[rottcrazed]

Personally, what we went through with Justice last year taught me a REALLY big lesson about lumps and movable limbs on dogs.

He had a tumor on his elbow, golf ball sized, biopsied as a fibrosarcoma.

The ortho doc said it can be removed, they would do a flap of his own skin to cover the hole from the removal of the lump and we would carry on from there.

Well, one surgery removed the lump, completely as it had clean margins, it was a grade 3 lump so it MAY have spread, BUT, the flap of skin opened up after a week on crate rest. He was in a complete arm/chest 'cast', but it opened up.

So, we did another surgery, more skin this time on the flap, 150 sutures. Within a week, it was open again. $6000 later we were told we could amputate or .....

Justice had spinal problems, so there was NO WAY I would even think to amputate and have him learn to use 3 legs with his back already having issues.

The placement of the tumor on such a mobile part of the dog, no matter how you bandaged it, it was going to move, so it was going to open. This was of course, something l learned AFTER having put my poor guy through 2 painful surgeries and ultimately, put him to sleep less than a month later.

I wish with all of my heart I had let him be and take whatever time I had with him. He was fine with the lump there, normal, active, he ate, he didn't limp, nothing.

I may have had a few months before the cancer spread and he wouldn't have spent his final month in a crate in a cast not being allowed to walk or play. I still have guilt almost one year later.

I think your best bet, either get a second opinion on surgical options, if you do choose to amputate, you need to make sure he is sound everywhere else (rear, spine) to make sure physically he can handle that, or just let him be and enjoy him while you have him with you.

Kristi