Also, we don’t yet know if he has metastasis but will know when they run chest x rays tomorrow pre surgery. I am assuming metastasis has occurred, though, as it a highly likely since the cancer is clearly showing his back leg bone being eaten away like a sponge.
I think amputation and chemo may give us 6-12 months if we are lucky.
Our boy is big, about 92 lbs, so I’m sure it’ll be a hard adjustment for him, but another year of life for him with no pain seems worth it.
If you have/had a big dog around senior age with osteosarcoma, what has been your experience post amputation?
My guy had a different type of cancer - a super rare and aggressive cancer. No lung mets, but he did have vascular invasion (it was in his blood stream) and a mitotic rate that was off the charts (how quickly the cancer is multiplying). We opted for chemo post surgery. It barely impacted him. He’d get it infused every 3 weeks, and other than being chiller than normal day 2, he didn’t seem bothered by it at all. We did 12 total rounds of chemo and then stopped. His amputation was almost 3 years ago at age 9, and he’s now 12 and happy and healthy. I know it’s not the experience for everyone, and you have to decide for your pup if it’s worth it, but for us it very much was.
I have a 9 year old mutt, he broke his leg in October and they diagnosed with osteo within a day so we got his amputation about 60 hour later (it was a weekend). We asked for chemo within 5 days because of this vet journal study https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/259/7/javma.259.7.749.xml so he has had 3/4 carboplatin doses and has had 2 of the Yale clinical trial.
Chemo has gone great so far. He had a little diarrhea cycle 2 but they gave us some just in case antibiotics we used then. Cycle 1 he was a little less hungry than normal but it was also 3 days post amputation. Cycle 3 he was a picture of unbothered.
We’re only 8 weeks out but was back on his bullshit within 3 weeks. Our boy is also a bigger dog (107 before amputation); and has adjusted well. One of our oncologists is giving us a recommendation for PT to help build muscles as he adjusts but he’s been doing great.
10 year old Pitt mix diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his back hind leg in late July. We amputated within 10 days. He started chemo three weeks post-op & did 5 rounds of carboplatin total.
He just had his first follow up and no lung mets! We’re doing a supplement regimen recommended by the oncologist and will continue to follow up every 3 months.
He’s doing fantastic and I would do it all over again. Feel free to dm if you have questions!
We’re two months out rear leg amputation from osteosarcoma with my golden girl (she turns 10 next week!) and have had an overall great experience so far.
We did the lung X-rays to check for spread there before the amputation and made the decision to proceed when those were clear, and our oncologist who was already seeing her for cutaneous lymphoma she’d been diagnosed with two weeks prior to the osteo (rough go this year, eh?) thought she could have a year or two post amputation with chemo.
So we swapped from lymphoma chemo to osteosarcoma chemo post amputation and she’s been doing really great. We’re four rounds out of six in the books today, and she had follow up X-rays today that showed zero evidence of disease in her lungs. So chemo is doing its job and we’re looking great longevity wise!
Amputation recovery was rough the first week and a half and has been pretty smooth sailing ever since. I’m amazed at my dog’s resilience and so very proud of her for how great she’s done on three legs.
Fingers crossed for no metastasis in your pup’s lungs and that he has a long runway ahead of him as a tripod!
Our dog is 75 pounds and was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in July 2024 (7 years old). We had his front leg amputated that August and began chemo in September. He’s still with us today and is testing cancer free!
New to this sub, my rott / pit mix just had her front leg amputated Monday for what they believe to be osteosarcoma eating away her front left wrist. We don’t have the biopsy results yet, but luckily the X-rays showed no spread to the lungs. The first night and morning was hell, but our girl is a fighter and started perking up this afternoon. We live in an upstairs condo, and with a towel sling supporting her, she made it up the stairs today without me carrying her! We are undecided on chemo as well. Best of luck you to your boy.
We took the leg. Did chemo because scans of the lungs were clean however it obviously progressed. Got about 4 months. If I had to do it again I would do the amputation but not the chemo
You would do an amputation to buy yourself 4 months??? Disagree.
We weren’t told 4 months. We didn’t know how long. And at that time the cancer seemed localized to the leg, not spread. Also some people would do more, for less. To each their own.
I assume you meant to say that you yourself wouldn’t make that choice with your dog.
“Surfaceofthesun” made the choice that was right for them and their dog. It’s the same choice I would have made.
My buddy Lincoln had his front left amputated in August 2017 at 4 years old. Super low replication rate, so I skipped chemo.
He’s still around and happy, but I have to carry his 85 pound ass all the time. There’s a tough decision looming, but I’ve been extremely lucky to have him around this long.
My pup was 13. He was a Pit/Heeler mix so about 50 lbs. His front leg was amputated but it didn’t take him too long to adapt. We were told he had 6 months left (even with amputation) but he lived almost 2 more years. We chose not to do chemo because I figured it would be too much to put him through at his age. I’d rather he enjoy the time he had than potentially suffer through the side effects of chemo.
I'll preface this saying my dog was not a typical osteosarcoma patient. He passed away at the age of 18 after being diagnosed and amputated (front left leg) at the age of 10. It was highly unusual. He was 45 lbs, given 6-12months. He tolerated the chemo very well and he got an immunotherapy treatment a year later (it was a safety study and it wasn't offered in our area until that time). That was harder on him than the chemo. He wasn't a large dog, but from what I've read, the size of the dog doesn't really effect how they recover from it, but it sure can effect how you can care for them afterwards.
