Sounds normal (other than the tranquilizer part). I saw Charlie the next day (he spent two nights in the hospital due to meds from the surgery) and he was completely out of it. When we used the new harness (from the hospital) he cried out in pain and I was beside myself!

I thought of confining him to our camper for awhile, but we only spent one day and night out there as he didn't care for it. Wanted to be in the house, where it was 'normal'.

Going potty was an issue the first couple days because it takes awhile to learn how to get 'stable' on three legs. He thought he could lean on bushes for support. Um, no...

Bella will get the hang of it! The meds, however, will keep her 'weird', so don't anticipate normal behavior any time soon. Take your ques from her. Don't let her overdo it, but new normals will happen.

Keep checking in here. We've all been through it!

I just caught up on your story on a previous forum site. Our Golden Catie was just past six years old, too, when she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. She had her right foreleg and shoulder amputated on January 13 of this year and she continues to do great! In fact, she celebrated her 7th birthday just last month. Wanted to share that with you.

Having her surgery in January in Alberta meant the recovery weather was less than optimal, with lots of cold and snow. Catie did fine. In fact, she was determined to do things on her own. The day she came home after surgery she came bounding out of the back at the vet hospital pulling the little attendant behind her and literally swam across the room to get to my husband.

I'm frankly quite surprised your vet recommended sedation for the first two weeks. The pain meds, especially Tramadol, tended to make Catie kind of dopey anyways. I'd call around as well and get a second opinion as Admin suggested.

We did confine Catie to a wire kennel when we couldn't supervise her (we also have another rowdier Golden Retriever, Riley). She never objected to being kennelled even when she was younger so it was no big deal for you. We set it up in the livingroom and in fact often chose to go in there to rest. SHe rested a lot, partly because she'd just had major surgery and also from the pain medications (Tramadol and Metacam).

So sorry this has happened to your lovely Bella. 

Sending many, many good wishes and thoughts..

 My dog, Tasha, spent the first two nites at the vets, the day we picked her up she was happy and hopping into the office to us.  When we got home she hopped from the car into the yard took a potty and hopped into the house to a bed that we had made for her in the living room. I was lucky that I wasn't working so Tasha was never alone and she wanted to sleep a lot. We had beds for her in three different rooms, during the day she stayed in the living room with me, in the evening she went into my son's room until I went to bed and then followed me into my bedroom where she slept for the nite. I always would go outside with her to take her potty breaks and made her come back in after.  Tasha came home from the vet on two different pain meds and antibiotics but no sedatives. I feel a little concerned about that but of course I am no vet. 

 I hope Bella has a speedy and uneventful recovery, please keep us updated.

 Jo Ann & Tasha

Hi Bella's pack- Kenmore was on ACE from day 2 after his amp for about 10 days.  He had a bad reaction to the sedation during surgery & post-op due to unknown sight hound in him.  He laid around for those 10 days- was able to go out to potty & eat...but we needed to keep him calm becasue of his "kenmore-ness"- he's a spaz dog- very social, etc. He did pop a stitch the 1st weekend "running" around the yard.

So I didn't question the ACE at the time- he was also on Proviable (still is) and Deramaxx- we stopped the Tramadol the day of the surgery. Bella will be more of the dog you know in a few days..

hugs,

mandy & Kenmore

I couldn't agree more with all the "second opinion" votes here.  Getting some additional advice never hurts, and even though none of us are vets, we all went through this experience or we wouldn't be here.  Two weeks seems like a long time to keep your dog sedated.  On pain meds, maybe – but knocked out?  No way.  You may not be near any teaching hospitals, but I'll bet you're pretty close to a phone.  Time to use it.

As for your doubts and regrets, I know it's hard, but you have to leave them behind.  What's done is done, the leg can't be re-attached, so there's nothing to do but soldier ahead and deal with the situation at hand.  No more worrying about whether or not you made the right decision (although you did).  Your dog needs you to be strong and certain right now, even if you don't feel that way on the inside.  The more calm and confident you act around Bella, the sooner she'll heal.

And she WILL heal, and walk again.  Remember, only her leg is gone, not her brain.  She'll want to walk as soon as she can because that's just what dogs do.  And yes, her first steps will be very unsteady because she's used to having four legs.  But dogs don't freak out like people do.  She'll have a minute or two of confusion about where that leg went and why she can't walk the same way, and then she'll instantly switch over to figuring out how to do it with three.  And she already knows how.  Everyone's dog steps on a thorn or gets a cut on their foot at one time or another, and limps or hops around on three legs until it's fixed.  This is no different.  Bella instinctively knows what to do.  And best of all, dogs don't go through the emotional nonsense we people do.  Bella's not going to get depressed and miss her leg, or freak out because now she thinks she looks strange.  A dog's brain isn't wired to do that.  They just think, "Can't walk normally > does this hopping work? > Yes. > Good.  Do that until further notice."  And she won't think about it at all beyond that

The trick is to get you to do the same.  Post often.  We're here for you.