Hi Olivia and Jax, welcome. I'm so sorry you are in this situation. You've both been through so much! We will try to help make this as easy as possible.

So when you say "we are trying to determine that fast before his surgery to see how much leg the doctor can leave behind without fear of him being imbalanced," do you mean you are working with an orthopedic surgeon who is experienced in prosthetics ? The link has lots of info about prosthetics for dogs if you haven't seen our articles. Prosthetic devices are great for the right candidate, and they can make all the difference in mobility if the dog and the parent is well-matched to the kind of work it takes for prosthetic success. 

We are also looking for any advice on how to prepare for recovery, 

Great job looking for answers! You've come to the right place. Have you seen the Tripawds Recovery Shopping List ? Our our Tripawds e-books library? Also, see our What to Expect articles about preparing for surgery. Don't forget to put traction down if you have slippery floors.

One of our biggest pieces of advice here is for you to keep a pawsitive, hopeful attitude. Whatever you are feeling, he's going to reflect that right back to you so the more hopeful and positive you can be, the better he will be too.

As a big boy it won't be the easiest thing to go through recovery with Jax. But as long as his pain management is good from the beginning, recovery should go smoother. Make sure you have a good conversation with the team about pain control and what medications he will get. As a GSD mom myself, I know that this breed can sometimes be very immune to powerful pain medication and often needs more variation in dosages and timing than other breeds. 

We also recommend getting a canine rehab therapy evaluation. Tripawds Foundation can even pay for your first rehab visit . This is so educational because 1) if you get a prosthetic for Jax he's going to need that kind of support team, and 2) even if you opt out of one, a rehab therapist can guide you on safe and unsafe activity, strengthening exercises, and any weight loss program if necessary (not uncommon). 

Anything we can do to help make this easier please don't be shy! 

Hi Olivia,

You are so welcome. I'm sorry to read that he's not a candidate. Sounds like a viable reason though, you really don't want to mess with that infection lingering around. 

Try not to worry too much. GSDs are incredible dogs who can take on anything! He is going to amaze you with his bounce-back.

Before you go spend good money a wheelchair , please don't do it until you 1) read our article about wheelchairs, and 2) have him evaluated by a rehab therapy team. See the previous link I shared.

Wheelchairs are tricky, and that money is better spent on a rehab evaluation first. Rehabbers can evaluate whether he needs a chair or not at this time (most dogs don't, even big ones, at least until much later in their life...our own Wyatt Ray didn't need one until 10 years into being a Tripawd). Some conditioning and activity management goes a long way for a Tripawd. And IF he needs one, the team can choose and fit the chair correctly so he's as comfortable as possible.

Pooping is something they intuitively know how to do pretty early on! Since he is losing a back leg, he may be a little wobbly at first, but after a week or so he will get his bearings. You probably won't need to help him in that department except during the first few days he is home from surgery. A simple sling can help assist at that time.

Do you guys have stairs in your home? Other dogs? Kids?