Nothing can ever be the same.  You have to adjust to the new normal and I agree that a cancer free 3 legged dog is much better than a terminally ill 4 legged dog.

So give Cassie lots of hugs and make her think you really are "over the moon" because in your own words, she really is doing amazing!

Hi Cassie and Cassie's Mom,

9 days post opt, sounds like she's doing great. The adjustment is so different for each dog as well as each human. We all handle the stresses differently and so do our friends. Fortis got off to a rocket of a start only to falter at two weeks. I remember once saying here on this forum that this recovery thing was a piece of cake or something like that. Not very sensitive of me now that I look back. Well, I ate those words I can assure you.

Fortis just celebrated his 6month ampuversary and just over the past few days has he wanted to bed down for the night where he had for the previous 7yrs. I'm not sure why he choose now to do this but he did and that's all that really matters to me. I remember just wanting to see him lay on the side where the leg was removed or to do the gator roll thing on his back. He does those all the time now and it's almost as if he was never diagnosed with cancer. Some of Fortis' idiocracies that I loved so much aren't physically possible for him to do any longer but I tell you what, he has new ones and there even more special.

Oh make no mistake about, life is big time different around here. It's better in a crazy way. I have a dog that is loving life, some new friends and a different outlook on life. Fortis has taught this old man so many things and I thought I had it all figured out!

Take each day as it comes and just be patient. Don't get ahead of yourself or rush Cassie's recovery. She knows what is best and if you listen she will tell. You'll have toys to pick up before you know it.

Sending lots of positive thoughts your way,

Frotis'Chump

Do not dismay!  Ajax is just a few days ahead of you - but what a difference those days have made!  You can search Ajax and find the history, but as many on this site warned me, days 7-9 were actually some of Ajax's worst days.  To be fair, we have had a very smooth recovery, so "worst" wasn't nearly as tough as what some on this site have gone through, but it seemed bad to me at the time.

Anyway, re:  "normal".  Right now you are focused on the physical recovery.  As Ajax got more comfortable with the physical recovery, the "normal" came back.  Last week, he was extra challenged by us having to keep our friend's Lab (same size, same age as Ajax, and his fave "rough play" companion).  He was clearly uncomfortable, and I thought how awful, my normally super social dog is going to isolate himself because he feels vulnerable. 

Fear not:  we are at day 21 today and let me give you some examples from this weekend (which would be better illustrated by photos if I could get them  off my blackberry and upload them, but I'm technology and time challenged):

-- LAST weekend (day 13) Ajax, who has always been a swimmer - he is a Lab, of course - took an unauthorized dip in our friend's pool

-- this Friday, I drove him out to the beach (see my separate post for my own related questions).  We stopped on the way at a winery that has live music, people sit on the grass, children run around, etc.  Well, Ajax took his 3 legged self right into the middle of everything, flopped down and pretended to be tired while all sorts of children petted and kissed him.  So I got in line to get a grown up beverage, in plain view of Ajax, who chose that moment to haul his 3 legged self up and over to the nearest cheese plate and help himself.  (Clearly it is time to reintroduce discipline, as my "Normal" Ajax would have had the impulse, but known he needed to resist it.

-- while he refused to get up on the bed (he still gets uncertain where there is a slippery floor), he had NO problem barking his head off poolside because I was not throwing the floaty Kong fast enough 

-- we have a neighbor at the beach who has a Yorkie.  We visit frequently, and Ajax has been known to eat the Yorkies food as he cannot comprehend why there would be food left in a dish on the floor.  So after a long day of swimming, Ajax pulled me up the hill (street) and up the driveway (another hill, and pebbled) and up a flight of stairs to get into their house.  Literally, and uninvited.  The only way I could have stopped him was to pull, hard (still working on that issue, as I hate to pull on him now).  It was nuts, because he got up the stairs but we had not yet tried anything more than a couple of stairs before.  However, the motivation of the dog food on the floor was enough, and he got down the (carpeted) stairs with flying colors as well.

-- He tried to play his favorite game, tug the leash and bounce like a kangaroo, this morning.  (I drew the line there).

-- And ... less funny ...he tried to lift his remaining back leg to mark Central Park.  Amazingly, he hovered on 2 legs a minute before realizing this was not a good idea.  I flipped out, but he was fine.

So don't worry!!!!  You will get "normal" back.