My Dog Has Osteosarcoma: Should I Allow Amputation?
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
Updated: May 15th, 2024
Summary
Is amputation a good idea for dogs with osteosarcoma? Dr. Dressler looks at this decision from two perspectives. In this article: life expectancy.
Osteosarcoma is a common dog cancer in large breeds, and it most often affects the long bones of the legs. It’s very aggressive. That’s why most of the time, as soon as a veterinarian sees the lesions on an X-ray she will recommend amputation.
(Most dogs with this kind of cancer do not survive beyond a year with amputation alone. Editor’s note: To read more about canine osteosarcoma including the numbers and stats, see this article by Dr. Susan Ettinger, DVM, Dip. ACVIM (Oncology).)
The idea of removing your dog’s leg probably kicks up strong feelings. This is a hard choice.
So, should you allow an amputation? Or should you let your dog keep their leg and try to cope?
This is a heavy duty question. You probably want to prevent pain and suffering in your dog, so it’s a good idea to carefully contemplate this so you can cope.
I recommend considering at least two factors: Life Expectancy (how long life is), and Life Quality (how good life is).
In this article, we’ll look at life expectancy, and in the next, we’ll look at life quality.
What’s the Average Life Expectancy for Your Dog?
I know it sounds harsh, but realistically, dogs live much shorter lives than we do. I know that your ten-year-old dog might not seem old to you, but for some breeds, that’s a really advanced age. Particularly for large breeds, who tend to have shorter lives in general.
So, as you contemplate amputation, it’s nice to get an idea of the average life expectancy of your dog. There is an excellent review of dog life expectancy here.
Now, be careful with these numbers. These numbers are just averages, just like they are for people. The average man might live to 72, but that doesn’t mean any one individual man will die on his 72nd birthday. The same is true for dogs.
Now, What’s YOUR DOG’s Life Expectancy?
Once you have ascertained what your dog’s potential life expectancy is, you need to weigh what that really means for your dog. Your vet can help with this by discussing the impact of your pet’s individual health problems.
For example, if your dog is otherwise healthy, your dog’s life expectancy might be a little longer than if she were diabetic, or had heart disease. Just like a human, right?
So, basically, you need to talk to your vet to see if your dog is near to or past the expected length of life given everything else going on.
For example, if your dog is already close to what we would expect for his breed and health condition, amputation might not be what you want. You will have to carefully consider whether the payoff will be what you expect.
On the other hand, if your dog is not close to her life expectancy, you might want to go ahead.
Get a copy of the Dog Cancer Survival Guide for more helpful tools and information, including an entire chapter on osteosarcoma.
What’s Your Dog’s Personality?
So far we’ve focused on numbers to determine life expectancy. But an intangible factor that you must consider is your particular dog’s personality.
Some dogs just have this will to live. I’ve seen very senior dogs fight and spit and claw for life. I’ve seen young ones so passive that they don’t seem to much care one way or another whether you poke or prod.
If you have a dog that just wants to keep going, that’s a really good sign. These dogs are driven.
This will to live, this tenacity, boosts lifespans. That’s for sure! So, remember to consider this factor too.
If your dog is a fighter, they may be a good candidate for amputation, maybe even if they are at the end of their “expected lifespan.”
Remember There are Other Things That Can Be Done, Too
In addition to amputation, there are chemo protocols, covered in the osteosarcoma chapter in The Dog Cancer Survival Guide. But beyond the conventional tools, many osteosarcoma clients have seen benefits with modification of diet, lifestyle, life quality boosting and addition of nutraceuticals like Apocaps (I’m biased since I formulated it), plus other supplements or comfort care medications.
In addition, I highly recommend joining the TriPawds community for more information on amputation.
Don’t Forget to Consider Life Quality
Looking at life expectancy is the first step in determining whether to amputate your dog’s leg or not. Next, we look at life quality on three legs, plus a little about the surgery itself.
