Age and whether it's a front or rear leg amputation will make a difference.  Yoda was 5 when he had his front leg amputated and he did great, however, I'm going through this the second time with a foster dog (Gerry) who is about 2 years old and a rear-leg amputee and he's been good to take normal-length walks from the start.  Yoda did very well too, but there's a lot more weight on the one leg in front than a one leg in back, so Yoda had to take a lot more time building up his endurance, probably 2 to 3 weeks.  Every dog is differnt though, even with the same age and same leg.

Yoda did fine with his regular bed.  Gerry is only four days past his amputation, but I think I can safely say the same for him.  He slept great his first day and a half home.  He's been having troubles since balancing his meds and/or his pain though and is tripping out and pretty restless and unwilling to lay down. 

Recovery can be a stressful time!  Make sure you're as rested as possible going into your dog's recovery time. 

Welcome to tripawds but I sure am sorry you need to be here.  The first two weeks are the hardest.  It really is hard to tell what is pain and what is a reaction to the pain meds.  My Emily was a back leg amputation and I think Gerry's Foster Mom is right about it being easier for them.  Dogs carry 60% of their weight on their front legs so it makes sense that you can expect endurance to take longer for front leg amputees like Tehya.

It sounds like you are getting your house tripawd ready.  There are two things I would suggest.  One  is a raised food dish.  It will help with Tehya's balance if she doesn't have to lower her head all the way to the floor.   It doesn't have to be on of those fancy ones, we just put Emily's dish on a stool.  The second is to start her on a joint supplement if she is not already on one.

Bob will post I'm sure on the importance of taking care of Tehya's spirit as well as her physical body.  I will not expand on that because he says it so well.  (Thanks, Bob.) 

Prepare yourself to be as positive as you can be for Tehya.  As a pack animal she will be watching the alpha (hopefully that is you) to decide how she should react to her amputation.  When you have to cry, and you will, try not to do it in front of her.

Good luck.  Play around with the forums. They are full of good advice.  When Emily was diagnoses and subsequently died these are the people that helded me together.  Post when you have questions or concerns and when you have triumphs.  We really do care. Tehya will be in my prayers.

Debra & Angel Emily 

Welcome Tehya's mom!

I'm so sorry to hear about Tehya's bone cancer diagnosis. I know how devastating that is...

My sweet Jake was also a 10yr old golden retriever... and he first broke his front leg, and had a bone biopsy done afterwards (because it looked suspicious on the x-rays) and that's when we found out it was bone cancer. He had his amputation surgery on Sept 17th... He recovered quickly from it (but the first week or so is definitely the worst!)... and he did so well for several weeks. He played and swam in our pool... really enjoyed his life until the end. But unfortunately in his case, his cancer had spread to his spine in less than 8 weeks after his surgery. But don't worry, because there are so many other dogs here that live way, way longer than that! That is the reason we went ahead with the surgery, because of Jerry and so many others that beat the odds. We decided to take a chance... and we have never ever regreted doing the surgery. Even though Jake didn't live as long as so many others here... He was happy, pain-free and super spoiled and loved until the end!!

We used a towel as a sling right after Jake's surgery... until our sling came in from Foster & Smith. You can see pictures of it on Jake's blog. As soon as Jake's stitches came off 2 weeks later, he started wearing the ruffware harness... It was a tremendous help!! We also had an orthopedic doggie bed and several comforters placed around the house in all the rooms we'd hang out in. I took a week off from work to be home with him after his surgery... Jake also wore a T-shirt, so he wouldn't lick at his incision, though he had a pressure bandage for the first couple of days. But once that came off... he wanted to lick at the incision all the time. When I couldn't watch him, he'd wear an e-collar... but that was just for a few days. Once his stitches came out, he was able to go swimming in our pool. He loved that!!! Another Tripawds member sent us a K9 Float Coat and Jake used it till the end!!! It helped him balance while swimming... and also had a handle that I used to help him in and out of the pool.

I'll be thinking of you and Tehya on the 29th... Sending good thoughts your way!!

Angel Jake's Mom

Hello!  14 months ago, my dog, Jack, started limping.  We had 8 months of mis-diagnosis before he started to grow a bump on his right distal ulna.  We decided on amputation and did 4 rounds of chemo (adriamycin).  We are at 6-1/2 months post diagnosis and amputation, and the only health problem Jack has now is the recently discovered joy of allergies.  I have decided not to do any more x-rays because I feel like knowing wouldn't change anything...I just want him to enjoy his little doggie life 🙂  Considering he went 8 months without treatment, I feel very fortunate that we still have him happy and healthy almost 7 months after surgery.  As far as advice, I would say to make sure that Tehya takes it easy after her surgery.  We had to take Jack back to the vet because he was too active and ended up with severe abdominal bruising.  Also, see if the doctor can send you home with some gabapentin - it will help with nerve/phantom pain and may even help prevent it.  Good luck next week...we'll be thinking about you guys 🙂

<3 Laura and Sleepy Jack

If Tehya isn't wearing a compression bandage, be prepared to see a big, ugly, y-shaped wound put back together with staples or stitches.  It may be leaking fluid, it may not be.  I wasn't worried about seeing Jack with 3 legs, but I really wasn't prepared for him to come hopping out with 2 long "udders" on either side of his surgery site (where the extra skin was hanging).  I think it all depends on how the surgeon performs the surgery, but through healing, the skin flaps shrunk and now you can't even tell they're there (his fur hides them nicely).  I actually had them put a bandage on Jack so I could take him home right away and not have to worry about his wound leaking all over or worry about touching the surgery site or getting the stitches caught on something and having them tear.  You will probably be a little nervous to see her right after surgery, but remember that only her leg got removed...not her spirit or her personality.  She is the same dog you left there, just with a little less weight.  Dogs can pick up on emotions, so she may be able to sense if you're aprehensive or sad.  I'm sure you'll just be so excited to get her back that you won't even notice she has 3 legs - I look at pictures of Jack now before surgery and he looks weird with 4 😛  Again, good luck 🙂

<3 Laura and Jackers