sure to check out our top ten Q&A posts. Best wishes to you and Gretchen!
Chris,
Keep the faith. Most larger trauma animal hospitals will allow you to make affordable payments and I was able to get a 2 year interest free loan to pay for the Carboplatin treatments our dog needed. He was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in Nov. 08, had the surgery to remove the right front leg, finished chemo and is like a born again puppy running fast as a tripod and living a happy life cancer-free.
Kathy
Dear Chris,
Our dog Maddie (she is a 5 year old Bullmastiff) was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and had her right front leg amputated in February. She just finished her last round of chemo last Friday. She had 3 treatments of carboplatin and 3 treatments of Adriamycin. She tolerated the chemo very well. Dogs don’t usually get sick or lose their fur with chemo. They don’t give animals as large of a dose as they give people. Maddie’s chemo averaged out to about $300 a visit. If your hospital won’t make payment arrangements with you, you can apply for care credit and get an interest free loan for 12 months. Whatever you decide to do for Gretchen will be the right decision:) Good luck and keep us posted on her progress. Kathy& Maddie
My St Bernard, Bruiser, has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma and will have his front leg amputated on June 25th at CSU in Fort Collins, CO. CSU is an excellant animal hospital and I have every confidence that Bruiser is in great hands. My concern is how a dog of this size, more front heavy, will handle the support of only one front leg and a house with stairs.
I was reading Kathy Mauger’s entry about Maddie, a bullmastiff and curious as to how long it took Maddie to adjust.
I’ve been considering a vest to assist Bruiser with stairs and other obsticles and interested in the experience of others using the various types of vests available.
Dear Michele,
I’ll be thinking of and praying for you & Bruiser. Maddie handled life on three legs better than we ever expected. She hopped out of the hospital on her own three days after surgery. We were fortunate that steps weren’t an issue at our house. My husband built two ramps for her to get in the back door and off of our deck. She does manage to go up 5 stairs into our vets office and does fine, we do however have to take her down the elevator when we leave the vets. I don’t think that Maddie’s endurance is as good as a smaller breed dog, we make frequent stops to rest when we walk to our corner, but she loves getting out and about, it’s the highlight of her day! She still has plenty of energy to run around the yard in spurts, she just gets tired out quickly. I have no regrets about our decision, she is out of pain and she is such a happy girl! If we had steps I would have purhased the harness for her. Please keep us posted on Bruiser’s progress.
my name is haley and my puppi trice is in the animal hospital and she got here leg amputated after falling out of the box of a moving truck. she is doing ok thay said and will come home in 3 days. i was just wondering what to expect.
Thanks for asking Haley. Prepare for the worst and expect the best! Trice should do fine. You will find much more support and advice in the tripawd forums than we can provide here in the guestbook. Be sure to check out our answers to the top ten amputation concerns from Jerry’s blog. Best wishes!
Thank you for a wonderful website! The stories, experiences, and advice have been the only comfort I have found this evening. My two year old Doberman will join the ranks of the other stoic tripods in the morning. The Vet is almost certain that my little girl has OS. I never thought that my lesson in life and love would be taught by my faithful dog.
Thanks Nate. Your comment means a lot to us, since that is exactly why we maintain this site. We understand what you’re going through, as does the entire tripawds community.
Nate, We’ll be thinking of you and praying for your girl. My Bullmastiff Maddie is five and she had her right front leg amputated in January for osteosarcoma. She is having her last dose of chemo today and is doing great. The first couple of days will be tough while your girl adjusts, but you will be amazed at how quickly she adapts to life on three legs. Please keep us posted as to how she is doing.
Kathy & Maddie
6:00 am this morning Rockie and I were up and at em looking forward to a beautiful day. I was making coffee in the kitchen, I noticed Rockie looking intently out the back slider towards the back yard, rabbits. Rock loves to chase rabbits, never catching, chasing, its the pursuit after all isnt it? I let him out. Half way across the yard he went, then the heart stopping yelp of intense hurt. Rockie had broken his front right leg. What, how could this happen? Though 11 years old, he was healthy as a horse. I rushed him to the vet. The doctor took ex-rays. I had never before heard of osteosarcoma. This is the beginning of our new life..I am scared.
The specialist we were sent to told me amputation was a 90% chance. All this today. From what I thought was perfectly healthy dog to one with cancer and and most likely amputation. I am up late learning about this horrible disease, while Rocky queitly moans with pain on the coach, his leg in a splint. I wish I could make the pain go away. I want to thank you for this wonderful site. You have shown me life is not over just yet. You have relieved a lot of my fears. Rock and I are not done.
