Our Journey Begins
Our journey began when we noticed our dog Penelope had swelling and pain in her right front leg. She has hurt herself being too frisky in the past so we thought she might have bruised herself on the way up and down the stairs. She is nine years old but a very young and active nine year old Shepherd Collie mix. She has a younger sister, Dottie, who is a lab mix, and is also adorable. They are very close and I could not imagine them apart.
When we realized that the bump was something more and was causing her pain, we took her to the vet. I had a bad feeling after he did an exam and said he thought it was a soft tissue (possible) sarcoma. He suggested getting a biopsy, which we did right away. We left her at the vet and came back hours later when she was high as a kite. We waited roughly ten days for the results and I had been prepared for the worst. When we got the results back, the vet said that they might be able to get all of her cancer if they took the whole limb off, to include lymph nodes. Cancer. I heard the word cancer and tried to pay attention but he said that the lab tests indicated that it was not in the bone. (I have uploaded them here).
My husband and I both took a week off of work, which we are fortunate enough to be able to do. The day of the surgery I felt nauseated. I had gone through all of the prep, most of which I researched on this site. We slept in the basement on a blow up mattress with her so that she would not have to climb stairs. She was lethargic and a little “what the hell happened” for the first couple of days. On day three she was able to go on a walk. She did not complain much and only a few times did she whine or squeak when it was clear she was reacting to trying to use a muscle that was no longer there.
Today I got a call from the vet, who said the biopsy of the amputated limb showed good margins and the lymph nodes showed no sign of cancer. We are extremely relieved to hear the news. We had been concerned about what would happen if the cancer had traveled further up her limb.
Penelope is a trooper. The first time we took her out for a walk, I cried like it was the first time I saw my child walk. My sister came to visit and took care of her for the week we went back to work. She was trying to jog by the time she left. My sister also customized some of my tshirts for our tripawd and Penelope is so styling that I think my sister should go into the tripawd shirt making business.
I was so thankful for this website and saw several recommendations that we used (a raised bowl so she didn’t have to bend down has been a great one).
I am happy to have good news about Penelope and I have been inspired by her resiliency. She continues to get better every day.
I will write more in depth about our experience and also make some suggestions for those of you facing amputation and processing those feelings. I am a psychotherapist and I know grief work inside and out. My father died when I was a teenager and I’ve lost several dogs and cats to old age and cancer. I don’t think anything prepares you for the heartache you feel watching your fur child in pain or fear of a cancer spread.
I’m grateful I found this community. And for my dog’s good health and resiliency. Our little Dottie has her sister back and they haven’t played much but I see the sparkle growing in her eyes on a daily basis. We are very lucky.
This is the first page of the results of her initial biopsy
Page two
One of my favorite pictures of her, taken by our dog sitter. This captures her spirit.
Penelope loves her little sister. Penelope will be 10 in July and Dottie just turned 8 in March.
My little girl. She’s always so expressive.
