My Hershey had a real fast onset of bone cancer that grew into a great big tumor on her hind leg. When we left for Greece, there was a little swelling in her leg and she had started to go lame. By the time we got back from Greece at the beginning of August, the tumor had grown to be the size of a softball. As such, we were faced with the question of do you put her down or do you amputate. We amputated. In the last couple of months, she's done wonderful for a 12 year old dog. She's found her balance and can hike about a mile or two.