Hi Cassie,
My name is VJ and my three legged baby's name is Angus. He is a Pit Bull and Lab Mix. I adopted him from the SPCA when he was 12 weeks old. About a year and a half ago Angus started limping.

We thought at first it was his allergies, because he would lick his feet so bad and they would get red and irritated. We moved to Maryland from Virginia and started with a new vet. After dealing with those people a year they still could not tell us anything.

We went to another vet and they immediately sent us to a specialist. The specialist was awesome! We tried anti inflammatory pills at first and that did not work, they thought Angus might have had an injured bicep. He then said we needed to get an MRI.

We took Angus to the Iams Center in Virginia and had it done. That is when they found the tumor. It was a Nerve Sheath Tumor. It was also cancerous. Thankfully, we were told it was not the type to spread. The specialist told us our only option was to amputate. We got 8 different options and they all said the same.

Angus had the surgery April 17th, 2003.

He is doing better now than ever. I didn't realize how much pain he must have been in before. I had a lot of concerns about the surgery. I saw your website and it made me feel better about our decision. I have no regrets at all, now. I know Angus is happier than he has been in a long time. Thanks again
-VJ

Thanks for emailing me back. It was a tumor on a nerve. It was actually under his shoulder blade, so he had his whole shoulder removed also. Angus is getting a lot better; it is really amazing, he seems a lot happier. And yes, he gives me lots of love.

He has a younger sister who is a Beagle named Phoebe and he loves to play with her. When we first got her in November of 2000 we got her because we thought maybe he needed a playmate, but come to find out it was far worse. He now is able to play with her and he is loving it..(So is she). I can't remember what meds they had him on. I know they tried 2 different anti inflamatory's. They worked for a little bit, but then it got worse.

They have some Glucosamine stuff in dog food, it is made by Nutro or Nutri something or the other. We feed him that now. It is supposed to help with senior dogs. They have treats also that we feed him. OH YEAH Angus is definitely fat! He weighs about 91 pounds. I told the vet that at least he lost a little. He used to weigh 98. How long did it take Cassie to feel 100%? It will be 4 weeks on Thursday and he is already jumping at the fence next door. He doesn't quite like the dog next door.... (ha, ha) :-D Thank you again. Your website and Cassie definitely made me feel better about our decision to amputate.
Thanks again
-VJ

In Memoriam:

Hi Cynthia,
You posted pictures of Angus on your website and helped us through a ruff time knowing that there were other 3 legged dogs out there. Unfortunately, Angus's cancer returned. It spread to his heart and lungs and we had to put him to sleep. It was the hardest decision I believe I had to make in my 33 years! He let me know that it was time to go though, he had given up and didn't want to fight anymore. I just wanted to thank you for the website. And for helping us make that decision to remove his leg.
He had 9 months more than what he would have had.
Take care and tell Cassie "Hi."
VJ Adler
Monday December 15, 2003

Hi Cynthia,
This picture is one of the most recent, actually it was about two weeks ago. He always loved the snow. I am having a hard time with all of this. I can't seem to stop crying. :-( I miss him soooo much, but he had just given up Monday night and I knew it. He let me know also, I asked him if he was ready to go and he licked my face. At least he is happy now and pain free.
Thanks again,
VJ Adler
Wednesday December 17, 2003

Hi! I'm Li'l Abner. I'm an American Bulldog. I was a stray that was hit by a car and left for dead. Luckily for me, a nice man found me and took me to the vet. As you can see, I lost my leg and was pretty banged up.

But my new Dad and Mom, Tom and Beth, who just adopted me, are taking really good care of me now. I'm no different than any other dog, except I can get away with more (evil laugh) and my Mom makes me take lots of naps because I get tired easily.

It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it! I am one loved and happy pup. I also have a girlfriend. She's the one giving me the smooch in the picture. Va-va-va-voom! What can I tell ya? Chicks dig the tripods!