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Dog has osteosarcoma

NebChicago

NebChicago

First Team All-Big Ten
Oct 14, 2009
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Alas, I am woefully sad. My faithful 7 year old mutt (germ shep/lab) appears to have bone cancer in his femur. He's limping pretty bad. We took the Xrays today, and the doc wants a 2nd opinion. But it doesn't look good.

Anyone ever went the amputation route? Or the treatment route? It's a rear leg, and he's chubby. Not sure how he'd do as a tri-pod.

Doc made it sound like best case might be 6 months, worst case a few weeks if we don't treat. I've got the friggin blues man.
 
My sister went the amputation route with her dog. He seems to be doing well. In fact he is not limited at all. He is a smaller dog. Sorry that you have to make this decision. I will say a prayer.
 
Hell, don't know what I'd do if that happened to my dog, so I feel for you. I'd probably choose to amputate with that analysis. Good luck.
 
My only concern would be the age of the dog. 7 isn't old enough to call it out of the question but it's old enough to have issues adjusting well. Being a large breed probably don't help matters either but there are plenty of 3 legged dogs in the world who adjusted fine.
 
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NebChicago said:
Alas, I am woefully sad. My faithful 7 year old mutt (germ shep/lab) appears to have bone cancer in his femur. He's limping pretty bad. We took the Xrays today, and the doc wants a 2nd opinion. But it doesn't look good.

Anyone ever went the amputation route? Or the treatment route? It's a rear leg, and he's chubby. Not sure how he'd do as a tri-pod.

Doc made it sound like best case might be 6 months, worst case a few weeks if we don't treat. I've got the friggin blues man.
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Sorry for your pup. Larger breed dogs generally don't do as well with an amputation. Another negative factor is that of course G. Shepherds and Labs are both prone to hip dysplasia and arthritis so removing one hind leg is going to increase wear and tear on the other hip. Obesity again is another negative for postoperative mobility. If it is osteo, your only option for treatment is amputation. Tough decision. Life expectancy for Labs and G. Shepherds usually in my experience is somewhere around 12 years. Some fail at nine. Some make it to 15 but are usually a total wreck by then. The one thing to remember as a pet owner is that your obligation to your pet is to control his pain. Your responsibility isn't necessarily to prolong his life. Euthanasia is painless to the dog other than the needle stick if done appropriately. Many veterinarians use a mixture of drugs including a barbituate that gives a momentary euphoria before total loss of consciousness. I've had a barbituate anesthetic one time for a dental procedure and it was lovely. So don't prolong his life if he begins to suffer just because you don't want to lose him.
 
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Thanks for the thoughtful message. He seems happy now, but his legs seems to be swiftly deteriorating. I like the idea of a barbituate euphoria.
 
Sorry to hear. I think I would give the amputation route a try, and if he doesn't get along on 3 legs, then you can make the appropriate decision.

Google "three-legged dog pics." I think it may give you a bit of a smile.
 
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Sorry to hear about your situation. I had a shepherd that made it to almost 12, so there could be some good quality of life left. One thing to consider is the dog's ability to squat and go to the bathroom. To me, this has always kind of been the critical test. If it is just one leg, you will likely be ok, and it will take some time for the other leg to strengthen, but if the cancer returns, that's probably the end of the line. Good luck in your decision, it's a really difficult position to be in.
 
NebChicago said:
Alas, I am woefully sad. My faithful 7 year old mutt (germ shep/lab) appears to have bone cancer in his femur. He's limping pretty bad. We took the Xrays today, and the doc wants a 2nd opinion. But it doesn't look good.

Anyone ever went the amputation route? Or the treatment route? It's a rear leg, and he's chubby. Not sure how he'd do as a tri-pod.

Doc made it sound like best case might be 6 months, worst case a few weeks if we don't treat. I've got the friggin blues man.
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First off, I'm sorry to hear that . I had to let my pup go in August because her cancer had spread to her lymph system so it was too late to amputate. If you have a chance then go for it but don't wait too late. God bless.
 
I'm sorry for what you and your best friend are faced with. :(:(

I lost my 11 year old dog in February - and I'll never get over it. Damn
 
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Sadly this is a case of everyone has an opinion but only yours matters. Hopefully you find peace in whatever decision you make.
 
Sorry for your situation. Based on some family members' experiences, I would opt for amputation as soon as possible, then see how he adjusts. Even if the dog isn't very active on three legs, he could have some happy times left.
 
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Thanks for all the thoughtful replies. This may sound crass but does anyone know how much amputation costs? Going to see the oncology vet Friday
 
I just recently went through this with my pup. I'm headed to bed now, but will fill in the details in the morning
 
Put him on a strict diet and get rid of the leg. He should adjust fine as long as he's at a healthy weight the rest of his life...
 
