Hi all! Update on Sage here and also some therapeutic documentation for us. So Sage really cannot do anything on her own right now, there needs to be 2-3 people helping her around with the harness. Getting her inside was a 4-person job and it caused a little bit of bleeding at the site, but from what I can see right now everything looks ok and we will keep our eyes on it. I think a little bleeding after being hauled in and out of an SUV and up some stairs might be relatively expected.

Currently, we have her set up on her bed with pee pads for the night and we will sleep down here with her. Good news is she got down her meds with pill pockets which clearly helped her pain and she ate some blueberries and a handful of kibble and a 2 or 3 low cal treats just to get something else in that tum. She is drinking with the help of a dash of chicken broth added to her water. We are gonna boil chicken tonight and use that as the new (healthier) pill pocket for the rest of her recovery. 

She stayed two nights in the hospital so this is only night #3. We're not sure if just laying here all day is good or bad? How often should we get her up and practicing moving a bit - just some steps at a time? Maybe we wait to do that until we see her really attempting to sit up on her own? We are worried that even a trip outside tomorrow might not be possible given the 5 steps to get out and then back again...but she does need to go to the bathroom of course! We're not sure if she will just end up going lying down on the pee pads? Guess we will find out.

Not panicking at all, just looking for a bit of guidance or advice from other (15-20lb overweight) giant breed experiences! Thank you all and goodnight!

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Another update: When she goes to get her stitches out in 2 weeks, that will also set her up with her first rehab eval/appointment! And we are still focused on that diet and losing more weight. Gotta focus on the positive and set goals!

Thanks everyone for your kind and encouraging responses! I just read through all of Lady's story - what an amazing and beautiful lab!! her strength is really an inspiration to us right now - thank you so much for popping and and sending us love - we need all we can get! 

Last night, Sage's first night home, she was in some distress. It seemed she likely just needed to pee but was not motioning to get up al all. finally, after much crying, she peed in her pee pads laying down which she seemed to truly hate, poor thing. We cleaned her up, replaced the pads, and she slept through the night. This morning around 9:30, she seemed absolutely determined to pee outside. We listened to her signals and with some heavy assistance, she actually did a great job down the 5 steps! She peed and pooped! After that, she was EXAUSTED so getting her back up the steps and inside was probably 80% us carrying her, 20% her moving her legs a little. But hey, she did ok. Just wish we didn't have those steps or we were capable of carrying her. All the stress and commotion, and perhaps the bit of pressure on her chest, caused a section of her staples to have a very very slow minimal but constant blood ooze for about 45 minutes. We called the vet and they kinda said "meh, not ideal but also probably nothing to worry about - it happens when giant dogs exert themselves at first that much - just keep an eye on it and make sure it isn't gushing or torn or looking infected". It is non of those things right now.

But WOW for Sage getting out on day 3 like that! Maybe slightly too early for those steps but her determination to poop and pee on grass was impressive! We even tore up our garden our back and spread grass an mulch on the section of the porch before it gets to the steps in hopes she might do her business there but she was NOT having it!

The vest we have for her right now is "ok" but we just rush ordered this one: https://gear.tr.....p-harness/. We realized that with the missing leg, this actually WILL fit her chest. And we think it will probably be a lot more comfy for her. The GingerLead we bought however works just fine as additional assistance.

Pics of her just LOVING being at home for her first night, back with her family!

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Thanks so much everyone. Haha you're absolutely right - this forum is incredibly useful right now during the first two weeks. We are so grateful for this newfound community!

That's great that Lucy's seroma cleared right up. I was glad to learn that this is normal for now. So true about that chill dane personality! I know for sure Sage wont mind the ice packs! Next time she is laying in the right position for it, we will do a short ice pack session! Thanks for the tip! Also taking a photo everyday - great idea.

Jerry - yes we are pumped for the harness and that's why we expressed it! I think it's going to be much easier for us, especially with these steps 🙂

Sage inspired us from day one when she beat the odds and we are seeing that same fighting spirit now!

Hi everyone! Some updates on Sage from this weekend (days 5 and 6). She is kicking butt! She is trying her best and it is so impressive. She doesn't like the 6 steps to get outside, but we manage with assistance. However, the one step from the house to the porch is fine. It's multiple in a row that are difficult but of course that is totally expected at this point! However, once out, she seems so content to be overlooking her queendom 🙂 She officially hops around and squats to pee and gets back up without assistance! We still shadow her as a spot, but she is doing great. Still only one poop (day 4 I think) since being home, but then again, she isn't eating too much either - enough, but slightly less than she normally would even on a diet. I think that's ok?

Previous to today, she would pretty much only get up to readjust herself a bit or to go out to pee. But today, multiple times she got up out of her bed on her own to come check us out on the couch! It's a short 5-6 hops over because we stay close - but go Sage! And once, she hopped over, did a few circles, and plopped down next to the couch to lay down there! I was sitting near her in her bed, but she wanted to go over and sit near her other parent and cat brother. We were so proud of her!

She seems more and more content each day, maybe just slightly sedated from the pain meds. Speaking of, she is still on her gabapentin dosage every 8 hours. We let that extend to 10 today just to see how she was doing, but she started getting panty right around the 10 hour mark, so we are back to 8 hours. Her comfort is definitely our priority! Just curious what others' meds timeline was? The vet only told us to monitor and administer based on how she does. They also said to use the anti-inflammatories for just three days then "see how she does" so she is off those for now...

Last, I'll end this post with this picture here. We had the pee pads out for a few extra days, just out of an abundance of caution. Sage decided it was an insult to her dignity and showed us exactly what she thought of those pee pads. That's that silliness coming back!

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Another quick pupdate: poop this morning, yay! And diet wise, I figured out something fun. She isn't interested in veggies, but she will eat blueberries and bananas. However, I need to get veggies into her diet. So I figured out that if I shave down the carrots and dice up a tiny bit of apple, add it to a bowl with just the tiniest splash of low sodium chicken broth, it soaks up up that flavor in about 30 minutes and I add that to her food bowl and then she is interested! Working hard on that diet!