I have a 9 year old labrador (Winston) who has just been diagnosed with cancer in his front leg/shoulder. Sadly he only has only been given a few more months to live/before becoming paralysed. We started to look into the possibilty of having his leg removed but the vet has advised us that because the remaining front leg would be under too much strain it isn't really a viable option due to his age/size/weight (he's not overweight but just a large dog). He suggested that it would create further discomfort for him and therefore not provide him a satisfactory quality of life in his opinion. Has anyone had any similar experiences of dogs with cancer or large dogs with three legs?

how very sad for you..i've never been in this sittuation and my heart goes out to you.

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Thanks Janice. I feel totally heartbroken to know that he's only got until Christmas time and that there's apparently nothing we can do.

i know its easier said than done,but try and take this time you have to spoil him rotten (which i'm sure you will anyway)..life can deal us some pretty tough blows sometimes..but you will always have your memories and nobody can take those away..xxxxxxxxx

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Bracken-canine-bone-cancer

This is a very informatve site.

So sorry its so sad about your dog. I know dogs generally cope well on 3 legs but normally there better when its a hind also as your vet has said he is such a big dog. If it was a smaller breed you may have had more success, its so hard as you only want to do whats best for him. Im sure that he will be loved and cuddled for as long as hes with you.

The vet I used in London was one of the pioneers of amputation for dogs so we saw a lot of 3 - legged dogs coming for exercise on the Common nearby our house. One of the first was a beautiful Dobermann called Anna and she was a racer! But she was a young dog and it was a hind leg amputation.

I'm so sorry to hear your news but I would follow vets advice and not have the surgery.
Give your Lab the very best quality of life possible in the few weeks left and put him to sleep with love when the time is right.

Sgurr

Thank you for all your kind words. I plan to make Winston as happy as humanly possible during his remaining time. I figured all would be in agreeance with the vets advice, but I wanted to be sure.

He currently lives in France with my parents (on a pet passport)... can't wait until he comes home!

Incodently, French vets are very good.

dredgey,
So sorry to hear about the cancer in your Lab. Ours too was diagnosed with cancer in his right shoulder. Bailey is almost 14 yrs old and has had an issue with both of his rear legs; one had a cut ligament, the other a fractured elbow. So needless to say he's having a hard time getting around. He limps on his right leg and has trouble getting up but still manages to get about. If his back legs weren't so bad you'd wouldn't think he was really that bad. The docs gave him 3 months back in October 2010. He is on pain meds daily and really is doing remarkable considering all that is wrong. We've had him since he was 8 weeks old and is a mix Lab/Golden mutt (not pure breed breeding). His current bark is weak and the Vet said the cancer would spread into his lungs eventually back in October.
We keep him comfortable and provide the expensive meds daily to him. He's still eating well but has trouble sleeping through the night. We hear him attempting to get up and move around during the night time. He must be in more pain than we know. He's part of our family and is treated as such. I regret the forthcoming day when I'll have to make the humane decision.
Just do the best for your Lab and have no regrets - He Doesn't! Baily's Dad

I'm afraid I never got round to updating this thread. Thank you everyone for their kind input.

Sadly Winston died about two years ago.

He was the best dog I've known and I have so many amazing memories.

He did well after the vet suggesting he only had three months as he kept on in good spirits for a year or so. His cancer infected leg went limp after a few months so as we could not remove the leg we bought him a t-shirt (England Rugby team of course!) which acted as a sling for his bad leg to stop it from being dragged around. He still chased cats and rabbits, although couldn't keep up with them anymore. He still cheekily found his way onto the sofa when no one was looking. He was happy.

But sadly the time came when we noticed he was no longer happy. He started to yelp in the night as the pain killers started to become less effective. He wouldn't really venture away from his bed, which we moved for him so he could always be in our company. Then on a sunny morning he struggled off into the garden and refused to move. He had become painfully thin by then so we knew it was his time and we took him to the vet.

We buried him in the sunnyest spot in the garden where he used to love to lie for hours, soaking up the sun.

I'm just glad he was my dog.

Attached Images

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