Our grandchildren were 10, 6, 3 & almost 2 when our Murphy had his surgery.  They all knew that he had a "boo boo" in his leg because he had been limping for awhile.  We talked about his surgery before he went in, so they knew that the doctors were going to make Murphy better.  I think it helps, too, that my step-daughter and I are both nurses, so the kids are used to hearing us talk about medical issues.  When he had his surgery, I made sure to send a few pictures to my step-daughter to show to the kids before they came over.  I wanted to make sure they had some idea what he was going to look like so that they weren't afraid.  They came over about 3 weeks or so after his surgery.  I was surprised that Murphy stayed right near the kids like he always did - I sort of expected him to go lay a bit further away from them so that they wouldn't bother them, but he was in the hallway where they had to walk past him or in the same room as them the whole time.  Ava was the youngest and she just pet his head and gave him kisses.  She's just about 5 now and I don't think she remembers him any other way.  All of them really took it in stride,  Brenden was the 3 year old and asked a lot of questions, that's his nature.

Donna

The t-shirt you just put on regular and it should help keep the incision covered.  It's much better than having to wear a cone.  We use a Webmaster Ruffwear harness , you can find it on the homepage under gear.  It has a handle on the top, which is great for helping him in & out of the car.  He weighs almost 50 lbs and I can easily lift him by myself with it and make sure that he doesn't land with all of his weight on his 1 good front leg.  His oncologist told us to put him on a grain-free diet.  She told me that grain turns into sugar, and cancer feeds off of sugar, so Murphy has been on a grain-free dog food since his diagnosis.  We've also been finding more and more treats that are grain-free .  We have carpet throughout our house, except for the kitchen, so we have a couple of rugs in there, but he does fine with just the 1 room.  We have a ranch-style house, so didn't have to worry about stairs, but we do have 1 step down in a couple of places.  When he had his surgery, I placed a tap-light on the floor in each of those places, so when we went to bed at night & turned off the lights, I tapped those on.  That way he could judge the depth of the step if he was walking around at night.  Make sure that you have adequate medication coverage - that seems to be the biggest problem for anyone whose pet comes home on the day of surgery.  They often are still not themselves because of the anesthesia, Ruby may be very restless, may whine or even howl.  You might not get much sleep that first night.  Murphy came home on Tramadol, Rimadyl & Gabapentin.  Some have a Fentanyl patch and some have antibiotics.  Please write down the help line phone number in case you need it.

Donna

Since your kids are old enough to help out, absolutely keep a log book.  That way you will know when she gets her meds (and when they are next due - the schedule can be a bit inconvenient.  Ours had a med at midnight and another at 2:30 a.m.).  You can also track water, outdoors, food, etc.   That way, if one of the kids gives her water, you know.  And you will also know whether she really needs to be encouraged to go outside (leashed potty breaks for the first week or so)(treats also key here) and when you can let her just rest. 

I know that they make doggy traction booties, and have heard mixed comments about them on this site.   Some people use them when outside on rougher walking conditions.   I have heard that they do not breathe well, so might not be ideal for all day in the house.   We do not use them. 

We are also grain free - including in treats (Wag More Bark Less are grain free , I think by the same maker as Buddy Biscuits, and Otis loves them).  I have noticed that since chemo, Otis seems to have blander tastes - for example, in the past he would not eat plain kibble without a soft topper.   Now, he dives right in.

Murphy mostly eats Blue Buffalo, but he gets picky sometimes, so we change it up.  There are so many more options now, so that's nice.  PetSmart has a couple different brands that we've found that he likes.  And many different treats, too.

We don't normally put boots on him.  We have bought some Pawz boots for vet visits.  http://gear.tri.....om/?s=Pawz They are sort of like balloons, you stretch them out & pull them over their feet, but you can't leave them on all day, and they're not insulated for the snow or for on the cement.  But they work great for on the tile floor at the vet's.  Murphy is always pulling towards the door and without them he just slips & slides.

I wrote out a medication sheet - listed the medications down the side & the times across.  Whoever gave the meds would cross off what they gave.  It worked really well for us since our son was living at home, too.

Donna

OH MY GOD!!!  Wyatt is NOT NOT happy!  lol