Wiserabbit
Young Bun
Long time since I've posted!
I've got a 7 year old dutch type doe called Verity. A week ago she started favouring her left foreleg and holding herself strangely. Our vet x-rayed the leg and found no break and prescribed painkillers. When we went back for a check up four days later, the vet said she could feel a hard mass, very tightly attached to the bone. She is going in next week for a biopsy to find out what this lump is. The vet has already raised the possibility of amputation of the leg.
She's no longer using this leg at all, but other than that is still ok. She's asking us to groom her face and ears for her as she can no longer reach (through repeated nudges until us stupid humans figure out where she wants to be scritched) but is still bouncing around perkily. She fights us at medicine time, although so far no one has been bitten, due to judicious application of banana.
I suppose this is the question - if this turns out to be a benign lump and the vet recommends and amputation and then she can lollop off happily for another x umber of years, then all well and good. What if it comes back saying its malignant? Am I right in thinking that if it's growing fast there may be others already in her body? Under those circumstances, would it be fair to put her through a limb amputation just for her to suffer further? When do we say "Enough?"
I'd really appreciate some input!
I've got a 7 year old dutch type doe called Verity. A week ago she started favouring her left foreleg and holding herself strangely. Our vet x-rayed the leg and found no break and prescribed painkillers. When we went back for a check up four days later, the vet said she could feel a hard mass, very tightly attached to the bone. She is going in next week for a biopsy to find out what this lump is. The vet has already raised the possibility of amputation of the leg.
She's no longer using this leg at all, but other than that is still ok. She's asking us to groom her face and ears for her as she can no longer reach (through repeated nudges until us stupid humans figure out where she wants to be scritched) but is still bouncing around perkily. She fights us at medicine time, although so far no one has been bitten, due to judicious application of banana.
I suppose this is the question - if this turns out to be a benign lump and the vet recommends and amputation and then she can lollop off happily for another x umber of years, then all well and good. What if it comes back saying its malignant? Am I right in thinking that if it's growing fast there may be others already in her body? Under those circumstances, would it be fair to put her through a limb amputation just for her to suffer further? When do we say "Enough?"
I'd really appreciate some input!