Mixed Feelings

As I watch Rowdy struggle thru his final days, with his leg tumor increasing in size, I have been second guessing what I should do, about having the leg amputated. Weighing the options, there is only a small chance that it would be of benefit, yet I hate to see him struggle, trying to carry the bad leg while only using his other hind leg to balance himself on. I should mention that the bone cancer tumor, is not an extra growth attaching to it, but it's increasing the size of his leg bone itself.

The Vet I use, has reasonable costs for the amputation, so the money is not an issue. It is the issue of recovery, or lack there of.

Result one; Remove the leg and he does not recover.

Result two, Remove the leg and the cancer spreads quickly to his lungs.

Result three, Remove the leg and he has a difficult time recovering, if he ever does, which may add unwanted pain to his final days.

Result four, Remove the leg, he recovers well and it extends his life with a little better quality, till the end.

Doing the math, he only has a 25% chance of a better outcome, for which the odds are not in his favor. So I believe it is best to just let him continue the way he is, even though it breaks my heart to seem him struggle so much. I can see small daily transformations in his deterioration, which tells me his days are numbered.

His vision and hearing losses are adding up and he seems to struggle finding his way around the home, but still somehow seems to manage. He has not yet had another blindness episode. What I believed happened that night, was that he was lying in the seat of the car during our 30 minute drive home, with his head propped over the armrest. I think that in that position his neck pinched the optic nerve and it took the night for it to relax and restore his vision. Since then, I have been careful not to allow him lay that way, in the car.

His appetite is good, as I have been feeding him tasty food and had increased his meals from two to three per day, trying to keep some weight on him. Though I wonder if I am only feeding the tumor.