June 8th will mark the one-year anniversary of Linus' leg amputation. That was truly a horrible day, but I am so fortunate that I found Dr. Lirtzman and that he saved my kitty's life that day! After an extremely long and frustrating experience with other vets -- including an unnecessary torn ACL surgery and inaccurate analyses of radiology reports -- Dr. Lirtzman discovered that Linus had osteocarcoma. My regular vet strongly suggested that I put Linus down immediately and said there was no hope.
While it is true that osteosarcoma is rare in cats and not much literature exists regarding prognosis, Dr. Lirtzman found every study available and counseled me through a very difficult decision, and we decided to move forward with the amputation.
After that, he also recommended a wonderful vet for routine care close to our home, Dr. DeKing. Linus just had his one-year checkup with her yesterday, and his chest x-rays and lab work all came back excellent - NO sign of metastases!!!
I am so grateful to Dr. Lirtzman and his entire staff for the wonderful care they gave to both Linus and myself during an extremely difficult time.
I also want to let everybody know that osteosarcoma does not have the same prognosis in cats as it does in dogs. I talked to several vets during this ordeal who were not aware of this difference. So if you find yourself/your kitty in this situation, please continue to pursue the best treatment options for your cat. There may be hope! And as far as the amputation goes, Linus adjusted incredibly well. He doesn't seem to miss his leg at all .