I have just returned with my 10 year old Labrador Retriever from the vet. Four weeks ago he underwent x-rays as he was not putting his hind right leg down. The x-rays were fine and showed that his knee and hip joints were good. Now, four weeks later and with the problem
My vet after examination thought another x-ray was needed. I have now been told that my beloved Storm has a very aggressive tumour in his hip joint and it can be clearly seen in the x-rays as is joint which looked so good four weeks ago has now being eaten away quite dramatically. I now have to decide whether to get his leg amputated hopefully getting rid of the tumour or have him put to sleep. I would be grateful for any advice that could help me come to a decision that would be in my beloved Storm's best interest. Has an older dog of this size coped with having his leg amputated, and went on to have a good quality of life? Would it be kinder to let him go? I would be very grateful for any feedback . My only thought is to do what is right for my beloved Storm.
Thanking you in anticipation of a speedy reply as time is of the essence.
Dear Ian
I hope you don’t mind but I have put this question up on the Think Tank so others can share their experiences. It is very difficult to decide whether it is better to treat or to just make comfortable and there is no right or wrong answer, you have to go with your instinct.
There are many dogs who cope well with amputation – in fact we formed a special three legged dog agility team a few years ago and were vastly oversubscribed! I think it is worth asking the vet how good your dog’s other hip is, how heavy he his and how strong his front legs are – if he has a strong other leg then he will probably cope very well. But you have to look at how invasive the treatment will be after amputation and if the time it buys you is worth the upset. Is managing the symptoms with strong pain relief a possibility? I’d ask lots of questions about prognosis and actual duration of treatment with the amputation option so you can make an educated choice. Dogs generally cope very well on three legs – so if that is your only concern I have known dogs bigger than Labs cope with losing a leg. Generally a front leg is much more difficult for heavy dogs to lose.
You have a difficult time ahead, I am sure others who have been through the same thing will give their input, too
Best wishes
Beverley
Thank you for your quick response to my e-mail of 26th Oct. After talking to my vet and reading different blogs i made the decision to have Storms leg amputated. I don't know if this will save him but i felt i owed him the chance. The agreement was that the vet would x-ray his chest and if this was clear he would proceed with the op. Thankfully his x-ray was clear and the amputation was done on Wed 28th. He came home on Thurs 29th and has adapted very well to having his leg removed. I was very interested to read that you had used a vet John Carter and his alternative treatment for cancer and feel that would be a good way to treat my beloved Storm . I know that sadly John Carter has died but that the treatment has since been licenced . I would be most grateful if you could give me some advice/pointers that would help me in this quest. I know diet plays a big part but have no idea what i should be feeding Storm. Once again thank you for your help and advice. I look forward to your reply.
Many thanks, Ian
Hi Ian and anyone else interested in John Carter's amazing work, we have a separate blog on this very subject. Click here to be taken to a round-up of all the info. Good luck Ian and delighted to hear that the op went well and Storm has coped with the amputation so well, dogs really are remarkable.
Perhaps you can tell Storm's continuing story via the CV247 blog? Hope it works out for you. It is a very gentle method that either works or doesn't with no nasty side effects. It's also something you can try without sending your dog away for invasive or distressing treatment. I have to say that diet is key to success and those that do well tend to follow it to the letter. There's lots of wonderful people out there who have followed the regime and can pass on tips.
Best wishes
Beverley
So sorry to read this Ian,
ReplyDeleteI'm just an ordinary dog owner & have no experience of amputation. But I just wanted to say put everything you want to ask your vet in writing. For one thing you may be too upset to talk, also you won't forget anything.
I've found writing everything down can clear your head & stop all the thoughts & questions buzzing around in there.
I wrote everything down when my first dog was ill & I had a difficult decision to make, & gave the notes to my vet. It really helped me.
Good luck with making the right decision.
I know exactly how you feel having had to make the same decision with my Dalmation. She had cancer in her front shoulder and we were given the choice of amputation or pain management, she was not quite 8 years old. We made the decision not to amputate, the hardest decision we have ever had to make. She lived for 5 months after the diagnosis with pain relief, then one day I just knew it was time for her to go. I feel we made the right choice for her as we knew even if her leg had been amputated it wasn't going to buy us a lot of time. Three years on and I still miss her terribly. I will be thinking of you.
ReplyDeleteDear Ian, what a very difficult time for you. I think I might be in the minority here but I would suggest you think about euthanasia. I have always felt that it is QUALITY of life not quantity that is important for our beloved pets. I cannot convince myself that dogs understand why they are seperated from us ie in hospital and undergoing such major surgery. If your dog were younger maybe I would feel differently but I think the trauma of seeing my dog suffer through this would outweigh any possible extra time it might buy me with my best friend.Of course I don't know your dog and it may be that he copes well with separation - mine would not and I could not bear the thought of them not understanding why they had been taken away from me and their familiar life for something so radical with such high impact consequenses. Will your lad enjoy the quality of life you both want and need at the end of all this? Could there be further complications? Only your vet and your heart can know the answers but don't spend months of heartache which leave you with memories of pain and separation.If only they were human and we could explain to them that we are trying to buy extra time, but sadly we can't do that. I do agree with the previous comments that dogs appear to cope better losing a back leg than a front and am sure there are many success stories out there. Personally it probably would not be my choice however.
