We are heading into our second week after K’Ehleyr’s surgery as I post this. Here is a recap of what the first day and week were like for us and K’Ehleyr after her amputation to remove her bone cancer tumor.
Preparing for surgery
Before K’Ehleyr’s surgery a new x-ray of her lungs was required. She felt it was a good time to remind the veterinarian and the techs just how strong a 116 lb. Dane can be. It took 2 sedatives to get her on the x-ray table and third to keep her there. After a 2 hour wait I was told all was clear in her lungs and they were prepping her for surgery. By mid-afternoon I finally received the phone call that all was well and she was in recovery. They kept her the night but we were able to visit and give her some encouragement although she was still rather doped up and couldn’t keep her tongue in her mouth. All the doctors and staff at Torrey Pines Animal Hospital have been great, her doc even went in a 3AM to check on her.
Coming Home
The next morning she stood up to greet the doctor as he came in to give her some more pain meds. Later in the day we were able to take her home and tackle the challenge of going up stairs. There was lots of resting and slowly moving around. The biggest challenge came when trying to negotiate down the stairs to go outside. We initially relied on a towel to help lift her. We have since purchased a RuffWear Web Master™ harness and brush guard. The harness has made helping her maneuver easier but unfortunately the buckles are on the wrong side. The harness is designed to step into. If the buckles were on the other side it would be infinitely easier to put it on her since she wouldn’t have to try to balance on 2 legs to step into it. I know the harness is not marketed for 3 legged dogs but it is one of the top recommended ones for them so it would be nice if it could be purchased in right or left legged versions (hint, hint to RuffWear if your reading).
Walking still consists of short distances over a long time. One of her dog neighbor friends came out to visit her and she insisted on going back to his house for a visit proving she can really move if she wants to.
After a couple of days she has taken to racing up the stairs and is slowly learning to negotiate going down the stairs carefully. Going down seems to be more of a mental fight than a physical one for her.
Some things for consider having on hand if you ever have to go through this, which I hope you don’t.
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- Peepads, because things aren’t all under control right away.
- Pill pockets, cream cheese or peanut butter for getting the medications down. If you do opt for peanut butter make sure it doesn’t have artificial sweeteners, they can be toxic to dogs.
- A t-shirt to cover the stitches and keep a newly shaved dog warm. The stocking bandage she came home with had to come off the next morning. She soiled it because we didn’t have peepads for her to sleep on.
- If you can, give a bath ahead of time. It is going to be at least couple weeks before they can get another. I have allergies and try to give my dogs baths every 2 weeks to keep the dander down.
Feel better soon K’Ehleyr!
I am extremely proud of my big girl and her parents. See you all soon
Hopefully the recovery continues on in the best possible ways!
Thanks for all the encouraging thoughts sent our way, we appreciate it.
My hands are tied. A very close family member just had their dog, a Great Dane, diagnosed Saturday at his checkup with bone cancer, rear leg. They won’t even consider amputation. Evidently the vet told them Great Danes do not do well on 3 legs and didn’t advise it as he has 3 Danes himself.. I have been reading online since Saturday about this subject. I have not seen that anywhere that it was not advised for Danes, especially since this is a rear leg and not as hard to deal with as frontal. All I hear is we made a decision, we are not cutting him up, he won’t last that long anyway even with the amputation. I asked that they get a second opinion at CSU Flint. I got yelled at just for suggesting a visit. I feel sick that they are not giving him a chance. They said it’s cruel and selfish to have the amputation. This goes against everything I have read. They said I am stupid and not a vet and don’t know what I am talking about. I sent info to them and was told They refuse to look at it.
I’m so sorry Mary that you are in the middle of that situation. First off…you are not stupid! I have been contacted in the past year from 2 different people who have been facing amputations of the front leg for their respective Great Danes. It is certainly something that is considered and done successfully in Danes. You are right in that a rear leg is an easier loss since they carry the majority of their weight on the front legs. All I can say about a vet saying that Danes don’t do well is that I would look for a new vet. Our vet said the best way to get rid of the pain, and bone cancer is very painful, is to get rid of the leg as fast as possible. She currently has a 14 year old, 3-legged Golden who had histiocytic sarcoma and is happy and living her best life that she can.
There are other considerations before amputation…if the cancer is already evident in the lungs then the dog probably won’t survive long. Or if the dog is overweight that would make adapting to 3-legs difficult as well.
Bottom line is that unfortunately he isn’t your dog. The owners sound set in their opinion on not giving him a chance. I’m not sure you can do anything to change that.
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