Canine Osteosarcoma: Amputation and Life Quality
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: April 15th, 2019
Summary
If your dog’s leg is amputated, how does it affect them? Dr. D looks at amputation and life quality for dogs with osteosarcoma.
In my last article we considered life expectancy to help decide about amputation for dogs with osteosarcoma. In this one, we’ll focus on amputation and life quality.
Will My Dog Be Normal With Only Three Legs?
This is almost always the first question I hear when we start talking about amputation.
“But will my dog be able to have a normal life on 3 legs?”
Everyone, the answer is almost always YES.
I know it’s hard to imagine, but dogs are usually up and hopping around whenever or wherever they want within one to three weeks.
That’s right, some dogs start moving totally normally within ONE week.
They really do just fine once their strength builds.
Now, keep in mind, it can be hard to watch them learn to walk, run, and drink their water and chase balls on three legs.
It’s a little like watching your friend try to walk after being on crutches for a long time. It’s not pretty, and you can tell they are working hard.
But I hear often that as depressing as it can be, people just have to look at their dog to realize “Wow … my dog actually seems pretty happy!”
Dogs seem to move on with life and live in the moment. They genuinely do not seem to care about whether they are walking on three legs or four.
As long as they are walking, they’re good to go.
This is a good lesson for all of us to learn from our dogs.
If you doubt this, I highly recommend joining the folks over at Tripawds. There are thousands of other folks with three-legged dogs and cats who can give you a real perspective!
How to Help Your Dog
So, dogs have a great attitude, right?
And a great attitude is the number one predictor of high life quality.
So, they’re already doing well. Now, let’s look at things you can do to help your dog with amputation and life quality.
There are two big things to factor.
Walking Assistance (at First!)
The first thing to plan for is assisting your dog in walking during the recovery period. Your dog’s body is used to using four limbs to balance his weight. Take one of those away, and he’ll figure out how to balance on three — really. However, those remaining limbs need to strengthen to support the extra weight.
During recovery, you will need to help your dog learn to walk on three legs. This is really pretty simple: you just support their weight during walking until they can do it on their own.
The DIY version of an assist is a towel looped under the belly or the chest. You can also purchase commercial slings, which might be helpful if your dog is heavier.
Once you have your dog in the towel or sling, you just lift enough of their weight so they can hop right along. Once they are strong enough, you will feel them take the weight themselves.
If your dog has a lean figure or is young, this might just take a few days. If your dog is older, or overweight, it will probably take longer, weeks, not days.
Pro Tip: Position the towel or sling away from your boy’s sheath, or you will have a wet sling and an unhappy boy after he’s relieved himself!
Address Other Weight Bearing Issues
If your dog is otherwise healthy, you might just find yourself with a happy dog within a few days.
But if your dog has other problems that affect weight bearing (arthritis, hip dysplasia, old ligament tears, back or neck problems) things could get a little more complicated.
Make sure to ask your vet if there are other issues that could slow your dog’s progress during recovery.
For more helpful information and tools, get a copy of the Dog Cancer Survival Guide, and make sure to read the chapter devoted to osteosarcoma
If your girl has complications that affect her recovery, make sure your walking surfaces aren’t slippery. For example, if you have tiled floors, you might put down runner rugs so she has a nice grippy surface.
If there are lots of steps, ramps can help some dogs. There are also ramps made for getting in and out of cars.
Keep Your Dog In Shape
Dogs with three legs will always need a little extra help in the TLC department. For example, keep your dog lean, if you can.
Being overweight has a whole collection of bad effects in dogs with cancer, and bone cancer is no exception.
Extra weight also makes it harder to move around in general. There are also higher risks for injury in the remaining limbs due to increased wear and tear (arthritis, cruciate ruptures, and more).
Dogs Can and Will Be Happy 🙂
Believe it or not, activities that required four legs can always be modified for three.
Dogs learn to live how they can and they adjust, just like we do.
And if you watch your dog, I guarantee you will see him deriving as much pleasure from life as ever.
The limits of dogs can do may change, but not the limits of how happy they can be.
For more thoughts, please see this article by my co-author, Susan Ettinger, DVM, Dip. ACVIM (Oncology).
Best to all,
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.
Thank you so much for your reply. We had to put our dog to sleep. We were getting many conflicting opinions from different vets, but th bottom line was that our rottie could no longer walk at all, whether it was the osteosarcoma spreading or hip dysplasia–at that point, a distinction without a difference. Thanks again.
