The beginning of our journey started at the end of August 2013. I noticed a pea size lump on my golden retrievers front right leg. The vet told me to leave it alone, it was nothing. I asked for a biopsy. They told me it was too small for biopsy. They said if it bothered me and I couldn’t sleep at night that they could surgically remove it. I opted for removal. Surgery was October 9,2013. The results came back October 14th as fibrosarcoma. Dirty margins. October 23rd was the follow up appointment. The chest X-ray was clear. I was assured several times that although the margins were dirty, more tissue was removed than was submitted to the lab. October 26th, a grape size lump appeared at the sight of the last mass. I scheduled an appt with an oncologist. October 31st the oncologist confirmed regrowth of the tumor. I was scheduled for a surgery consult and surgery for November 7th. November 7, the surgeon gave me the harsh reality that due to the size, location, and invasive nature of the tumor this would probably need more than surgery. My options a combination of surgery,radiation, and questionably chemo. Or amputation which would most likely clean this mess up. Or a surgery and wait and see what happens, maybe an amputation if that second surgery doesn’t work. I’ve opted for amputation. Amputation surgery is scheduled for December 13,2013. I hope this is the right choice for him. I struggle with this decision….any thoughts and advise are appreciated.
Welcome-
Sorry for the diagnosis, but so glad you found the site. What is your baby’s name? We can’t wait to meet him. The decision to amputate is a difficult one because we always think of it in our human terms. Dogs don’t think that way – they just deal with whatever comes their way and don’t dwell on it. As they say around here – be more dog. You will second guess yourself many times between now and the surgery – that’s what we all did. The important thing is to be there for your boy and let him know how much you love him.
A few suggestions – if you have hard surface floors, put down lots of area rugs to help with footing; keep the hair between his toes and his nails trimmed fir the same reason; as a front amp I highly recommend an elevated dish as it is so much more comfortable for them. Read thru the blogs for more advice about rehab and recovery, food, treatments and so much more. Make sure and download “Three Legs and a Spare” for everything you may want to know.
We are here for you and will help you thru the good times and the tough times. We’ve all been there and want to help anyway possible.
Keep us updated and take care-
Luanne and Spirit Shooter
Oh I just noticed the header – I bet his name is Rusty!!
Boy oh boy, we sure do understand the emotional roller coaster you are n right now! All the second uessing, all the mental anguish, ugh!!
You are making a decision out of love and concern for Rusty’s well being and THAT is ALWAYS a right decision!
You have a little time where yu can do some more research and feel cnfident in your decision. Jerry’s Rquired Reading List and e-tripawds downloads are going to give you tns of info. Also, The Dog Cancer Survival Guide Book is a wealthof i formatio written by two well known oncologist.
There’s aother resource here on all the questins you should ask your vet–surgeon–oncologist. You may want to strongly consider a second opinion in Rusty’s case!
I’m soooooo sorry you had to be here but please owyou are NOT alone!! We are here with you every step of the way!
My Happy Hannah is a little over eight mnths post amp (osteo) and still moving forward (kocking on wood) ! I have stayed attached to this site as though it’s the very air that I breathe and I’m not letting go! You can get information here, cry, go crazy and we all understand and we will all support you through this journey!
Rusty will adapt amazingy fast to three legs! He’s already limping so he’s already adapting! Yeah, surgery is rough and no picnic! Butonce recovery takes place and his sparkle coes back, yo will be estatice at how good he feels with that pai ful leg go e!
Remember, Cnarley doesn’t know he’s “sick” and doesn’t care avout any ole’ statistics or diagnosis! He’s living in the moment, in the NOW and ony wants loving and spoiling and treats and tummy rubs! We all need to learn how to live like our dogs, how to be more dog!
You can prepare for the surgery by placing scatter rugs around should you have hardwood floors. Get raised food and drinks bowls to make it easier. If you have a otof stairs in and out, many of us have built ramps. Front leg amps tend to have trouble going “down” and rear leggers may have troouble going up.
When you pick him up from surgery, just look straight into his eyes and love him and kiss him and praise the heck out of him!
He’s not interested in what it looks like and doesn’t need atte tin drawn to it!
Now, one thing always recommend to the pawparent…B R E A T H E……DEEP BREATH IN….EXHALE SLOWLY….B R E A T H E….. B R E A T H E……….Go hug Rusty and watch his tail wag! And get lots of chocolate for yourself and eat it three t four times a day!! Heck, eat it all day long!
As soon as you can figure out how….I’m zero help…..we would love to see pics of Rusty!! He sounds so sweet!
You are a wonderfulh strong advocate for your Rusty! Good job!
Please kow how much we care! Remember, you are not alone, okay?
Stay connected to us and update us on how you’re doing, okah? We know Rusty’s doing well!
Surrou ding you with hugs, serenity, clarity and chocolate!
Sally and Happy Hannah
Well Luanne and I are definitely having blockages whe it comes to Rusty’s name…..she didn’t see it and I called him Charley at one pont! OOPS! Sorry RUSTY!!
I posted a really long comment last night. . It doesn’t seem that it took. I can’t believe I forgot to start with his name. Lol. Yes his name is Rusty. He’s a six year old golden retriever with a heart of gold. Thanks for all the support so far. I need to read up on all these resources people have given me. I’m not really a blogger so Im learning as I go. I still don’t know why my last post hasn’t showed up. Pictures? It will be a while before I figure that one out on here. I do have pictures of Rusty and that cancer lump on his Facebook page tripawd rusty. It’s easy to update there with phone pics etc. one day I’ll figure it out on here, but until then … I’m stuck describing it all to ya:) from reading it seems like most have become a tripawd due to osteo. That’s not going to be the case with my golden. It’s a fibrosarcoma that just ran a muck. Anyone else a tripawd due to fibrosarcoma???