Murphy was a retriever mix.  He spent 1 night in the hospital.  I took my son with me to pick him up the next day because I was worried about bringing him home - how was I going to get him out to the car? (I mean, I figured they had a stretcher or something if I needed it, but I didn't know what to expect).  Well, Murphy had his own plans, he wanted out of there!  He walked/hopped out to the car by himself!  We made the 1.5 hr drive home just fine & he walked into the house then out into the back yard like nothing was different.  

You're eventually going to want to get a harness for him, but for now you can use a cloth grocery bag - cut down the sides so that it will be a flat piece with handles, then you can use that as a sling if you need it.  He will mostly just need to rest as much as possible.  He may not eat much for awhile, or be very picky.  Murphy came home on Tramadol (a narcotic), Rimadyl (an anti-inflammatory like Motrin) and Gabapentin - this works on nerve pain.  My biggest pet peeve is when vets do not give enough pain medication!!  He should be on enough medication to last right around 2 weeks or so ... weaning down during the 2nd week, but some need them a little longer.  The combination Murphy had worked pretty well for him.  Some dogs have a Fentanyl patch, and some also take antibiotics.  You can apply an ice pack wrapped in a thin cloth to the incision for about 10-15 minutes a couple of times a day.  The incision will be large and may or may not have a dressing on it.  Murphy's came of in a day or two.  Murphy didn't eat well, like many dogs.  I cooked some rice and poured chicken broth over it then added some chunks of chicken to it.  He took his pills with peanut butter most of the time.  We used a t-shirt to keep his incision covered and clean and so that he wouldn't bug it.

Donna

Not all dogs figure it out right away and get their sea legs.  It took our Max 3-4 days.  There's nothing wrong with helping them get up either for less struggle and wear and tear on new muscles being used.  Others have given you much good advice.  Stay calm and be a strong leader.  I found very early on if I panicked so did Max.  If I stayed calm and encouraging max followed suit.  Hang in there these first days are the toughest.  Once you have sweet Leo home and back under your care you'll find yourself finding a routine that works well for you.  Hugs!

Hello! I hope your Leo is doing better after his transfusion.

My pup Vigo had his front right leg amputated about 2 weeks ago. I must say the first 4-5 days back home were tough. He was very confused. When he wasn't sleeping he was very restless and would get up and just stare off into space for a while. This happened a lot. He had some pain and would randomly yelp out (luckily his meds seemed to work pretty well), and was pretty wobbly. My husband and I also had a hard time with thoughts of "did we do the right thing" popping up every other minute. It can be confusing because you know you made the right choice for Leo but at the same time you see them temporarily suffer due to a choice that you made for them. I can tell you that for us, this feeling passed as soon as we saw glimmers of Vigo's personality show through every now and then. He is doing so much better and we see improvements every day. Just believe in the process and in their instincts, and try to stay calm and take care of yourself during this time! Good luck 🙂