Thank you all so much!  Going to remember the 5 minute rule!!!   I will let him recover more at his pace - I just get worried because I’m worried when he’s in these weird places he’s going to step off the runners and hurt himself.   Maybe I need to Xanax instead of Kip 🙂   Vet is not concerned at all and thinks Kip is doing well. He is anxious to get him off tramadol and wants an update tomorrow AM.  Will keep you posted 

SO appreciate all the feedback and tips.  All the experience and support is so comforting.  

Hi.  As others have said, the initial recovery is stressful and each dog's recovery will be different.  You are doing everything right, including that glass of wine you have scheduled for this evening!!  Griffin and I live in an apartment in NYC, so during his initial recovery, it was challenging to get him outside for potty breaks without wearing him out and overdoing it.  I know Jerry posted that you have a cool bike for riding with Kip, but I'm going to reiterate my suggestion about using a wagon/stroller if possible.  We used a wagon and exited through the basement where there are no stairs to street level.  I pulled Griffin to a grassy area, let him sniff around for a bit, and then loaded him back into the wagon for the ride home.  I have since upgraded our wagon to one that pushes like a stroller, and we use it every day on our morning walks.  Here's to a restful night! ~ Stacy

Hope so!!! Just ordered the stroller for Mr Kip! It’s arriving tmrw!  Little nervous to push him up the big hill so we’ll just see 😊. We’ve been sitting outside - he’s panting but he seems happy.  Every time he walks a bit we take a 5 min plus rest ♥️

I can't wait to see a photo of Kip riding in his new set of wheels!  I would imagine that if you might struggle pushing a stroller on the hill out of the garage it would be a difficult hill for most tripawds to navigate, so here's to hoping for a smooth ride for everyone!  I live all the way uptown and Griffin roams off-leash at Dyckman Fields.  There are tons of Canadian geese and other wildlife (I even saw a skunk once!), so I am grateful that Griffin has never been interested in chasing them since I know some neighbors who were issued tickets for the same reason. 

Thank you so much - I can’t stop thinking “what did I do to Kip?”.   What I’ve noticed is he’s stopped the screeches when he feels the pain so that’s good.   After his “attack”, he gets up and tries to go to the door and seems scared (heart racing).  I then lead him back to a safe space on the rug and hug him / hold him semi tightly rubbing his back / shoulders massaging gently and he seems to lean into me.  He doesn’t flinch or seem to have pain anywhere else.  I did notice when I touched his front paw this AM he flinched slightly.  Sometimes he’ll settle down, sometimes that won’t work so I’ll have to keep trying to calm him.  Last night for example it took me about 90 mins to calm him down.  Once he calms down and can lay down, he’ll sleep for 2-4 hours soundly.   

I’m getting worried because his appetite isn’t as good as it was this weekend. I’m having to entice him (start with a high value treat to peak his interest).  I had a doctors apt this AM so I didn’t have time to grill him steak - so he only ate a few pieces of cheese and eggs.  

Last night I tried to get into my bed and he walked up on his bed and panted / stood staring at me.  My fiancé had a huge presentation this AM so that’s when I brought Kip into the living room to try to relax him.  

I am also wondering if his schedule is mixed up? He seems exhausted this AM but slept soundly all yesterday.  His staples come out Tuesday.   If I can navigate the stroller, I’m going to try to take him to different places so J can work and he feels like he’s getting an outing next week.  Not sure if he feels too cooped up?!? Typically he’s a very social dog but don’t want to overdo it either.

I’m waiting for the vet to call me back.  This vet has gone above and beyond for Kip so I’m hesitant to get a second opinion.  Will describe all this and ask about the Amantadine.

Does all this sound normal??  His staples all look good (just a little dry blood and look a little dry but no drainage or discolored crust)... I’m just worried now he has some type of infection or something else that I’m missing (no basis for this but my mind is rubbing wild

wow - Update:  as soon as I left and my fiancé started cooking steak for him he ate his whole breakfast.....that’s a win!