Regards,
Dr Dressler
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
Took my 6 year old (115 lb) goldendoodle to the vet for a limp and tapeworms (we live in the hills, and he liked to find deer carcasses) one month ago. Doc (who was new to me as my regular vet died) did an x-ray and told me it may be a bone tumor. Took dog and some prednisone home and cried for a couple of days. After two weeks, limp was virtually gone. One week after that (off prednisone), limp was back. Called the vet and requested some doggie advil. Called twice on a Monday and heard nothing back. Took dog to new vet on Thursday. Limp was there, but very mild. Doc did another x-ray and said that the dog’s humerus was 70% involved–osteosarcoma. I was worried about fracture and pain, so I had my perfect puppy euthanized. Old vet called the next day about request for pain meds. A-hole! I am devastated. Should I have tried something else? I feel sooo guilty and sick. He was my best friend and was still really happy (eating, drinking, etc), although a bit lame. I was just too scared to see him in pain. My heart is broken, Robin
Dear Robin
All of our hearts go out to you during this difficult time.
Just remember that the dogs (in my opinion) have a spirit which is not harmed by cancer, and is indestructible.
Thinking of you
Dr D
Best of luck Morgan ! I can feel for what you are going through ! My dog had cancer that spread everywhere ! was 13 1/2 however !
Dr D it’s been 1 1/2 weeks since my 8 yr old Dane broke her front leg. Xrays showed what was believed to be osteosarcoma or chondrosarcoma so I agreed to a bone biopsy, which confirmed osteosarcoma. 3 chest xray views show promise with no visible sign it’s in her lungs. The biopsy reports a mitotic index of 1 per high power field. I asked for a splint and her dressing has been changed once since the biopsy. She is on 4 tramadol twice a day and 1 1/2 piroxicam a day. Her appetite is voracious, she sleeps/rests about the same. At her age with the low numbers should I still aggressively remove the limb? Since the break is thru the tumor, is it safe to assume the bone will never heal? With osteosarcoma, does removal of the limb simply remove the source of pain, or will it aid in slowing the spread of this terminal disease? I have read numerous stories on this site and I am struggling with this decision. My deepest sympathy for those that have experienced this pain and confusion I am feeling.
Dear kim,
my feeling on this is yes, you should proceed with the amputation, assuming your veterinarian is in agreement. With proper care, dogs with osteosarcoma have median survival time of about 10 months or more, depending on which paper you read. I would definitely start educating yourself about all the tools you have at your disposal for this problem. Remember that when we are talking about median survival, we mean half the dogs lived longer than that while the other half less, so this needs to be taken with a grain of salt. You should research diets, apoptogens, immune support, antimetastatics, and brain chemistry boosts with deliberate life quality steps daily to take advantage of all your tools. All of this is discussed in detail in the Guide, which I feel would be beneficial for you right now. Do everything with your veterinarian’s advice.
Best,
Dr D
Thank you Dr. Dressler,
I still can’t believe it. She never locked as good. I wish I could attach a picture of her. I guess all the good stuff she is getting and of course the love. I am going to keep her on the K9 Immunity and the Apocaps and the raw diet. Should I cut back on the protein? I am a little worried that she is getting to much protein in her food. I already added more veggies. She never got bloat again since I have her on this diet. She had a lot of problems before, no matter what she ate she got a lot of gas.
God Bless
Ruth and Jasmine 😉
Dear Ruth,
if the kidneys are healthy dogs can tolerate a lot of protein- easily 2/3 of their diet (but be sure you are consulting with your vet).
Glad she is doing well!!!
D
Just learned today that my 6 y.o. greyhound/lab mix pound puppy Damian was just diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his front right wrist. I’m still in shock. He is a very energetic dog with a kind heart that has never had any medical issues in the past. I noticed him limping a little bit last week and thought it was a sprain (common among greyhounds). So I wrapped it with an ace bandage for 2 days, iced it, and it seemed to help. He was his old self with no limp. Last night, I let him out to go to the bathroom. He spotted a cat and took off after it. By the time I got him back in the house, he wouldn’t put any weight on his right leg. I then took a close look at his paw pad to make sure he didn’t step on anything. Then I notice his wrist was swollen. I was then worried that it was a bad sprain or at the worst it was broken. We took him to the vet today. She wanted to take x-rays to see if it was in fact broken. After waiting 3 hours for the results, she called me in to tell me the news. When I walked in I immediately asked if it was broken. She said no. I then asked if it was a bad sprain. She said no. She went on to say it was much worse. Then she proceeded to show me his x-ray. Telling me he has osteosarcoma a cancer of the bones. I nearly fell to the ground not even thinking of that possibility. When the doctor told me when she originally saw his x-ray, she started to cry. I knew it was bad. I then asked , how do we fix this. She said amputation followed by chemo would be his best chance for him to feel better and improve his quality of life. The thought of amputation scared the hell out of me. I then asked her if this was your dog what would you do. She said amputation followed by chemo would give him the best odds. I then left the vet with the information for a surgeon, some reading material about this cancer , and a very heavy heart.
