Absolutely  understand that ten thousand percent!!! Not only would it be cruel to your adorable Yorkie (cute avatar), of you're  like me, it would be torture  for you too!!

You've come up with some good ideas, as well as Jerry.  ,any of is have slept on our ,mattress on the floor during recovery.  

Kind of far fetched,  the only other suggestion I can offer is to maybe put a  short leash   on his harness (assuming  he's used to wearing one),  keep it on your wrist. The purpose would be he would have to tug on it to try and get off the bed

Hopefully others will chime in.  The ottoman sou d like a good option if you could configure  some way that (or the stairs) would be the only way to exit.

What's your pup's name?  Reason for amp?

Keep is posted on recovery  and know thst we are here to sport you

Hugs 

Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!

One thing arpu d here we've all learned, age is just a number.  Size and age ,really rarely, rarely factor I to any decision  about the amputation.   Charlie Teddy Bear Cuddle Yorkie aounds like he's a good candidate  amd fit and spry.  

Check out the e-books for some additional information. 

Basically though, it's a solid two weeks of rest, rest, rest, short leashed potty breaks and more rest.  NO jumping, no stairs, no running, etc. I have a feeling Charlie might be hard to contain once he starts feeling better during recovery.   Shhhh.....don't  tell the bigger dawgs, but the little guys usually  recover  quicker and get their sea legs quickly too.

Is he spending the night at a 24/7 fully staffed clinic?  He'll meed to stay overnight and sometimes  a dog may stay a bit longer.

Usually, certainly  not always so don't  make comparisons,  but usually  a dog is mobile (hopping) within 24 to 48 hours.  No biggie of longer.

She'll probably  come home with Gabapentin,  an antiinflmmatory  (perhaps Rimadyl) and an antibiotic.   Some come home with a morphine patch too.

When you go to pick Charlie up  at the clinic,  don't  even bother  to draw attention  to the incision.   Just look into his drug filled eyes and tell him what a good boy he is and he's going home!!  Be upbeat and happy!

He may be off food a few days and mah not poop right away.  Drinking  and peeing are important  though. 

If you jave hardwoods or you'll want nonslip  scatter rugs for traction .

It usually  takes, about two weeks to act recover  from the surgery itself and about thirty days to get the gait fluid and balanced.   A few face plants at first are normal for a front legger tripawd.  Give him lots of gentle  massages  up and down his spine and neck and shoulder  area (away from incision  of course) to help relax muscles  that he's using differently  now.

Once he recovers  uou can consult  with a Rehabilitation  Specialist  and the Tripawds Foundation   will pah for first visit.  They can give you some good tips on how to keep hos core strong and his gait "normal".

Jist remember,  recovery  doesn't  last furever and we are all here to help you navigate  thru it and onto seeing Charlie Teddy Bear be a Tripawd RockStar!!!

Hugs 

Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!

So sorry your baby could not have been on this earth longer with you.  I do know those ten days he was here with you he got to know  what love felt like💖  I know Charlie has ma very spec Guardian  Angel watching  over all of you.

FWIW, two of the main reasons we do amputation is to fet rid of the pain AND Aro give them a chance at an extended quality  time for more loving and spoiling.  Additionally,  one never knows which dog (or cat) will blow statistics out of the water and thrive for years after amputation  with no recurrence  of the crap.

My Happy Hannah thrived forever a year after her amputation  with no issues inbetween at all.....well....she was a bit of a Chunky gal because  I couldn't  help but spoil her with treats.

Unless this piece of crap disease has already plotted a course undetected and unless there are surgery complications (risk with any surgery, major or minor), life after recovery should be fairly normal and yes, with some safeguards.

And no, I would not say that 2 out of 3 tripawds sustain  "major injuries" at all!!!  That's  not to say that there are cruciate  injuries somrtimes or not to say that arthritis becomes more prevalent in dogs the longer they are tripawds.  All can be dealt with, some easier than others.

For example, dogs who were used to walking miles need to take shorter and more frequent walks.  Everything is in moderation.  Good joint supplements,  good consults with Rehab Specialists are all th9ngs that can be done to help keep joints and muscles healthy. 

I have a four legger dog who has had cruciate  knee repair.  She also was just diagnosed with bad arthritis  in her front leg.  She also went blind fairly quickly  a couple of years ago.  My point being, any dog, whether three legs or four can have unexpected issues.

My tripawd Frankie (front legger) did indeed have a cruciate  issue....twice...one back leg....then the other.  Don't  know how long he was a tripawd  before I got him.  He was at the shelter at least a year and I have had him here with me now for almost seven years.  I can definitely  say that, regardless  of ,those "issues", nothing holds this dog back!!

Not sure I've addressed  ao e of your concerns and not trying to say that every life after amputation  is perfect, but for the most part everyone surveyed  said they have no regrets.  Jerry can be more specific,  but I think it's well over 90% who have no regrets.  

For me, one of my main reasons for amputating  Happy Hannah's leg (-osteo) was I felt like I HAD to try.  I HAD to give her a chance. To not try and be faced with the "what ifs",...nope, didnt  want to have that second guessing  kind of regret.  

I know this is a scary "-forced choice" dec6 and you are racked with uncertainty  and doubt  right now. We all sure do understand that.   I even cancelled my Happy Hanna's first surger appt because of fear.  Also I had not found this community yet. 

Others will chime in, but just wan to give you some feedback  from what I've seen from being kn this site and from my own experience. 

Hugs

Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!

PS...One thing to remember,  you are doing this FOR Charlie Teddy Bear...not to him