ReplyDeleteHow very, very sad - my thoughts are with you both. I'm afraid that I also would not choose the amputation option. During my ten years working as a vet nurse, the opinion of the vets I worked with was consistently that once a tumour was visibible on xray it had already spread to other parts of the body. They advised clients that even with amputation of the affected limb, their dog was unlikely to survive for any longer than a further 6 months. A friend choose to go ahead with amputation despite this advice, and oing so prolonged the pain and suffering for both parties. Sorry - I know this is not what you want to hear.
ReplyDeleteReading the above comments - If I was only likely to have just a few months extra after amputation I'm afraid my choice would be to have my dog put to sleep. I wouldn't put him through the pain & trauma, preferring my last memories of him to be happy ones.
ReplyDeleteDear Ian
ReplyDeleteI am so very sorry to hear your news and know just what a heart-rending time this is for you. I'll tell you about my experiences in case they help you with your decision. Years ago now my then 10 year old Belgian Shepherd had his hind leg amputated (he had a bone tumour too, lower down the leg)and sailed through the op and was fine hopping around on three legs - it didn't bother him or really slow him down at all (also he only had to stay at the vets overnight). He had been hopping on three legs for some time already though (as we'd been treating him for six months with John Carter's treatment), so he'd probably already strengthened his other hind leg. Very sadly however he suffered a stroke two weeks later and died a week after that - the vet said it had nothing to do with the amputation but I'm not so sure (as a doctor friend told us in her experience this can happen after amputations). However, around the same time a lab (again 10 years old) who had also been having John Carter's treatment, had her front leg amputated (again, for a bone tumour) - again, sailed through the operation, and she was fine at least a year later (I lost touch with the owners after that). So just to say that neither of these dogs seemed to suffer any pain or trauma from their operations and both were out and home and on their feet by the next day. Both had been on John Carter's treatment though, and were having his recommended very healthy diet. I think it depends so much on the temperament of your dog, how good his general health prior to the tumour and how good his other hip. Also, as the tumour is in the actual hip, how much would they need to amputate (would it be a more invasive op. than my Belgian had, for example - his was removed above the "knee" joint, as his tumour was at his "ankle". One thought - his was removed by actually cutting through the bone and I've often thought afterwards wouldn't it have been better if it had been just detached at the joint, so no cutting of bone and releasing marrow that potentially caused his stroke? Just a thought). If I was now faced with your decision I would want to find out exactly from the vet what they would do, how long he'd need to stay in, what other treatment he'd need (if any) but as Chapstaff said, I think it would be a good idea to write everything down and hand that to the vet as you'll probably be too upset to ask everything.
My heart goes out to you and your beloved Storm.
Dear Ian
ReplyDeleteLike the others, my heart absolutely goes out to you and your beloved Storm. I lost my very precious Labrador earlier this year to an aggressive bone tumour, too. Same position - in the hip joint, hind leg.
It was diagnosed a year ago and I was advised that she would last 3 months at the most ie early 2009. We discussed amputation as a 'treatment' not a cure - which would have given her an extra 6 months at most - and we were under the care of a fantastic vet, whose opinion we respected. She said if it were her dog, she would not amputate.
My dog was 12 and had been extremely fit and healthy all her life. News like this - - a cancer diagnosis - is always shocking . As the owner, you want to do the very best for your dog and, of course, selfishly you want more time. I decided that I would approach her treatment conventionally and homeopathically. She was under the care, therefore, of two vets. The homeopathic treatment definitely helped and the tumour shrank but did not disappear. This is part of the agony with bone cancer - it is so rapid and aggressive - something you are seeing now.
We knew homeopathy could not reverse the cancer but there was a chance it could slow it down (and therefore cause less pain). But it was an intense treatment, with lots of adaptations along the way. My dog made it to just beyond her 13th birthday in June and so we had six very precious months - more than we imagined and without amputation. She adapted to being very mobile with the use of three legs as the fourth became almost redundant. At the heart of every decision along the way - and there were a few tricky, heart-rending moments - was the question, what's right for her? Can she still be a dog? Can she still get up and out for her walks? Is she in pain?
If you have a good relationship with your vet, seek their counsel and try to find out if there are any other options. Each dog is different. If there is someone who can go with you at the next appointment, this may help you clarify Storm's situation.
I wish you and Storm well in these tough, tough times; you will know what the right decision is. At the moment, you are probably reeling from the shock.
I would be happy to share any details of my dog's treatment with you.
Good luck and I am sure you will make the best decision for Storm.
Every dog is different and as owners we have to decide what we feel is right, and cancer is such an awful thing to deal with.
ReplyDeleteMy dog Flynt was diagnosed with cancer last year, and amputation was advised by my vet. I decided against this for various reasons and he was immediately put on a combination of herbs and homeopathy, and he has been on CV247 since March this year.
With regard to your dog I would suggest you try some Canine Bowen for him, as it can help him to adapt to life on 3 legs, and can also help minimise the stress that he will be living with, although it is true that the dogs adapt far quicker than we would.
CBT is also a great therapy to realign the body after the removal of a leg.