Rockies’ Dad.
Life is by no means over. It many ways, as you say, a new life has just begun. Please consider starting a new topic in the discussion forums. You will find much more help and advice there than we alone can provide here in the blog. We are sorry to hear about Rocky, but glad you found us. Best wishes.
Albert is doing great… Go tintot he kids snacks today, so its almost like normal.. He is sooo darn happy. Our walk to the lake tuckered him out, about 2 blocks away. He took a few breaks. But it was worth it, even if only to add a month. I just have to watch his weight, I’d been feeding him for the 2 weeks before like I was saying goodbye.
He too broke his leg where the cancer was… No possibility it could ever heal iwth the cancer there. He had the fibrotic form – it doesnt form bone spurs but is more necrotic… His stitches are out now, so we’re going to try swimming tomorrow. And I need to order a harness from this site… Need to take of that last leg…
Good luck! My 13 year old Albert is a blessing! Signed up for another therapy dog year by the vet. PLus he gave me a good line now too: A soccer mom and a 3-legged dog walk into a bar… That actually is real
It’s good to see that people love and care for their dogs as much as you do.
All the best wishes!
Thanks Oggy! Back atchya.
Our 8 year old Collie mix (45 pounds), Andy, had a slight limp initially in November of 2008. We took him to the vet and thought he might be developing canine arthritis. The vet prescribed Rimadyl. He was better but we sensed something was still not right and went back to the vet 2 weeks later. An x-ray on the front right leg showed Osteosarcoma bone cancer in the distal radius — this was a shock!!! Andy had a bone biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and we decided to have his leg amputated at the end of December, 2008. This was a hard choice but it was amazing how fast he recovered and was up and around in two days! He is like a born again puppy and we treasure every day with him. Altough no sign of spread of cancer from the beginning — we followed the recommendaton for chemo and chose (Carboplatin). No side effects, he is doing great 5 months post surgery, cancer-free and he runs down the parkway like a Greyhound — faster on three legs than four. Best wishes to anyone dealing with this type of canine cancer which generally strikes much larger breeds.
Thank you for sharing your inspawrational comments! I’m sure Andy thanks you too. Please consider sharing his cancer hero story with everyone in the tripawds community.
Two weeks ago we had to have our beloved 11 year old greyhound, Checkmate’s right rear leg amputed due to osteosarcoma. We just started chemotherapy which seems to be very hard on Checkmate and I am concerned about her quality of life especially considering her age. Also, during this same time, her housemate died after 16 years in our lives. Checkmate appears listless and unhappy—not her normal demeanor. We are very concerned as to whether we have served her well. Any comments/ideas/similar experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
You have certainly served Checkmate well by putting an end to her pain. It’s only been two weeks and I assume she is still on pain meds of some sort. This would explain her behavior. Just give her a bit more time to regain her strength and I’m sure she’ll surprise you. Please consider sharing your story in the tripawd discussion forums where you will find much more help, support, and tips than we alone can provide here. There a a number of members with senior greyhounds who can speak better to your specific experience. See you there…
Dear Sandra,
Our 5 year old bullmastiff Maddie had her right front leg amputated for osteosarcoma in February. The first couple of weeks are the hardest. Maddie actually had anxiety attacks (they think it was from phantom leg syndrome) so they put her on anti-anxiety meds for one week and she was fine after that. She had a set back from an incissional infection so she was almost a month post op before they could start her chemotherapy. She has completed four rounds of chemo and has two to go. She is doing amazing. We were at our regular vets last night for her weekly blood draw and one of the vet techs who hasn’t seen her since her surgery said she does not look like a dog that has cancer. So know that you did the right thing for Checkmate, things should get better from this point forward.
We’ll be thinking of you!
Kathy & Maddie
RE: chemo, i’ve heard that its quite hard on the dogs esp after an amputation. There is a woman who volunteers for our local boxer rescue in conjunction with LA, California who opted not to do chemo and her female is 4.5 years post amputation. the dog is now 9 years old. i have chosen not to do chemo for i want my little Riley Jo to recover from the major surgery and get strong with her remaining legs. i’ll consult our vet after a time. you might consider giving your Checkmate a little time to recover before subjecting her to chemo. just a thought.
To everyone on this site that has dealt with the Osteosarcoma diagnosis followed by limb amputation, the unconditional love and bond between pets and their owners is what keeps all of us going. I am glad I found this site before making some tough choices and reading the stories of others in the same situation. As my vet told me “no one knows how long any of us have in this world”. That statement helped me make my decision to save “Andy” who has been with us through many tough times in our life. Keep the faith — good things do happen.
