This is Mary’s story (we share the same name by coincidence):
Well this has been a hard week! It started with a limp. After a trip to the vet we were off to a specialist. After some better x-rays there it was! A tumor in her left front leg next to her shoulder. 11 years without any major problems and this Cancer thing hits us out of the blue. What is osteosarcoma? What are the options? What’s best for her? How are we gonna afford it? It was so much to think about! Cancer spreads… how fast… How much time do we have to come up with a game plan. We spent hours researching and getting as much information as we could in the short amount of time. It was obvious the leg had to be removed… Oh my God, I can’t believe we have to take her leg. She’s not a puppy any more. In fact she is a SENIOR! How is she gonna cope at 11 years old with a handicap? Are we strong enough to do this… Then we realized, she’s always been strong for us when we needed it. We are gonna do the same for her! After the emotional warfare was over It was time to prepare. Our home is all hardwood and tile, so we had to put down carpet runners to keep her from slipping while she’s trying to figure it out. We had steep stairs to the back yard, we need a ramp ( thank God my husband is in construction ). Signs for the front that say “ patient resting do not Knock” ( she gets really fired up when someone knocks ). O.K. how are we gonna pay for this?… Thankfully we were able to get financing through our vet!
Then came the hardest part, taking her in on Tuesday Aug 30th, 2011. Man was that hard! Waiting for the call that everything went well and she was in recovery was excruciating ( I called anyways the receptionist was lovely and never complained or got irritated ). And then finally the call, everything went well she was in recovery and looking good. Thank you God! Not having her home made it feel empty! But luckily she got to come home the next day. We had heard stories about the dogs up the day after surgery, getting the hang of it right away, but there was no way our senior girl could bounce back that quickly… Could she?
When we went to pick her up she couldn’t wait to get out of there! A little wobbly but not falling down she was QUICK!!!! And STRONG!!! She ran to the truck! When we got home she navigated the house with ease! She was up and down her ramp no problem! She even hit the front stairs without missing a step!
Today is day three Thursday September 1st 2011 and her spirit and ambition is amazing! We could all learn something from these Beautiful animals!
We will be back soon with another update!
God Bless you all!
Mary and Family
So glad to hear the surgery went well, and she’s back home where she belongs. You’ve found the greatest place to get advice and personal experiences living on three legs. Please keep us updated on your girl. Sending healing thoughts your way!
welcome!! our tripawd sisters and brothers do have so much to teach us..sounds like you will be an excellent teacher. so, did i miss it, what is your little girl’s name?? can’t wait for the next installment – paws crossed for continued healing and good days.
charon & gayle
Yes, you said it exactly right – “we could all learn something from these Beautiful animals”. So right.
Hope she continues to recover well!
Jackie, Abby’s mom
Your girl is so beautiful!! I mean gorgeous!
Its so wonderful to see how resilient they are, isn’t it? Here’s hoping it’s just sunshine and daisies from here on out.
Leslie
Thank you so much for your kind words. We are almost through day three. I’m gonna post some videos tomorrow and we look forward to a brighter future. We will keep you in our paw-rayers 😉
Thanks for sharing your story Mary! Best wishes for a complete speedy recovery.
FYI: Tags need to be separated by commas, and the easiest way to share videos is to post them to YouTube first. Then you can just paste the view page URL on a line by itself and the movie will automatically embed once published.
Hi! My pup was six when she had her right front removed. She did well the problem was not the lose of the leg but the darn cancer that had spread. I wish you the best as I know the journey you take is hard. We lost our pup this last week and it has been heart breaking. The good news is that if you get the cancer your pup will run and play again. My pup had an aggressive type that went from bad to worse in days. God bless you and your pup and please know that dogs really do have three legs and a spare. It is the heart that counts. Best Wishes.
I am so sorry for your loss. I know how much a part of the family our little furry kids are! We are gonna take it day by day and if there is anyplace to find hope it here from people like you. Thank you for sharing your story with us and we wish you all the best. We will keep you in our paw-rayers.
Warm wishes
Mary the dog 😉
Hi Mary! Welcome! What is your girl’s name? And what kind of dog is she? I think I see a pitbull. Do I? She’s sure lovely. Keep us posted on how she’s doing.
Shari
Her name is Mary too 😉 lol I need to add that. I will keep up with her blog and progress! She is an 11 year red nose pit bull 😉 thank you for your kindness and support!
Oh goodness, it is such a blessing to see how well she is doing. We all love her very much. Thank you for sharing that girl, give my brother a hug and kiss for me and tell him our prayers fo his baby girl are working. Keep us updated on her progress…looking forward to this happy ending or should I say new begining!! XoXo BB
Way to surprise your pawrents, Mary!
Dogs truly are amazingly resilient creatures! Glad to hear she’s doing as well as she is.
Rio and Rio’s mom
She’s 11? She looks like a KID!
Welcome, we’re so glad you joined us. I love your attitude, Mary has taught you well. Keep it up and cancer will run scared!!!
Thank you so much. This site is amazing, reading all the personal stories and finding comfort and hope is such a blessing. Two weeks ago we had no idea about this website, or osteosarcoma for that matter… But tripawds has made all the difference in the world for us as we navigate and battle the cancer. So thank you for the support and we will keep u posted 😉
Mary the dog and family 😉