- Happy Dog
- Christmas 2010
Frankie Pictures…
Author: Christine
I'm Canadian eh? living in Southwestern Ontario. My crew consists of my sweetie Fred, my son (25yrs) and my daughter (22yrs) as well as our 4 legged kids, Maggie (12yrs) and Wilson (1year). Franklin was my sweet boy who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in September 2012. His leg was amputated on December 4, 2012. He was the cutest tripawd on this planet. He was happy every day. His tail was always wagging. Lung Mets took him from us on May 15, 2013. Rainbow bridge became a happier place with his arrival. We miss him terribly everyday.
We lost our kitty in September 2012. Diesel, who was 18 1/2 years old when he passed at home, was (and still is) the Godfather. He is missed terribly by all. They are curled up together sleeping at the bridge under the stars, happy to be sleeping buddies again.
Less than 48 hours….
I sit here.. and I cry…
My Franklin is ok… don’t worry… Nothing is wrong that way! I just have waves of emotion on….. Am I doing the right thing? What is he going to think when he wakes up? Will he be ok with this decision? Will he miss tap-dancing? I know that I certainly will… lol just an emotional rollercoaster that I sure everyone understands.
He was not called in early due to the short staffing of the vet… but he is ok. He has actually been very happy go lucky! We have kept him from any aggressive squirrel patrol and kept all his food before 6pm just in case we did get that call. Well.. we never got that call and he is scheduled for amputation surgery on Tuesday morning.
I was able to get him into his groomer tomorrow morning for a doggie spa day! Lori absolutely LOVES Franklin… he is her favourite springer!! She gives him lots of attention and is going to pamper him big time tomorrow. He will look so handsome for his operation!!
Well.. I have to admit.. I have had my moments where I break out into tears. I have never gone to this extreme with a pup of mine… my two springers before have gone to rainbow bridge due to cancer, yet a different kind. One had brain cancer and the other’s legs gave out and had cancer in his abdomen. They were both just over 12 when it happened to the two of them.. But a leg amputation??? wow. I don’t know if I have prepared my self for this emotionally. wow… my poor pup.
I have read all over this wonderful site, and cried with so many stories of success.. and passings to Rainbow Bridge.. but… am I prepared? I hope so.. I sure do hope so..
It seems that things seem to be different below the border with canine cancer. I have tried to educate myself in reading the stories here and trying to figure out why some pups have had chemo and radiation with osteosarcoma? Please forgive my ignorance here, I certainly am not experienced in this type of thing.. lol
Obviously, there must be different levels? Franklin’s is in his front left knee and x-rays show that he is good everywhere else. Hence.. he amputation. I asked my vet about radiation or chemo after the operation and he said there is no need to. Is it because of the location of his cancer? The fact that it has not spread? I will certainly be asking my vet this on Tuesday.
I did ask him about the drug for the Phantom leg pain… he has heard of it but advised that he would not be severing the nerve that would cause that. I’m not a doctor, and I do trust him as he has been very good with all sorts of animals that I know of. I have friends who take their horses to this vet, as well as other friends who take their dogs and kitties..
Needless to say.. my Frank’n’farter goes in on Tuesday. He should be home on Thursday (crossing fingers that everything goes ok) and I am not even going to be home!! Now, the guilt is setting in here as I have a 4 days craft show to attend with my home soap making business. It’s one of the best craft shows that I do at Christmas time.. and will certainly end up helping to pay for Frankie’s surgery. My hubby has told me not to give it up.. but I am now feeling guilty with leaving the responsibility of picking up Franklin from the vet to my hubby. He cries more than I do sometimes!!! lol
Yet.. I know that Franklin will be in good hands with my sweetie.. and for the first few days I am sure that he will not be toooo active.
We have started to be prepared.. built a ramp from the dining room down into the addition for Franklin, (stapled a carpet onto it so he does not slip either), built benches for the water and food dishes to sit on so that they are raised up for Frankie. My Maggie must think she is being spoiled too!! lol
We have figured out that we are going to confine Frankie to the TV room, his dog bed will be in there.. and my hubby will sleep on the couch… I have even put more foam into his doggie bed so that it is firmer for him.
Our biggest concern it to prevent Maggie from licking Franklin. She is very motherly and when he had a cyst on his back, she keep cleaning it! Well… I might have a solution. We have a “thunder jacket” for Franklin that we used when he had that cyst removed last year. It is a jersey type material and breathable… depending on whether or not he is bandaged, I thought of maybe putting that on him because it will cover the incision area. Of course, it all depends on incision, any weeping, etc. I wouldn’t just put it on if it was going to stick to the incision.
Anyhow… the learning continues…
bark ‘atcha later
Countdown is on….
5 more days.. or sooner before my sweet pup becomes a Tripawd.
When I got home from work Monday night, I noticed that Franklin’s mass on his knee was larger. I am so afraid that he is going to blow his knee before his surgery. and if he does it at night time when the vet is not open, well.. that will be devastating!!
