Glad he is doing well after surgery.  The next 10 days to 2 weeks will be hard, but once the staples come out, he will perk back up and you will see real improvement day after day.   By week 3, Otis was back up on the sofa, one of his favorite places in the world.  He started taking short walks at 1 month.   By month 3, he was able to come upstairs.   He could chase cats and squirrels, play with his sister Tess, steal food off the counter, and was his normal, goofy, happy self.  We are also big fans of the Ruffwear Webmaster Plus harness - you can read more about it in the gear blog, lots of us use it.  And chemo is a very individual decision.   We did four rounds of carbo, with minimal side effects.   Some dogs have no side effects, and some have severe enough side effects that they stop the chemo (which, by the way, is always an option).   Some do not do chemo for a wide variety of reasons - financial, availability of oncology services within a reasonable distance of home, the fact that their dog hates the vet or riding in a car, or a million other reasons, all of which are absolutely valid reasons.  But, as others as noted, this is not something to worry about now.   Right now, its just the recovery.  A few other things to consider - you might want to put an industrial floor mat in the kitchen, so he doesn't slip on the tile.   It also helps to have multiple dog beds in the room where you/he will be sleeping and in your main family room.  Nice to have something to ice the incision with - a bag of frozen peas works great for this purpose.   And it helps to keep a log of when his meds are due (there will be quite a few at first), when he eats, drinks water, pees and poops.   He will probably not want to get up a lot at first (although sometimes dogs are quite active the first day home when they still have hospital meds in their system), so it is important to know when you absolutely have to get him up and outside.  And, feel free to post with any questions, concerns, worries - this community is amazing, and there is almost always someone online, even in the middle of the night!

Yay for getting through surgery and already being mobile!

Just popping in to say I agree with everyone 😛 I wasn't sure I would get there, the first tough few days, but I'm already now feeling so glad about my decision. Of course I wish I hadn't had to make this particular decision, but given the pain or death that was the alternative, and considering how well (I'm stunned how well, even after reading loads of other accounts) my Harry is adjusting already, there absolutely was no better option. 

Get some rest while you can and do some things to look after yourself and manage your own anxiety while you're hanging out keeping an eagle eye on your baby for the next little while, too. 

Eurydice did the stairs!!!!  Wow!!.   All of that exercise and muscle build on your exotic adventures is really helping her out. 

Agree though that you have to be careful that Chance doesn't over do it - some of the younger dogs are prone to do so.   You also might see a bit of a crash around days 3 - 5 when the hospital meds wear off.  Just keep monitoring his pain, and if he seems to be in undue pain (paining, whining, restlessness, etc.) call your vet.   Many of us adjusted pain meds about this time.