I got Damian into the car and headed to the nearest restaurant to grab him a huge burger. I know it sounds funny, but I thought it would make him feel better.
Needless to say, I cried , then cried some more, and am currently still crying. I am so grateful to have found this post soo soon after I got this heart breaking news. Thank you to all that have shared your stories. Some of have made me cry and some have given me hope. It’s too soon to say definitely what plan of action we are going to take, but I am seriously considering the amputation followed by treatment. My puppy is in great spirits , has a will to thrive, and I will do what I have to to make sure he lives as pain free as possible.
Best wishes to all !
Dear Morgan,
I am so sorry to hear this story. As you know, neither you nor Damian is alone in this journey. I feel you are doing the right thing. Many many dog lovers have a lot of life with their dog after discovery of what you have discovered. Don’t forget the complete, full spectrum treatment so you use all the tools at your disposal. There is a free diet pdf on the top of this blog. Also focus on apoptogens, immune support, anti-metastatic supplements, and brain chemistry modification by deliberately increasing your dog’s life quality daily! These are discussed in the Guide and on this blog.
Best,
Dr D
Almost four weeks ago my beautiful greyhound boy developed a limp overnight. I took him to the vet a couple of days later as I was aware there was a strong link to osteosarcoma in his lines. He was initially treated with antibiotics and rimadyl as he had a slightly raised temperature and lymphs. Unfortunately the limp didn’t go away so I booked him in for x rays. These were taken and my vet informed me that he was pretty sure it was the dreaded osteosarcoma. He made an urgent referal for my dog to see a specialist who is considered to be one of the best. He looked at the x rays and confirmed his suspicions. He told me I should prepare myself for having weeks rather than months with my boy.
My problem is that now I’ve been reading these posts that I can’t help but think that I should have gone ahead with the amputation – that I wanted him to have but was advised against. The growth on my dog’s leg was not visible when I dropped him off for his x ray but was obvious when I collected him. That confuses me somewhat. Also I do worry about the rate of growth of the lump. In less than two weeks it’s the size of a tennis ball.
Is it conceivable that this isn’t osteosarcoma but something else? He hasn’t had any biopsies.
He’s currently being treated for pain with tramadol.
I absolutely adore this boy and want so desperately to do what’s best by him. Am I too late to be thinking about amputation for him?
Dear Annie,
Well, it is true that it could be other things, but it sure sounds likely that this is unfortunately osteosarcoma.
At this stage, in the absence of biopsy, I would go ahead with treatment. by the way, weeks’ median survival time is inaccurate if one reads the published data concerning this cancer if treatment is started- more like 10 months or so, depending on which paper you read.
Use the conventional care as well as diet, immune support, apoptogens, anti metastatics, and brain chemistry modifications we discuss in the Guide for best results. Cancer is not an immediate death sentence!
Best
D
My Brookie Bear, an 8 yr old Great and I mean GREAT Dane suffered from a degenerative spine and pancreatic disease, but you would never know it. We would hike twice a week for six to eight miles in the Metropark trails and take our daily two mile walks. She is my best friend and my parents “grand-dogger”.
In the past year or so, she started to drag her left rear paw at the end of our walks: the vet said it was neurological. Well, on Tuesday Brooke took off after the leaf blower (after chasing the squirrels up the tree) slid and went down. She began to yelp like I’ve never heard before…I was terrified! Her spine was curved and she couldn’t stand on her own. I rushed her to the vet, they took x-rays and told me she fractured her knee. They also told me they saw signs of bone cancer in her leg. I was DEVASTATED. They bandaged her paw of that leg as she seemed to have no control over it, only to drag it along. I tried to sling her to help her move about that night & the next day, but my Brookie wanted no part of it; she was determined to “do it on her own” and she did! She hobbled around the house, dragging that limb. Fearing she might hurt herself even further, I made another trip to the vet on Wednesday only to hear they couldn’t bandage, wrap or cast it and sent us home again. On Thursday, she developed a sack-like pouch of liquid under her knee…back to the vet I went. I was told to soak it in luke warn water 10 minutes, three times a day, but while I was there my vet told me to contact a local surgeon regarding amputation. Oh my gosh…what? amputation??? It scared me…it terrified me, but I called and spoke with the surgeon when I got home. Our initial conversation was not promising, due to Brookes spinal issues he wasn’t sure she’d be a candidate for amputation…he went further to say, very frankly, “you have two options….bone cancer is a terribly painful disease for your pet, you must decide & I mean soon, not two weeks from now, to amputate or put her down.” I couldn’t believe my ears…I made an appointment for the following day, Friday at 10:30 am to meet and discuss our options, Brookes and mine.