We are now on the emergency waiting list.. if there is a cancellation, we will be called in. I advised the vet that I believed that my Frankie’s situation was more important than a spaying or neuturing!! lol I mean come one.. this is my sweet fartin’ puppy here!!
Well, needless to say, the other vet at the hospital had a death in the family and has flown home for the services and funeral.. which of course, leaves them short for an extra pair of hands for operations.
So.. we are taking it easy with Frankie… not too much exercise… and no food after 6pm at night just in case we get that call at 8am to bring him in!
I’m getting nervous.. I’m starting to get scared.. I’m starting to worry now.. as all of you have gone through the same pattern I am sure.
anyhow.. I have a whole bunch of stuff to post here later.. things I’m thinking about.. worrying about.. curious about… but.. I don’t have too much time right now..
so.. I will bark atcha later then!!
Frank’n’farter!
Well, I have been reading a bunch of stuff here on this site and I must admit – it does help us owners get through this decision because I can now see that I am not alone in my feelings, my concerns, my insecurities about having a Tripawd dawg.
Franklin went to the vets on Friday to have his chest area xrayed. When I picked him up at lunch the vet was very happy and said that he is clean! Clear! Good to go if we wanted to continue with the surgery.
Wow. I’m not afraid to say it, but part of me was expecting the vet to say “no go”. His cancer has spread and there is nothing we can do. That would have certainly saved my butt from having to make the next decision – to amputate or not to amputate.
Franklin’s osteosarcoma (sp?) is in his left knee. The cancer is all down there which is a good thing. Of course, the mass is quite large and eventually his bones will just shatter. When that happens, three things will happen. 1. he will be in alot of pain I am sure! 2. we take him to have him go on to greener pastures over Rainbow Bridge. or 3. we decide to amputate.
Well, of course I don’t want to see my Frank’n’farter in any pain so, if we would choose to amputate then, then why not do it now to prevent any further pain. Simple right?
Not so simple really. Am I being selfish because I am not ready to give him up yet? I keep looking at him and wonder.. how are you going to manage? Maggie will probably knock you over a few times and it is going to just kill me if you fall over. (I have actually started to get Maggie to sit behind Franklin when I let them out the door.. I make her wait until Franklin is out and on his way before I let her go. Otherwise she just barrels out beside him. I’ve been doing this for about 3 months now since he has been liming on the leg).
I’m going to miss his happy dance.. he would stand in front of you and tap his front paws back and forth while he does a kinda chortled growl.. whorrrr whorrr whorr whorrr… Now if he tries to do it once he is a tripawd, it will be tap and *thunk* lol
He usually lifts his front leg, the left one, to tap at the sliding glass door when he wants back in. Now I will have to teach him how to head butt!
Of course, humor will help us through this for it is a good remedy at any time.
His surgery is scheduled for December 4th. I’m going to try and get him into the groomers for a doggie spa day before his surgery to cheer him up. His groomer absolutely LOVES him and gives him special treatment!. Hey.. perhaps I should wait till after his surgery once he is healed up. I just might get a discount!! lol
Meet Franklin the Flatulent, the happiest dog in the world
Thank you for letting me join the group! What a special bunch of people you all are and even special bunch of 3 legged kids!
My Franklin is a liver and white english springer spaniel. We rescued him from the SPCA on November 25, 2005. They said that he was 6 at the time, but I am not sure if they are right, and my vet has always thought he was younger than he is now. If he really was 6, he would be 13 obviously, but if he was only 4.. then he’d be 11 of course.
Franklin has bone cancer in this front left knee. The Terry Fox kind. He has a lump about the size of a clementine on the inner side and it is working itself around the back of his leg. 2 months ago we took him to the vet and had an xray done as the lump, although smaller at that time, was bothering me and I wanted to know if it was a fatty cycst.
The xray of course told us otherwise.. the vet suggested radiation, chemo or amputation that time time but I immediately thought no. I’m not going to put my pup through that at his age. Well.. 2 months have gone by.. and Franklin is still the freaking happiest dog in the world. his tail never stops wagging and although I know that day is coming, I dread it. He will be missed terribly by many people, especially my other Springer, Maggie, who is 10.
I took Franklin the Flatulent back to the vet this week to see if the lump can be removed, and of course it cannot. He suggested amputation again. We chatted more about it and Franklin is scheduled to go for a chest xray tomorrow to see if there are cysts, etc in his torso cavity., Of course, if there are, then amputation is out of the question because the cancer has gone through his body then.
But… if it’s clear, then I guess the question we ask our self is…. do we go ahead and amputate? I guess I am trying to justify that this is not for my own selfishness. He’s a pretty active guy still, eating, drinking, playing, and farting! lol He is not using the leg 100% due to the discomfort and usually stands on 3 legs anyhow. He is a tripawd in training! He did tear his ligament in his rear right knee about 4 years ago and has been on glycosamine since then (hence.. the flatulent nickname!!LOL) Gawd, such a hard deecision.
Has anyone else had a furbaby this age go through an amputation?
Of course, I will know more tomorrow after the xray.
Thanks for listening.. I am sure I will be here more often. Not only venting, but reading your incredible stores that have given me some hope and strength to get through this…