As he aged, he got more arthritis and having a good harness was very helpful. Eventually his walks became wagon rides, and his hikes became backpack rides. We lost him in August this year. If I had to do it all over again, I would do everything the same. Even if we only got another 6-12months it would have been worth it. He was so much happier and more himself after the amputation. We figured we would do the best we coud for him given the information we had.
We also supplemented him with turmeric as I read a study that it killed metastatic osteosarcoma (in vitro). I know that is a long way off from actual in vivo trials, but I wanted to do all I could for him and at the very least it would help with his arthritis inflammation.
I found a lot of good information and helpful advice/words of encouragement from tripawds.com.
Good luck with your decision, I know it is a hard one and sucks so much.
18? Wow! That is incredible!!
I can only hope that I get that much time with my Aussie. He’s a rescue, and I chose him because after adopting the oldest dogs at the shelter five times in a row, I decided to get him (age three) because I read that Aussies can live to be 17.
My guy was 1/4 Cattle a dog 1/4 Border Collie and indecipherable DNA beyond that. We checked his DNA after his diagnosis out of curiosity.
You're such an angel to rescue so many older dogs. It is so hard to lose them. Even adopting a younger dog helps the older dogs as it keeps space in the shelters/rescues.
Hi! May I ask which immunotherapy treatment you opted for?
It was the only option in my area in 2019. Here is the email they sent me,
"Today we discussed enrolling him in the osteosarcoma vaccine trial.
This is a safety study - efficacy data is lacking at this time, although an initial small trial showed promising results (MST >900
days). The vaccine is a Listeria based immunotherapy that stimulates the immune system to attach Her2/Neu producing cells.
About 40-60% of canine osteosarcomas are Her2 +, although cancer stem cells may be positive even if the tumor as a whole is negative.
The trail involves 5 visits - a screening visit for chest x-rays, blood work, and paperwork, three vaccine doses three weeks apart,
and a final exit interview visit. Unfortunately, dogs do tend to get sick from the vaccine, including transient fevers, nausea, and
malaise. This typically lasts 1-3 days. Rarely, more severe side effects like hypotension and cytokine storms are possible."
My boy is 8, 85lbs, had a front leg amputation in October due to osteosarcoma. He has adapted great, a few stumbles here and there, but way better than we imagined. We opted for no chemo, and we go back next week for an x ray to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread to his chest. Best of luck to you.
My pet Marcie was diagnosed with osteosarcoma 4 months before her 11th birthday. This was in February of this year. We amputated, found nor metastasis and started chemo a month later. She tolerated it very well other than being just shy for the white blood cell count to continue treatment every 3 weeks so we moved to 4 which was perfect. 6 treatments of carbo later she finished chemo and has had no signs of cancer since! We are considering the immunotherapy but would have to travel from Florida to get there and are weighing our options.
Our 12 year old pittie was diagnosed in March and we amputated in April. We did chemo (5 rounds) ending in August. She passed in October sadly. Not sure if it was osteo or something else. It had not spread to her lungs but she suddenly became paralyzed in her lower half. We didn’t do the MRI to diagnose but assume it was a tumor growing on her spine. Wish we had more time with her but glad we had a few extra months.
Our 12 year old female Akita St Bernard cross had her rear leg amputated this past February. By July it had already spread to her pelvis and we made the choice to euthanize. She still had so much pep for her age, but bone cancer is very unforgiving and she went downhill fast. I miss her so much.
My 11 year old lived 6 months past amp, the cancer had already metastasized by first round of chemo
I’m so sorry.
I have a German shepherd/husky mix- he was 9 at the time of surgery. We did the amputation but no chemo. The first week or so after surgery was rough, but he seems really happy now. It’s been 20 months since surgery, they told us maybe a year, so who knows!
Mine was a cat. He had an aggressive cancer on his front leg. I got about 2.5 months with him post amputation. It may have been a neutropenic fever or a different problem from the chemo that killed him. He only had one chemo treatment and was gone soon after. He had just turned 10 and died a few days later.
I sure wish you a very successful outcome with your lab!!
You must have loved him very, very much. I am so sorry you had to say goodbye to him.
I appreciate that! Yes he was my favorite cat but don’t tell the others!
Can I ask you folks what this type of treatment costs?
Amputation was $4,300 (High COL city in the US). Chemo I haven’t gone to a consult for but I think I can expect another 4k for 4-5 rounds
My dog had a different cancer in 2017. The amputation was around $5k. We had an amazing doctor who found chemo drug at a compounding pharmacy that we could give at home. It was roughly $50 for each treatment (total of six monthly treatments). Bloodwork every 3-4 weeks for six months about $200 per draw. The type of cancer he had gave us a six month outlook with amp and treatment. We got two more years out of him and it wasn't cancer that took him. His kidneys gave out, probably due to the chemo
That seems awfully old to put him through that. I have been thru several types of cancer with my Rotties and it is hard to let them go but when it's their time, we have to do the right thing for them, not us.
Toby lived for twelve months. He was a Corgi-Jack Russell cross. We took him to hydrotherapy and consulted a homeopathic vet who offered more support than our previous vet. A few days ago he had pale gums so we got him straight into a trusted local vet who diagnosed that the cancer had spread to his kidneys. He wasn't in any pain but we knew the decline would be rapid and brutal so we let him go the next day. He was 11 at the time of the amputation. He was our miracle dog. Typically you could expect a few months. So sorry you are going through this. Take care of yourself.