Prior to the fracture (Tuesday), Brooke lead a normal, active, fun-filled life. She traveled everywhere with my daughter, mother and myself. She loves going to drop off & pick up Sam, my daughter from school, rides through our metropark, ate heathly, chased squirrels, etc., she was no candidate for euthinizing, She is full of life!
At our appointment Friday with the surgeon, after reviewing existing films of Brookes legs, chest and spine he was right in the middle of recommending amputation. I wanted Brooke to be painless, and the only way to guarantee that was to remove her leg. She deserved a chance to continue her life, a life she truely enjoys,
Brooke had her surgery yesterday, Friday at 4:30 p.m., yes, I left her there. I couldn’t take a chance of her injuring herself worse. We had to try it.
It was the hardest emotional decision of my life thus far; I’ve been criticized by many in the last few days, and that’s ok. I visited Brooke earlier today and it was wonderful to see her; she won’t be released until Monday or Tuesday and the doctor said she’s doing as well as could be expected.
I made my 7 pm call to the vet to check on Brooke only to hear she’s not eatting 🙁 what does that mean?. I’m hoping it’s because we’re only 24 hours out of surgery, etc. 🙁 🙁
I’m still scared, but have faith that all will be well. Thank you and God Bless…
Dear Andrea,
you are doing the right thing! Don’t let anyone criticize you for your choices concerning your dog!
Also, don’t forget that in addition to surgery and chemotherapy, there are additional tools in our cancer toolbox (diet, apoptogens, immune support, artemisinin, and so on…). More in the Guide if you want detailed info on this stuff.
Best to you and good work being your dogs number one health care advocate!
D
My dog Ashley 5y/o German sheperd has osteosarcoma. The placement of the tumor doesn’t leave us with many options. Should I say none. Anything I could do will improve quality of her life. I did see oncologist. The best I could in NYC in AMC.
Her chest xrays are clear for now. She seems very happy and pain free for now. She is my best friend and mine 19 month old daughter’s everything. It is the first thing she calls in the morning when she wakes up “Ash” and won’t go to bed without giving her a kiss. They spent all day together.
We have 3 dogs and all of them are special. But nothing compares to Ashley. She is the best dog ever.
It is very heartbreaking to know our days will be cut short. I will do anything to save my dog. I know I can’t. So we just spending every minute together. And I will remember these days for rest of my life:)
Dear Karonlina,
I am so sorry. This sounds devastating.
I’m wondering if you have looked at some of the other options for this tumor to extend life and keep it at good quality?
Palliative radiation? Pamidronate? Pain control (later)? Diet? Apoptogens? Other supplements? Metronomic or other chemo?
There are still a lot of tools in our toolbox to make things better, even for this cancer. I think you might want to read the Guide as it outlines these steps clearly. Please be sure to always have veterinary input on your pets care too.
Best,
Dr D
we just put our 11 yr old lab down due to osteosarcoma the cancer spread to much to do any treatment it was the hardest thing i ever had to do but he was in such pain i had to do what was right for him he was the best dog ever and i miss him lots after creamation he is home with us
My 7 year old, 80lb golden was just diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in his back leg.
I don’t see cost mentioned anywhere here, but what is an average cost for amputation and chemo? I love my dog, but cost (along with pain and quality of life) is a BIG factor in our life. Can people share what their costs were?
Thanks
We just lost of family dog yesterday from bone cancer. 🙁 We thought he had arthritis the whole time since May when my parents took him to the vet. It was a vet nurse or something that they talked to. The vet wasn’t in that day. He was limping and they were told that he has arthritis. But there were no other options that were given or try to figure out the differential diagnosis. The dog was almost 8 years old Siberian Husky. He was a big dog. For past few months, things are slowly getting worse and up to this week, it was really bad. We just thought his arthritis was getting bad. This past Wednesday, he couldnt use his back legs to get up. His left leg was gone, right was 50%. He could only stand with left front leg. He decided to lie down and couldn’t eat. Pooping blood and peeing on himself. It’s such a tragedy to see him like this. He passed and went to heaven yesterday. It is so heartbreaking. I wish we were know about this sooner. After seeing what was going on, we realized that he has bone cancer. :(.