Dear Reader,
I am so sorry. This must be very hard right now. My thoughts are with you,
Dr D
Dear Dr. Dresslier;
We have just lost our beloved 14 year old golden, Keaton, and are now faced with a very difficult decision regarding our 12 year old golden retriever, Sophie. Sophie was diagnosed with lymphoma – a very aggressive form – in April 2009. At the time, we made the decision that we would not put her through an amputation due to her age, and the fact that we were told she would have to be in treatment away from us for approximately 2 months. She is a recovered separation-anxiety ridden dog, and that kind of separation would have been the end of her. Since then, however, we have had her tumor (right front leg) debrided twice, and it has come back faster and bigger each time. Now our vet is saying that they are 100% sure that if we amputate, they can make her cancer free – and she could have good quality of life for her remaining time.
She is overweight, and 12 years old, though she does not look or act like a 12 year old dog. She has amazing spirit, a love of life, and lots of energy. Her tumor is the size of a grapefruit, and seems to cause her discomfort as she is always licking at it. It is so difficult to tell if she is ever in pain as she has never shown pain under any circumstance.
Are we doing the right thing – amputation of her right front leg at her age and being overweight – and having just lost her life-long buddy?
Thank you for your advice.
Sincerely,
Tana
Dear Tana,
I am a little confused. Are you sure that the cancer in the leg is indeed lymphoma?
It is difficult, in my opinion, to cure lymphoma with an amputation. Could a miscommunication have occurred?
Dr D
Hello….how come everyone gets a reply but me?
Dear Reader,
I wonder about the back as a source of pain, but it could be the remaining hindlimb. I assume this was osteosarc?
I would consider:
a. pain control: tramadol, gabepentin, amandatine, and a NSAID like one of :Metacam/Deramaxx/Previcoxx would be a nice combo.
b. consider Pamidronate: https://www.dogcancerblog.com/blog/more-ideas-for-bone-cancer-pain-pamidronate/
c. I would suggest getting a veterinary orthopedic surgeon involved for a second opinion
d. sometimes cancer spread to the vertebral column is visible on routine X-rays, but not always. To assess this fully (and the source of the pain if it is persisting), advanced imaging like a CT scan would help, if you are near veterinary referral center or a vet school.
e. other aspects of care are covered in detail in the Dog Cancer Survival Guide.
I hope this helps!
Best,
Dr D
I have 4 dogs. My 12.5 year old Malamute has bone cancer of right front leg. This is such a hard decision. I have read your book and searched on line, joined 2 yahoo groups. I could much more easily make this decision with my other 3 dogs. The pain of bone cancer is truly awful. I need to act now. My wonderful malamute has no weighf issues, good general health, but her arthritis is quite bad. I am in my 70s and know that age does matter. I understand that dogs can cope on 3 legs, but can this 12.5 year old with arthritis cope? I just don’t know.
By the way, Dr. Dressler, my dog’s ALP has been elevated for some time
now. The last check 4 to 5 months ago was 165 out of a 150 normal high
Prior to that, about a year ago was 177 out of a 131 normal high. Both
bilirubin and GGT are quite normal. His serum calcium has also been
elevated until his last blood test back around 4 months ago, both
total serum calcium and ionized calcium were within normal limits
then.
F
Dr. Dressler,
Can or are digital xrays now use to diagnose osteosarcoma? If not,
do you think it’s better to just have an xray taken of my dog’s leg
rather than try Deramaxx (concerned with side effects; seems like
dogs or small animals are more prone to drug side effects).
My dog’s a Westie. He’s overweight (25 lbs) and his been limping for
more than a year now (gradually worsening; it had gone away before).
But now it’s been about a couple of months and it’s no longer going
away.
Thank you very much,
F
Dear Ferdinand,
It is always better to get information rather than shoot in the dark. I will say that statistically ostesarcoma is not very common in Westies, on the average, compared to some other breeds. However, just like for you and I, if we were limping for more than a year it would be prudent to get it checked out for a diagnosis.
Better safe than sorry in this case!
Best,
Dr D
My old friend Fortis is a 10 year old 150lb Cane Corso. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the tarsus (ankle) area of his right rear leg on 1/23/2010. I noticed a slight limp about 2-3 weeks prior to the diagnoses and swelling the day before. No biopsy has been done but his vet (who I highly respect) is confident in his diagnoses. He feels that I will need to euthanize my boy within about 3 weeks. It’s so hard, he seems so happy and driven. I’m considering amputation although I’m not sure this it is what his vet would prescribe. Lung xrays were negative today although it is assumed the cancer has already spread. Is there any harm in waiting to do the amputaion 1 week from today? He dosen’t appear to be in any pain but thats fortis. I’m with him 24hrs a day and don’t allow him to get to crazy! Im so scared, I just want to do the right thing for my boy, my best friend, Fortis.
