Well, Jerry's reading list is lovely, and very informative..so def. start there. Plus you can also search people's posts, esp. on the treatment and diagnosis boards, also the share your story boards. Pretty much everyone shares their story (and, as you'll find out...some things are fairly common, others not so much, but every single dog is different, so grain of salt and all that!). Some people expect diffuculties, but have a relatively easy go. Others, teh reverse. Most of us fall somewhere in between, with some "tests" passed with flying colors, and others being hurdles.

As for expected survival time...totally depends on why the amp, like Jerry said. If it's b/c of a regular injury or something, he probably has a normal lifespan in front of him. Cancers...well, it depends on the cancer and the treatment options and, well, luck of the draw, truthfully.

Diets...again, varies. Some dogs eat an immuno-supportive diet, some eat the Cancer Diet, some eat noting but hot dogs and fancy feast. (I have NO idea what kind of negligent parent would feed their dog nothing but hot dogs and fancy feast for two weeks :innocentwhistling: :p) For real, though, it really does vary. You can WANT to feed your dog some Immunoboosting SuperFoods of MegaAwesome until the cows come home, but if he won't eat...you've got to find something else. Eating nothing but Buddig lunch "meat" and hot dogs might not kill you, but starving to death most certainly will. Lots of posts (and a whole board) devoted to the topic.

Our experience--we are at 3.5months out. We had an easy (relatively speaking) recovery, no issues with amp-related mobility or pain or seromas or anything. OTOH, we struggled tremendously with food, and also with some other complications related to his other conditions. So again, everyone is different.

Hello Tracy and your 3-legged wonder (sorry,don't see a name),

I hope the recovery is going well...and yes, every animal acts/reacts different in their recovery depending on cancer type, meds they are on post amp, age of animal ,etc.  As mentioned, until you are able to get them off most of the post surgery drugs, there will be some tough days but after that period, you will slowly get your buddy back.

As for information, resources, i found the book " the cancer survival guide' by Drs Dressler/Ettinger - very good resource, as well as the resources on Jerry's Readings.

As to "how much time" you will have with your buddy, no one can say. As a wise person said on this site, "there are no date stamps on our butts", whether 2-legged, 3-legged, or 4-legged, etc....You do your best with your resources, your time, energies and how your animal is doing.  There are no right or wrong decisions we make, each decision is so personal and we all have to travel this road and that is why this community is SO important to be able to support one another, helpful resources, etc.

Don't hesitate to ask if you have specific questions, as someone on here likely has an answer for you.

All the best,

Stirling and Tahoe