Today is one heck of a tough day.
Today my vet told me that my doggie’s hind leg needs to be amputated or if that’s not the route to choose, then her time is limited. We think it’s synovial cancer, but the biopsy came back inconclusive. She’s been living in a leg brace for 8 months with little progression of the disease, but now she won’t put weight on her leg and X-rays today confirmed it’s gotten worse.
I’ve been struggling with what to do all day.
All I want is for her to be comfortable, pain-free and happy. She’s still lively, eating great and happy, so that’s a no-brainer right? Have the leg removed- the vet says she’s a good candidate – she’s healthy and it would give us another year or maybe even two! But she’s also about 12 years old and she’s a big dog…life expectancy isn’t much more than this, but she still acts like a playful, contented middle-aged dog. You’d never know she was over 8ish!
My brother is against it saying it’s not fair to put her through this surgery and recuperation. My sister, husband and vet support the surgery; My mother is flip flopping.
But what is Gracie for? What am I for? I will live with the decision either way since it is mine alone to make. I’m terrified, I can’t quit crying and worrying and I’m so scared. I wish she could tell me what she wants. How do I make this decision?
I love her and she seems to be doing fine as a tripod doggie as it is. This will just remove the pain she’s in. But is this for me… or is it for her? Well, I’ve made the appointment to have the leg amputated in 4 days. Will I change my mind? I doubt it.
So I think the journey beings and I’m terrified……
I think you already answered your own question. It is your decision, vet thinks she’ll do well as a tripawd and she essentially is a tripawd already. Make your decision out of love and what’s best for her. You know your girl the best. Hugs and keep us posted.
Linda & Max
Thank you, that’s beautiful advice. I’m so very grateful to have this website and everyone’s stories and support. 🙂
Feel free to lean on us for anything you need. If it’s something you need an answer on quickly though post a new topic in the forums. These blogs go past very quickly and we wouldn’t want your questions to go poof. Keep us updated we are here for you.
Linda & Max
Welcome to Tripawds. I’m sorry you are in this situation, and yes amputation seems quite drastic and scary. But I can tell you from my experience that my pug Maggie was much better off without her diseased leg- and in fact she far outlived her prognosis. That would not have happened if I had not given her a chance to beat the cancer with the amputation. Linda gave you some great advice about posting in the forums- lots more people there and you will get more feedback when you have questions or just need support. Good luck with the surgery.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Oh Gracie, you are sooo pretty! A d you sure are loved, that’s for sure!!
I felt like I was stuck in a nightmare when my Happy Hannah was first diagnosed. I even made the surgery appointment only to cancel it the first time. I was absolutely panicked! For the first three weeks I questioned my decision and what I had done TO her. But then her sparkle started coming back, bigger and brighter than ever! I then knew I had done it FOR her!!
And yes, any decision made out of love is the right decision.
I’ve got a feeling Gracie IS telling you what she wants by showing you her joy and happiness in life.!
Not only does Gracie not have a timeframe on her butt, she isn’t worried about days on a calendar anyway! She just wants a painfree quality life with her beloved humans. She’s living in the moment and is ecstatic to soak up all that loving and spoiling you are giving her.
And remember, in doggy years one year equals seven in human terms!
Stay connected and know that you are not alone, okay? Recovery can be a bit rough at first, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Please keep us updated. We’ll be cheering for Gracie.
Love!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
It is always tough to make the decision to amputate, but it sounds like you’ve thought it out and have made the decision for the right reasons. If she’s already hopping like a tripawd, she’ll probably not even miss the leg. She might even be happy it is gone! Good luck, and be sure to post to the forums if you need answers.
Denise
You’re in the right place! Many of us have been right there with you.
As for whether it’s for our fur babies or us, it’s always a little bit of both, no matter the route. Many naysayers can’t cope with the idea of a three legged pup, but you know your girl.
My brother was pretty nasty to me when I made the decision to amputate with my Tipper. But my boy wasn’t telling me he was done with this fight. Go with your heart. And know that you will find whatever support you need from this community.
I’m so sorry, I know how hard this is and for an older dog it’s even tougher, but you’ll see here that like humans, age is just a number. You know your girl better than anyone (sorry, brother, no commenting unless you’ve been through it yourself), and you know what she is capable of when it comes to bouncing back.
Sounds to me like she has the heart of a puppy and the ingredients to have a great recovery. You have a great team on your side (and you have us too!), and you just have to disregard the naysayers at this point to save your sanity and make this recovery easier for her.
Sure, nothing is guaranteed in life and complications can happen, we’ve seen it unfortunately, but for the most part, most dogs recover and go on to have quality time left with their packmates. Just take a look at our “Size and Age Matters” forum topic for examples:
http://tripawds.com/forums/size-and-age-matters/
We are here for you. If there’s anything at all we can do, questions, whatever, just holler OK? The Forums are a great place to get help right away from a lot of folks so don’t hesitate to chime in.