Is amputation cruel?

Question

I found out my 7-year-old (large) dog has cancer in his leg. We got the tumor removed, but the vet couldn’t get all the margins out. She recommended 3 options:
1. Radiation
2. Amputation
3. Wait and see 
I looked into radiation and it’s over $10k and hours away. It’s unfortunately not an option for us. 
Amputation will cost roughly $1,000, which is steep, but we could make it work by putting it on a credit card or something.  My hold up is that it’s a major surgery and it may not improve the quality of his life. He just spent 3 weeks in a cone due to the tumor removal, I’d hate to add more cone-time and a painful recovery unless it’s 100% going to get rid of the cancer. It’s a hind leg that would be taken off, high up near the hip so it’s major surface area that would be removed. I’m also concerned that the other leg might not be able to support his weight. 
The wait and see option sounds tempting, but I’m scared the cancer will come back quickly and painfully. We did start a vitamin regimen as a holistic approach to help keep the cancer at bay. 
 I’m just so torn. I have another dog, a toddler, and another baby on the way so financially this has been hard for us (we’ve already spent thousands in his vet bills this year). If he gets the amputation, it could double his life span. However, I won’t be able to physically lift him up to carry him into the yard while he recovers (my husband could when he’s home though). 
He’s going to the vet tomorrow and we will talk to the vet some more and possibly settle in a final decision.

Answer

I mean honestly I’d do it. They learn very quickly how to manage .

Answer

If it means the difference between life or death, or a good or bad quality of life then it absolutely is not cruel at all.

Answer

If it’s given as an option, that’s a good sign. They generally recover quite well and figure out how to be a tripod.

Answer

In my experience dogs adapt pretty well to amputation. My sister’s dog needed to have one of his legs amputated after an accident. He had his surgery over a year ago and that doggy don’t care about his missing leg anymore, he does great with only 3. He’s over 50 lbs and he runs faster on 3 legs than his siblings do on 4. My sister experienced some guilt about it and didn’t really want to amputate but it was better for her dog to be rid of the leg.

Answer

I think the wait and see is more cruel then having it taken care of.

Answer

I used to work at a veterinary office and you would be surprised at how well dogs adapt to amputation. Most of the time that's the only way to guarantee a cancer of a limb won't come back. My personal opinion is that it's never worth putting an animal through radiation and chemo. You see the turmoil it puts on humans so it's worse with animals and they can't tell you how they feel. If it were my pet I would absolutely amputate so long as the vet said it was a good decision! Good luck with your baby!

Answer

I have a chow and a few years back he was hit and dislocated his elbow. The vet had discussed amputation if the dislocation was bad because larger dogs seem to have it tougher the older they get. They didn’t have to amputate because it was an easy fix, but they said he would most likely get really bad arthritis later on. He’s an outside dog so he’s used to running around. He now spends most of his time on the porch just sitting there or laying down or in the basement if it’s too hot outside. He’ll have bad days but he does have medication for his arthritis and if he takes it, he’ll usually be able to move around easier. Could he have faired with three legs? Yeah. I think in your case, amputation would be smart. It’s like a person: if you find cancer that’s reoccurring in an extremity, the best case would be to amputate because radiation can really take a lot out of you. It’s not cruel if it’ll make things easier for him

Answer

I don’t think amputation is cruel, and it could save his life. However for many large dogs the life expectancy range is only 8-10 years. Unfortunately that means some don’t quite make in to 8, and others can live past 10, but that’s the average range. So you’d have to decide if the cost and surgery at an older age is worth it, especially when recovery will be harder on an older dog. 
However I know a few 3 legged dogs who had to get their leg removed. There’s definitely an adjustment period, but all of them have still been very happy and had great quality of lived overall. Another thing to consider though is that a lot of older dogs suffer joint pain in their older years. Having only 3 legs likely would make it more painful so I’d talk to your vet about that.

Answer

Amputation vs his life is not cruel

Answer

Obviously slightly different but a friend of a friend’s cat just got it’s hind leg amputated after doing some nasty damage to the tendons or something that where very unlikely to heal properly. The cat, as soon as she was able to stand and get her bearings again, was walking and running as if she had all four legs. 
I would say go for the amputation, maybe, if you can afford it, have some extra scans and tests to rule out spread of the cancer? 
I think your dog will have a plentiful life with just three legs as long as you’re willing to put in the time and effort to get him/her back to good health!

Is amputation cruel?

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