Hello!
Thank you for having such a wonderful resource!
My 13.5 year old dog Albert (Australian Shephard/Husky Mix we think) developed a limp and few weeks was told he had a lesion, most likely bone cancer on his top right femur. It worsened so quickly in 2 weeks that it fractured and made the decision to amputate after seeing that it hadn’t yet spread on the films. It was hard – he was in a lot of pain and I didnt know if I was just prolonging it, but considering he was just running through snow banks a few months ago I figured he probably could handle this.
We have the best Veterinarian, and he thinks he got “it” all. Albert is 5 days now after his amputation and doing very well, more and more each day! Hops around, wanders in to check on the kids during the night. He is feeling so uch better than he was! He is AKC certified and will get vet cleared again for being a therapy dog with how well he is handling it! Hopefully we’ll have some pain-free time yet even if things come back.
I just want to confirm that you know your dog – Albert wasn’t ready, was healthy to get through the surgery, and his age is not a factor. I can tell he even knows how much we care about him, he checks on everyone even more now.
Take care everyone and thank you!
We’re so happy you’re taking such good care of Albert and wish you all a speedy complete recovery. Thanks for the comment, please consider sharing your three-legged adventures with Albert in the discussion forums.
Chloe was a stray I picked up who was darting in & out of traffic on a busy road. It appeared that she had been “bumped” from a car. The next day the doctor agreed that it seemed she had an injury that had heeled in the wrong location. With further testing we discovered she had bone cancer:)! and heartworms!! Her doctor sent her home with pain medicine and a month to live. Well, 4 months later she had not degressed at all so her doctor reevaluated her treatment but was still hesitant about amputating the leg since her white blood cell count was so high(45,000), so he ordered a biopsy, which was VERY hard on her (and came back inconclusive). She was feeling really badly for ay least 2 weeks. It was finally decided to go ahead and amputate the leg and we are so glad we did!!!!! She is a different dog, so much energy and she’s not in pain at all anymore. She used to flinch when you touched her anywhere because the pain was just radiating thru her body. She is a sweet sweet girl, a small chocolate lab mix about 35 pounds and i just love her to pieces. My husband calls her “the money pit” but she is so worth it. She brings so much joy to our life. I love this web site. I actually had a woman approach me in the dog park to “ask” me to please put her to sleep before I considered amputating her leg!!!! Can you believe that!!! Crazy. Thank you for informing the world that it is indeed “better to hop on three legs than limp on four.
Some people will just never understand. Thank you for your comment and for taking such good care of Chloe. Consider joining the discussion forums, I know our members would love to hear more.
It’s been 3 months since our Kona became a Tripawd and she is doing okay. She also reached another milestone she turned 13 this past week. That is amazing for a dog her size, she is a 80 pound German Shepherd. No other signs of the cancer spreading, which is a plus of course and makes us happy. She loves to be outside and will drag herself around the yard, we also use the sling and throw her ball so she can play. It was her back leg and being older she has a hard time getting around. We have adjusted our lives and help her with the sling. She is a trooper and doesn’t complain. We are happy that she is still here and hoping for another year. This forum is great place to talk about our beloved pets. We question ourselves if we did the right thing, but reading these posts clears up the doubt. Thank you all very much for sharing your stories.
Thanks for the update. We’re glad you believe in your decisions fro Kona, and we’re sure she is too. Bless you for taking such good care of her. Here’s to many more happy birthdays and anniversaries!
Jet celebrated his 7th birthday last saturday he has recovered well from his amputation which was 7 months ago. He still enjoys his walks and we are glad that the amputation stopped the pain he was in from the bone cancer.Dogs adapt quickly to life on 3 legs and this site is really helpful .Best wishes from Jet and Fastdogs Mom in England
Our five year old doberman, Emily is going to have her back right leg amputated Tuesday. We are so scared for her we can barely breathe. Thank you for the encouragement.
We totally understand, but try to remain strong. Emily isn’t scared, she only wants to be free of pain. Bless you for taking such good care of her, and best wishes for a speedy, complete recovery!
Emily will adapt better than you will to her new look. Our 6.5 year old boxer Riley is doing wonderful. it’s only been 5 days since her surgery. she’s doing her best to keep up with her bro, 7 year old boxer. she tires quicker but that will change when she builds up more muscle in the remaining front leg. i didn’t have much hope until i found this site and saw all the wonderful pics of dogs with a front amputation. i figured missing a front would be more stressful but was glad to see for myself that dogs are strong and adapt well. we are just so grateful to have our wonderful Riley Jo with us still. you will do fine but just remember that Emily will be special needs now and special care will be expected around her to keep her remaining legs healthy. remember to breathe!
