Oh she's beautiful!!! It sounds like her progress is exactly where it should be - rather lethargic and mellow due to the drugs (my Shelby is HYPER and to see her so chill was hard on me). Shelby stayed 2 full nights and I picked her up late Friday afternoon. I was able to visit / feed her dinner / help her sleep the 2nd day post-amp which was great for both of us. It's still very early so rest assure, if the vet says she's doing great, she is! It was major surgery! And I would encourage you, if you can, to leave her one more night. I know you are anxious to get her home but from someone who's dog who's had 3 MAJOR surgeries... get your rest now! 🙂 

As far as the patch - Shelby's was just 'stuck on' and I could remove and flush it 3 days later. Maybe someone else can weigh in on the staple part. Never heard of that! 

Hugs! 

While I wait for you in chat, I'll respond: I'm sorry you found us here, as this diagnosis is awful.  It's heartbreaking.  But, the great news is that you found us!  And her pain is now gone!  Two marvelous things!!!

Jackson is half boarder collie.  I love 'em!  Marley is super cute and precious.  What a lucky lady.

Your attitude seems superb.  Keep it up.  When you get her home, or better yet, see her for the first time, she'll be all wags.  It's the craziest thing.  Oh but wait - did she come home today?  How are things?

In prep for Jackson's return I cooked up some rice and chicken to add to his kibble.  I read about them not wanting their own foods for a bit, so I wanted to prevent all that and made it special from day one.  Since then, he's now getting all sorts of yummy foods in his bowls.  It's a trend, but it's healthy!  At first it was lean proteins to help him build new muscles.  Now, it's all sorts of fruits and veggies.  It's crazy what he loves!  Brussels spouts?  WHAT?!

pain management , or rather the meds, can be the toughest to deal with.  Panting b/c of pain?  Panting b/c drugged outta her mind?  It's hard to tell the difference.  Some prefer overdrugging as the thought of nearing pain is too awful.  But it can also erode their recovery.  Let's hope you don't have that problem!  The patch, though, seems to have some gnarly withdrawal effects.  Just be warned.  It can be a godsend to have it, but when it comes off Marley may be a little different for a day or too.  Talk to your vet about possible withdrawal signs and how to handle them.

Our recovery was pretty smooth.  He was zonked and slept a lot.  Halfway thru his recovery, we had some special folks come over for a "perk-up"!  It worked wonders!  Tail wags like we hadn't seen for a while!  But then, more zzzzzzz's.  He was pretty much weened off meds 12d post-amp.  He was back to fetching and toss and tug 'o war then, albeit in very short bursts.

Keep in touch!  Come to chat!

~ Katy & Jackson