Welcome to the family, first off, take deep breaths and relax, your going to have way more anxiety than the dog. Expect ups and downs the first couple weeks, she won't act normal at times, you probably won't get much sleep , so if you get a chance to grap some Z's, better take it. Alot of us thought our buddies looked really good when they came home only to see them " crash " a day or so later, you can almost expect that. Try to treat her, talk to her and act as you always do, these guys pick up on your stress, if you need to cry or can't handle a bad time, go to another room, but there wil be a time once her initial healing has kind of turned the corner, you will see vast improvement almost every day. some dogs have a reaction to the meds, and that is part of the reason for not acting normal. Some dogs experience phantom pain , but I would say most don't , Gabapentin will help with that. You wil be amazed at how well these guys adapt, don't worry about how she will do on three lags, some take longer than others to adjust, but let her heal at her own pace, time is a wonderful thing. Good luck and Paws up, Spirit Gus and Dan

Welcome to both of you, although I know you'd prefer not to be here.  So glad you found us because I don't know how I would have gotten through Tate's first few weeks without this crowd so I'm sure you will find it helpful too.  Dan is right, so when you need to talk come here!  It's a great stress reliever and then your puppies won't catch on that you're worried or sad or just confused.  Because the first couple weeks can be confusing, they're up and then they're down and you don't know why.  It's all part of recovery but sometimes you just need reassurance.

Please let us know more about you!

Hi Sarah - Sorry you're here, but I'm glad you got the information. I hope you're finding it useful. I concur with what everyone else has said. Sleep when you can and don't be alarmed or sad about the amputation site. That freaked me out a bit at first. Lincoln was up and around really quickly, but that can really depend on the individual dog.

Good luck. Let me know if I can help. I think you have my e-mail...don't be a stranger.

Rhonda

Hi Sarah , and welcome to tripawds. We are really sorry that you had to end up finding this group because of the reason but glad you did because the people here will help you through so much. It sounds like you are doing a pretty good job preparing, one thing I would suggest if you can get your hands on one is a rear harness type sling, Cooper had a left front leg amp and the first week or two the sling the vet fashioned for around his mid section was virtually usless. When I got a rear harness the difference in helping him move was night and day. And after the incision site was healed the ruffwear harness was a life saver. very reasonable in price and very easy to put on and use, and when Cooper needs the extra "lift" the ruffwear EASILY suuports his full 120 pounds. Only other prep I can think of is get yourself PLENTY of sleep and rest while you can because the first couple of weeks is liable to be very busy! When and if you get frustrated get right on in here and ask questions! the group here literally carried me through Coopers first month of recovery!

Coopsdad