Scooby is my 10 1/2 year old Springer Spaniel and all his life he’s been a bundle of Springer Mischief albeit a very anxious and neurotic one.
Towards the end of last year he hurt his leg trying to jump up on the settee and when we examined him we found a large oedema on the right hind leg.
A biopsy confirmed the worst. Our little pup had cancer. It was soft tissue sarcoma and the vet was confident from the histology report that it was not a particularly aggressive spreading strain and an operation to excise the tumour from his joint may be successful.
Sadly, the tumour was all through the joint and while he recovered from the surgery, the tumour immediately returned larger than ever and Scooby was beginning to toil with the leg joint.
Given that it was still reported as a rarely spreading strain, we elected to have the amputation surgery to at least give him a chance at life. We were distraught with worry. Would Scooby tolerate the surgery? Would he be able to have any quality of life on 3 legs? Would he be able to adapt? Would the cancer be gone?
Scooby went in on the Thursday morning for the operation. The vet reported he was astonished when Scooby came round from the anaesthetic and immediately began to mobilise.
We picked him up the next morning. I felt sick seeing him all shaved with a big bloody gash where his leg used to be and his keening wails.
Scooby in himself though was very sedated but able to walk, eat, and eliminate with few problems. He couldn’t manage the stairs but we eventually hit on the idea of running a towel under his abdomen to use as a sling to give him support which has been effective.
It’s now 13 days since his operation and the vets are delighted with his progress, and hopefully the cancer went in the incinerator with his leg. All we know is we have our beloved fur baby back, with a second chance at life, and more time for us to give him all of our unconditional love. It’s all he has ever given, and it is all he will ever receive. 
