This past Monday the 18th of April, Hurley was formally diagnosed with an aggressive Osteosarcoma (I really hate that word now) in his front right leg. We are lucky to live close enough to the Washington State University Vet School which is one of the finest in the nation and have given us fantastic care and information.
Hurley’s infected leg has given him nothing but problems since birth. It is slightly deformed and he has always favored it and it has been the source of soreness many a morning after a long walk or hike.
Once we found out that there was no other detectable areas of cancer and that he was a prime candidate for amputation, we gave the go ahead and yesterday, April 20th, Hurley had his right front leg removed.
We have found it very difficult to distinguish between rational and emotional decision making at this time, but after seeing so many stories of dogs living so happily with only three legs we felt we had no choice but to give him this shot.
We pray we made the right decision.
Hi there Hurley. I’m Gunner, front left. Just want to say “welcome” to you dude. Pull up a rug and relax. Hope all goes well for you and wishing you a speedy recovery! Let the healing begin!
Thanks Gunner!
1st welcome to Tripawds!
We all know the emotion of trying to figure out of we are doing the right thing but OS is painful and Hurley will not have the pain to deal with anymore. The 1st two weeks post amp will be an exercise in fortitude (for you) as Hurley goes through the ups and downs of recovery. Dont get discouraged or start self doubting… we have all gone through it…so post your questions, we are all here for you and Hurley!
Thanks for the support and help!
John
we lost a right front leg too, february 17, 2010. we had soft tissue sarcoma, but cancer still sucks, no matter what you call it. you did the right thing by alleviating the pain. the next two weeks will be tough, but know that you and hurley will get through it. be prepared to learn so much from hurley – tripawds are the best life lesson teachers around. paws crossed for a quick recovery and for many, many magical moments ahead.
charon & gayle
Thanks very much Charon and Gayle. Hurley has been a tough guy all along so I have more confidence in him than I do in myself! 🙂
John
Hope the surgery went well and he is recovering nicely !
Healing wishes!
Yah all thanks for reading and responding so quickly and positively. ooops pawsitively 🙂
It’s been a rough go already but you can imagine much more for us than our trooper always happy regardless of whatever dog.
John is with him now. Looking forward to the next update as I’m holding down the fort with the other 4 animals 2 1/2 hours from my Big HBoy.
John- you did make the right decision. You know why? Because you decided to do the best thing you could for Hurley, and you did it with love.
You will never know what might of or could of happen- so go forward with confidence!
If you haven’t already you should check out the forums on this site- many more people are there- and you can get much more information and support.
Good luck with the recovery!
Karen and the pugapalooza
Welcome and thanks for joining! We’re sure Hurley appreciates your decision to free him of the pain. We look forward to following his progress.
By definition, whatever decision you make is right. You’re past the first major milestone so be proud of yourselves!