Today I had my sweet girl Dottie put to sleep because of osteosarcoma. I was told a month ago that this was probably what was wrong with her. She developed a limp in her back leg and then a swollen paw which continued to get worse. Treated with soaks and antibiotics. She was a abused stray that I’ve had for three years. I decided to put her out of misery instead of taking her leg off. She was in pain and not eating which she never had a problem with before. I was not expecting this and my heart goes out to all who have animals that get this horrible bone cancer. She will be missed daily but I know in my heart that I did the right thing.
Rocky’s story. I wanted to share with those dealing with Osteosarcoma to cast out your feelings about amputation. Clearly amputation is not appropriate for all dogs. Older arthritic dogs will likely have issues with fewer legs, as potentially heavier dogs might too. So this isn’t advice but rather what I’ve learned after going through the experience.
Rocky is a large Shetland Sheepdog – large by standard, not large as in Mastiff large. Rocky weighed 45 pounds when diagnosed in early January. As many others, the vet first felt that Rocky’s limp was caused by either tendonitis or arthritis. He was put on Rymadyl initially, which did give him some relief, but never completely disappeared. At his second visit an xray appeared to be Osteosarcoma and it was verified with biopsy.
The vet recommended amputation and chemo. I chose to take Rocky to a veterinary oncologist and I’m very happy I did. I struggled with his recommendation for amputation and chemo, as well as putting him through such a drastic treatment with an average lifespan of 1 year. Yet I also knew, through research, that some dogs that have amputation and chemo can live much longer – not the rule, but who is to judge whether their dog might be? I knew Rocky had a great zest for life and even at 10 years, his natural lifespan was 13 or 14 years.
I finally decided to give Rocky the opportunity to beat the odds after speaking with others that had been through the amputation. Rocky’s amputation was his front left leg at the shoulder. I won’t lie to you, the first week to 10 days is no picnic, but it was way far dramatic for him than me. He was up and hopping around the day after surgery and home the next day. Dogs instinctively learn to move about and balance almost immediately – I’m sure the nature survival instinct kicks in and they just deal with the situation. Within a week keeping him from doing too much was the biggest concern as he was moving about almost as well as before the surgery.
One week later we started chemo. In Rocky’s case it too was more problematic for me than Rocky. Each time he had a day to day and a half of feeling rather lethargic, a reduced appetite for about a week, but other than that it was rather routine. Each 3 weeks, for 5 sessions Rocky had Carboplatin and I supplemented him with Canine immunity Plus and changed his diet to low-carb high protein. When he completed his chemo protocol he was put on Apocaps and has continued the Canine Immunity.
Nearly 8 months later Rocky has no signs of matastisis and his quality of life is in every way what it was before his diagnosis. He can run every bit as fast as before, is a happy playful dog and I thank God I did the amputation and chemo. I know that being in remission is only a momentary status and could change at any time, but I also know that Rocky would very likely either not be with me now or his quality of life would be much worse if not for the steps we have taken.
As I said earlier, this is neither a recommendation for anyone else, only the story of Rocky. God willing he’ll still be the happy healthy dog he is today for a long time to come and if not I’ll never regret the wonderful months I’ve had with when the time comes. I would do everything I’ve done again without question.
If your dog physical condition is conducive to an amputation, please don’t think that you’re putting them through something horrible. They are not humans, do not feel “less than a dog,” they deal with the cards dealt them and go forward. Rocky chases the other dogs around the backyard, jumps up on the sofa (given up breaking him of that habit,) does stairs (both up and down) and can still drag me around when going for walks.
For us, the combination of what I’ve learned from Dr. Dressler, a great oncologist and a great veterinary surgeon gave Rocky the best start to his journey. The right choice for you and your friend is a personal choice and I wish you all the best whatever you feel is the right path to take. I only say, that I believe the pain-free months of play and loving has been well worth a couple difficult weeks…for Rocky and me anyway.
Ken
Thanks for this wonderful story Ken.
Best
D