Hi Kelly and Chief, welcome. We are so glad you found us, because we all have experience and can help you cope with all of the emotions you're feeling right now.

It's so important to remember that four days post-amputation is not a long time at all. Most humans would still be in bed, unwilling to do anything. Dogs and cats handle amputation much better, but it's critical to allow them time. As hard as it is to see our pets resting during recovery, it's important in order to avoid injury.

Chief sounds like he has quite a lot of spunk for a mature guy, and that spunk hasn't gone anywhere, it's just in retreat. And I'll be honest; it sounds to me like he is doing way too much right now. Going across the road to pee is a long way for a dog who just lost a leg. He should only be going outside on leash in your back or front yard to potty, that's it. Two, three times a day at most. The rest of the time he needs to be resting. If he is not getting the R&R his recovery will take longer and he will seem like he is struggling.

What kind of pain medication is he on? This also makes a difference in how an animal copes with recovery.

He can adjust, but he needs time and your help taking it slow. Don't expect to see him get his sparkle back for at least a few weeks, but there's no reason why it won't happen. Even a ten year old Tripawd can still be an explorer and love life! 

Your future posts won't need approval so post away.

PS I'm in the Tripawds Chat right now if you want to talk.

It was so nice chatting with you today! Thanks for clarifying your situation. Bringing home a Tripawd the same day of surgery is NOT easy. I'm sorry you weren't given clear instructions on managing his activity. Your pup's will to GO GO GO is a good thing but managing that energy level is the key to a better recovery. Now that we've chatted, I'm totally confident that you can keep him from overdoing things during recovery. You've got this!

Keep us posted though OK? We want to follow along with Chief's recovery!