Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

My golden, Hope, was diagnosed with fibrosarcoma of the paw three years ago. Early on, she had traditional surgery to remove the mass, but the lump always came back. We found a wonderful holistic vet who was able to use Eastern medicine to keep the tumor in check for most of those 3 years. Recently, holistic care lost out to the cancer and her leg was amputated at the shoulder on Friday.
I joined this group to learn how I can assist her through the healing process and help her maintain a good quality of life.
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For the first few days following surgery, Hope was pretty high on tramadol and the patch. She seemed much better after the patch was removed, but refused to try to get up by herself. We had to use two slings to drag her outside to go potty and even then, she didn't go. She had only two bowel movements in the week and urinated only three times. She looked very depressed–like she had lost the will to try. The only thing that perked her up was food–Hope LOVES her food. Had she stopped eating, we would have been very worried. During this time, she continued to drink water.
On June 25, we took her to the surgeon and she manually expressed her bladder. It took three big, thick towels to hold it all! Immediately, Hope got up and starting walking around and had a bowel movement right in the doctor's office and then started exploring down the hall. If I had not been there, I wouldn't have believed it! It's only been one day since she started walking without any assistance, but she looks happy and she is no longer in pain from her cancer.
Another thing–her surgeon took her bandage off early. She said that some dogs really hate the bandage and to be carried around in a sling. Apparently, Hope was one of those dogs. Maybe having the bandage removed gave her some of her dignity back–you just never know how change affects our dogs.
Hope might not be running a marathon anytime soon, but we are so glad to see the progress she's made in such a short time.