Hi Gonzo and Olympus, welcome. Your future posts won't require moderation so post away. I hope you don't mind but I moved your post here since your questions are more about mobility. I also wanted to mention that we have an entire Discussion Forums topic about senior dogs, "Size and Age Matters." So now I'll try to help ease your worries:

All dogs are different in how they recover. Senior dogs need a little more leeway in how they adapt so it sounds to me like you might want to talk to your vet to readjust the dose and up it for a little while longer.

Many dogs do come home and do very well at first, only to have a bit of a slowdown like this. Usually it's because the muscles are sore from moving in all new directions, and just like people, dogs try to do to much too soon at first. And as you suspect, front leg amputees have more work to do because of the extra weight of their head in front of the body.

The good news is there is a lot you can do to help Olympus adapt. First, talk to your vet about the Tramadol. She's getting some really great pain management otherwise, so it sounds like your vet is great. Next, get a referral to a canine rehab vet to have her evaluated. A rehab vet can show you how to help her get strong. And, the Tripawds Foundation will even reimburse you for your first consult! We also have an ebook, Loving Life On Three Legs , that has a lot of rehab pointers. 

I hope this helps. Stay tuned for great tips from the community. Keep us posted OK? We will be waiting for an update!