Update on Emily: Emily came through her surgery fine. In fact, she got to come home today! When we picked her up from the hospital we couldn’t keep up with her on the way to the car.
Thanks for the update!
Please consider sharing Emily’s progress with our entire community in the discussion forums, instead of just here in the guest book.
I am so happy that I found this site. Our 9 month old Belgian Malinois just had surgery to remove her front leg after a freak accident at the local park (she stepped into a sprinkler hole while playing fetch) 2 months ago. We tried to save her leg and paid for a very costly surgery to place a rod, 2 pins, 1 screw, and wire to hold her leg and elbow together. After 2 months of recovery, constant seromas appearing (we have had to have them drained 4 times) we rushed her back to the doctor last week becuase the metal rod in her leg was pushing out of her shoulder. After x rays, we decided to amputate because another surgery to replace all the hardware that had moved, not to mention 3 more months of cage rest with constant sedation, would be just too much on her. She’s just a puppy and is longing to be out of her kennel and be a dog again.
We were told that she would adapt rather well because she is lean and strong, my only fear is her energy level is through the roof, and I don’t know if she will slow down after the surgery. The vet warned us to keep her from running to keep her from injuring her other leg, but her working drive is very strong. Before the surgery she went through two trainers, they could not believe her energy level, she never stopped!
She has been at the vet’s office for 2 days becuase a seroma formed after the surgery and they want to monitor it to make sure the swelling goes down. Hopefully we will bring her home tomorrow! I can’t wait to see her again!
Thanks for the comment, we’re glad you found us. Your pup will just need time to rebuild her strength in the remaining leg. Try to get her to take it easy for a while until she does. But she should eventually be just fine, and will surprise you with her endurance and strength. We only recommend caution since tripawds no longer have a spare leg, should they happen to injure themselves again. You will fins much more help and advice in the discussion forums. See ya there!
We had our beloved Louie home for only one week after his right rear leg amputation…he passed away on March 16, 2009.
Louie went in for a routine acl surgery on his knee and several visits to the vet later, including xrays, drugs, exams, etc. never revealed what was really wrong with Louie…he had osteosarcoma. Over the 2 months he was trying to heal from knee surgery the cancer had matastized and it was in his lungs.
Not sure why the vet didn’t see the cancer in the x-ray prior to the acl surgery….and still thought it was a bone infection of some sort at the time of amputation. A sample of his tissue was sent away for the osteosarcoma diagnosis. And at this point….it was too late.
Just wanted to share our tragic story so that others maybe can learn from it. If a dog isn’t healing from a cruciate ligament surgery and is in excruitating pain…tell your vet to check for cancer!!
So sorry to hear about Louie. Every dog’s story is different. Thank you for sharing yours here. It may help others realize not every three-legged story has a happy ending. Bless you for doing what you could for Louie. Please feel free to let others know more in the tripawd discussion forums, where you may find support in our coping with loss forum.
So sorry to hear about that. I actually brought my dog in for a cyst removal because he developed a limp and I thought this big fatty cyst was in the way. He had surgery on March 27. He never got better, in fact worse. That is when the the other vet at the clinic that I know x-rayed him and saw a shadow on his leg. We decided to follow him on pain meds and see how he was and decided to amputate after another film and pain meds not touching it in 2 weeks. We sent the sample out to pathology to see what kind of cancer so we know what we are dealing with, it’ll be intersting to see the results.
I too am surprised though that the first vet didnt do an xray or check for cancer… Like for humans be your own advocate – but its hard to know what you dont know…
Sorry for your loss.
Rene, Jim & Spirit Jerry,
The Red Dog wants to thank you for all of the prayers and support…she knows you mean it! And we want to express our profound appreciation to you for sharing Jerry’s story and for creating a place where so many others can do the same. We gained valuable knowledge (and tons of moral support) as we faced the rapid-fire decisions that follow an osteosarcoma diagnosis, and now because we were able to make decisions quickly we can continue experiencing the daily blessing that is the Red Dog. You guys ROCK! (WOOF!)
Brian, Debra & Shiva, the Red Dog
http://myreddogblog.blogspot.com/
Thanks for the kind comments, we’re so happy you found the tripawds community helpful during such a difficult time. Enjoy those daily blessings … The Red Dog is a true rocker.