Dear Brett,
The standard of care for osteosarcoma (not considering life quality or quantity) includes amputation, if for no other reason than pain reduction, and in some cases other good things as well. You should gather more data on this if you are not ready to have him put to sleep. Treatment plan analysis includes your dogs life expectancy with cancer versus without cancer (probably the same right now), the type of person you are (what is your tolerance for side effects or life quality decreases during surgery and chemo) in exchange for the benefits of a complete cancer plan, and so on. You might want to get a life expectancy extension figure (how long would treatment give him with surg, chemo, and all the other things in the Dog Cancer Survival Guide) and then ask youself, after gathering info on dogs recovering from amputation, if this feels right for both you and Fortis.
You could be looking at 6-9 months more, hard to say. For a ten year old dog, that is about 5-7.5% of a life span. For a person this could be another 2-5 years of life or something.
Cancer is not clear cut. Get the facts, do your reading, take a few days and make your choices as best as you can. None of us has a crystal ball, so we have to make do.
Best of luck to you in this tough time,
Dr D
My 7 year old rottie had left rear leg amputated and then 5 weeks of chemo, and still shows cancer-free in the lungs. However, he has now been diagnosed with signicant hip dysplasia in his one good back leg. The vet is trying adequon shots, but he just cannot use that leg, period, and has begun urinating in the house and crying when he does. We have to pull him up and almost drag him out of the house to try and use the bathroom. I mean, he has NO use of that back leg. We also tried some acupuncture but to no avail. My vet xrayed the dog’s spine but didn’t see any cancer there, though several people told me that it sure sounded like the cancer had spread to the spine. Is that possible?
Dr. D. All has been good for my 9 year old Rottie after having amputation of a hind leg due to Osteosarcoma, his rebound was amazing, he had an issue with tiring after the amp, we got over that, He has been living very comfortably, eating well, going outside and barking as usual, however, yesterday, he just did not seem himself, he did not eat, seemed very tired. He even refused his favorite can food. Today, I took him out, he was ready to go out, but he got really tired, really quick, he dragged, It was quite an effort to get him in. This evening, I made him some fresh beef, he ate, thank goodness. He drank water. As I sat and pet him, I noticed he is very sensitve when I rub him below the shoulder blade. Im wondering if more of the horribe cancer has returned to my baby. I dont know if its the cold that is making him sick, or if more cancer has surfaced.Im so worried right now
Dear Suzy,
please bring your Rottie in for a check up. Could be just a little sprain, but it could be something else entirely. Let’s hope it’s a minor orthopedic issue that quickly resolves!
Dr D
Hi……….my dog is right now in surgery having her front right leg amputated. She was run over by a vehicle 6 1/2 years ago, and it started out as being only nerve damage, and a year later they amputated a toe. They said, she had absolutely no pain, however she was continually licking it and opening it to the meat. They had thought it was due to a tingling sensation. She has had the cone on almost always and a boot for the past 2-3 years. She has been experiencing chronic infection lately, and the last x-ray show massive bone deterioration. She is 7 years old and 30 pounds. I hope I have done the right thing, as she is in perfect health otherwise. Will she have a lot of propblems because of it being the front leg?? Thanks for your help……
Diane,
usually dogs with a bad limb have been compensating for it, and doing their own physical therapy in the process by bearing weight on the other 3 legs! Have your vet thoroughly check out the other legs before the procedure.
Best,
DrD
PS, I know this is an osteosarcoma blog and my story is a little different but had no choice but an amputation which is similar to the stories above.
Hi, I have a schnauzer that just turned 12 years old. He was diagnosed with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor on his right front elbow when he was 9.5 years. He went through two debulking procedures but was about to go through another one but the vet held off due to he had elevated liver enzymes including his ALT. Did not know if this thing spread or not, but he put him on antibiotics for three weeks to see if this would bring it down. Low and behold it did except just for a little elevated alkaline phosphatase. So, he felt he was ready for surgery and could tolerate the anesthesia, but this tumor grew so fast this time week by week that when the vet called me he indicated it would take two seperate surgeries to debulk this again due to the tumor wrapped around to the inside of his arm. So I had no other choice but to elect for amputation to finally be rid of this. I am just suprised this thing is so aggressive but especially the last month while we were waiting for his liver enzymes to come down. Oh, and BTW the vet thought maybe Corky had a bout of pancreatitis possibly. To avoid this, should he be on a strict diet from now on? Also, he had the surgery Tuesday and now it’s Sunday (5 days postop.) He seems to be doing well except for the occasional blood curdling cry at times, but his Penrose drain was removed yesterday so he seems a bit more comfortable now. He even managed to jump on the couch which suprised me but I don’t really want him to do that too often yet.