It is remarkable that pets are frequently treated with more dignity and respect by their owners than how some treat family members in these situations
 
Dog1_0.jpg


???
 
kchu5ker555 said:
So sorry to hear this. I absolutely dread the day I need to make a decision. You've probably seen this before, but the link below is the 10 commandments of dog ownership.
https://softhearted.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/the-10-commandments-of-dog-ownership/
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This one hit me hard:

Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for your kindness than mine. Don’t be angry with me for long, and don’t lock me up as punishment. After all, you have your job, your friends, your entertainment. I have only you.
 
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Very sorry to hear that. I am a bigtime dog guy, I'm not looking forward to the day when I have to make these decisions about my big lab. Whatever you do, do SOMETHING. Personally I hate it when I see an old dog with no quality of life being strung along on a cocktail of painkillers. I worked at a dog daycare and boarding, you'd see some pretty sad cases where the dog was just a shell and all jacked up on meds all the time. It's no life for a dog, IMO.

With a big breed like that, particularly if he's overweight, he may not have a lot of years even if the amputation goes well.

You need to get his weight down after you amputate if that's what you choose. You should have him on about 1 & 1/2 cups per meal. That's what I give my lab and he's a sleek 80-85 lbs. He maaaaaybe gets some leftovers, too. It's hell on their joints to be fat.

They can do great on 3 legs, but you're going to have to be realistic about it. If he was kinda stiff and sore in the hips already, it might be time to let him go.

They give us all they've got with all their heart and ask very little in return. I'm a firm believer that we have to do what's right for them when the time comes. And I have had to do that before.

Wishing you all the best. There will be rows and rows of rescues waiting to be your next buddy when you're ready.
 
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I've watched this thread with great interest. Along similar lines we took our cat, yes act, to the vet a few weeks ago. He was in bad shape and having trouble breathing, we discussed what we'd spend along the drive there before we said no. As much as we love the little guy, and I guarantee it's as much as anyone loves their pet, we were concerned about cost and quality of life afterwards. We've had to make this decision a few times in our marriage, we have always put them down, and we did it out of love and respect for that pet as well as financial considerations. I don't think people are doing their pets any favors when they fix them sometimes, I refer you to beav's post above. I have also always thought most animals understand death and when it's their time, and we never had any guilt about our decisions, as we go get another one that needs a home and feel like our old pet would have wanted us to take care of one of his kind after he or she left.
 
sometimes some vets like to cut on animals to make money, it's good to make sure before doing anything
 
Awww man, I feel for you. I am definitely dreading having to make tough decisions about my pup someday.
 
In the future, you might consider pet insurance. It can help to take the cost factor out of the equation. Just a thought.
Wish you and your bud the absolute best.
 
Visit to oncologist was highly discouraging. Have arranged for in home euthanasia. Sad house tonight. Thanks again for the kind wishes
 
NebChicago said:
Visit to oncologist was highly discouraging. Have arranged for in home euthanasia. Sad house tonight. Thanks again for the kind wishes
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Sorry to hear that, but it's good to be decisive in these situations. Tough decision but it sounds like the right one.
 
We put down a cat we had for 18 years and it blew my mind how tough it was. Only thing that made me feel OK at the time was thinking it was better to have loved and lost, than not to have loved at all.
 
NebChicago said:
Alas, I am woefully sad. My faithful 7 year old mutt (germ shep/lab) appears to have bone cancer in his femur. He's limping pretty bad. We took the Xrays today, and the doc wants a 2nd opinion. But it doesn't look good.

Anyone ever went the amputation route? Or the treatment route? It's a rear leg, and he's chubby. Not sure how he'd do as a tri-pod.

Doc made it sound like best case might be 6 months, worst case a few weeks if we don't treat. I've got the friggin blues man.
Click to expand...
Really sorry to hear about your dog. Our Bullmastiff was diagnosed with Lymphoma a few years back. We put him through chemo and he handled it great and was cancer free until March of this year when he began limping. we thought maybe he sprained a foot, put him on Carprofen and he was back to normal within a few days. About a month later, he was limping again. Went back to vet and he was diagnosed with bone cancer. The vet didn't feel like the chemo would be effective again. She discouraged amputation because it was his front leg and the breed carries a lot of weight on their front legs. Radiation was an option, but expensive and required travel to a facility a few hours away multiple times per week. We decided on pain management and he did well for a few months. Once the tumor in his leg became visible, it became extremely aggressive. He made it to August before we had to make a decision.
Again, really sorry to hear about this. I wish the best for you and your dog.
 
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