Ruby is Day13 so this is all very new to us.  We stocked up on groceries and baggies for ice and made a "sick ward" so we could keep an eye and isolate her movement.  A lot of ppl use an Ex Pen bc they don't really fit in their crates with their cones.  THe first 3 days were really, really tiring.  We were emotionally drained as well as not getting a lot of sleep due to giving round the clock meds and responding to her whimpering (which went away around Day 6).  It just seems like those first few days we passed meds, watched movies, ate, took her out, fed her, napped, answered emails, then did it all again......like a time warp.

I wish you and Jake good luck. I'm probably forgetting some of the millions things we did or learned on this site to get ready and afterwards, so as advised just do a lot of reading (which you will probably do in the days to come as well).

Lisa and Ruby and Kacy

I have two dogs.  Tess, my female, had cruciate repair last summer, and Otis lost his front leg to osteosarcoma in February.  Each could tell when the other was hurting.  I have always known that there was a special bond between them, but they each treated the other in such a loving manner, surrendering bed space, waiting for the injured one to initiate play.  I never even tried to separate them. (Tried to put Tess in a crate when I had to go back to work - one or both of them tore it to shreds).  My ex also has 2 dogs, and they get along fine with Otis.  They play, but not too rough, they sleep together, basically normal dog stuff.  Otis outweighs them both together by about 40 - 50 pounds, so maybe that is part of it!

Hi, we are day 1 post amputation.  My Ted had his front left leg amputated yesterday and he (unexpectedly) came home last night.  I got everything that everyone suggested and I also have a suggestion now.  I didn't want to buy yet another dog bed so I took twin sized memory foam mattress cover that my son brought home from college and I covered it with a sheet.  Ted (and I) have been laying around on it for the last 24 hours.  it is firm enough for him and not to soft when he tries to get up and it's large enough that I can lay next to him for periods of time.  He has been very whiny and whimpering a lot - which most everyone on this site said to expect.  Just surrender to the fact that you are going to be worried, get no sleep, smell like a dirty dog, and celebrate in the smallest little things over the next few days.    You are surrounded by a lot of good people on this site.

Hi,

Milo, Ruby, and Novak are tripawd triplets who are just wrapping Day 12.  Milo is front left, Ruby is also front, Novak is hind leg.   

This group is awesome and so much support, and do much crowd-source info.  Just today Milo's oncologist told me I should check out the http://www.tripawds.com website.  I told her I was way ahead of that and already sharing pictures and videos.

How to prepare.  We had no carpet on our first floor, just hardwood and cork.  We went to Home Depot the night before we came home and bought carpet off the 12' rolls.  It was only 55 cents per square foot, so we could get 2' x 12' strips for $13 a pop and covered all of his favorite pathways.  We also got a few 4' pieces for the stair landing and his favorite doorway spot, and a larger piece for our family room.  Other suggest yoga mats.  Whatever works so the dog doesn't slip.

Milo snuck up the stairs on Day 4.  He goes up fine, but struggles coming down.  We bought a rufwear harness as recommended by others.  We only use it in the morning to get him down the stairs, and when we go out and he needs to get into or out of the car, or at the vet when he'll be on slippery surfaces.  Front leg amputees struggle on the down stairs.  Actually, Milo has always been a klutz on downs, even with 4 legs!  We bought our harness used through Amazon and it looks pristene.

I also bought disposable pads (psc=1)  The ones I bought had slow shipping.  I should have paid closer attention. There are probably similar with Prime shipping.  We only used ~10 total.  We did get them the day he came home.  Milo had urine leakage issues for the first 4-5 days.  I  think his teeth were floating from the IV fluids, and the abdominal pressure when trying to stand up, plus some "stretching" from the urinary catheter.  The pads also handled some of the ooze from the wound.  But the good news is it didn't last.  He's fine now.

We also bought a memory foam mattress which is firmer and lower and Milo loved from the get-go.  His bed was soft and had a big bolster around it, and was a tripping hazard.  The memory foam is nice for when I have curled up with him when he wasn't feeling good. 

We dragged mattresses from the guest room downstairs so we could sleep near him the first 3 or 4 nights home.  He would wake up at night and need to go outside (floating teeth), or would get stuck on his side.  By day 6 he was doing stairs up, we were sleeping in our own bed, and we'd use the harness to help him down in the morning. 

Many say the Day 3-5 point is the low.  We handled that fine.  For us the low was when the fentanyl patch came off on Day 7 and the transition to other drugs.  We didn't get it right.  I'm only Day 12 and we're still working on getting it right.  Milo had a great day today -- chock full of energy and some "running" even.   But it's still very dynamic.

My advice is to listen to your vet, but share and ask at this site.  There is so much experience here.  So much useful crowd sourced info.  And so many caring, concerned people who always have kind and compassionate words.  Reality is most vets have only been involved with a small number of amuptations.  They know the medical.  They may love your dog and can answer specific issues, but this site brings another whole dimension -- which is why my onco recommended it to me.

Best of luck with Jake.  We're here for you.

Peace,

-Jenifer

jake5 said
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH WE WILL KEEP YOU POSTED ON JAKE'S RECOVERY AND AS SOON AS I FIGURE OUT HOW I WILL POST PICTURES OF JAKE THE SUPER DOG  

Hi and welcome.  Here is a link to a guide on Posting Photos.  

My advice, as a recent member to this club, in addition to all the other good stuff above, is to make sure you have a robust discussion about pain management with surgeon before Jake comes home.  There are multiple modalities for treating pain and after an major surgery like this, it is frequent to utilize different modalities.  Common combination is Tramadol (works in the brain), Rimadyl (works in the tissues and reduces inflammation) and Gabapentin (works in the nervous system and addresses nerve pain). Make sure you come home with options and call them if you think you need to increase frequency or dosage  - there is a range and every dog is different.

Best thoughts for Jake's surgery!

Welcome!  Glad surgery is over and Jake did well.  Jake is absolutely just a stunning boy!  Let us know how he's doing and we'll be right here waiting if you need us.  Now let's go forward to a smooth recovery!  

Hugs,

Linda, Riley & Spirits Mighty Max & Ollie