Sorry about Whisper's diagnosis. It's heartbreaking. But you've absolutely made the right call with amputation. You will probably wonder if you did the right thing over the next few days. You did. I firmly believe it's worth it for pain relief alone. 

My first two weeks at home with Max post-amp were very hard, and I think most people with tripawds will concur emphatically that the first 12-14 days are the most challenging--probably more so for us than our dogs. It is cringe-inducing just watching them adjust, but they absolutely do. Patience is your best friend right now. He will be going potty and getting around like a champ before you know it. Just bear with him. 

Once Max's stitches were removed and we had the all-clear on exercise and swimming, every day got better, and fast. He wanted normal back, and once we got into our old routine, he was his happy, active old self again. I imagine Whisper will be thrilled to have that broken, painful leg out of his life and eager to move forward and enjoy the heck out of his three-legged life. 

Hang in there. Prayers and best wishes for you both. 

Whisper is a beautiful boy!  The fist 2 weeks were such a rollercoaster with Murphy!  ugh!  Try an ice pack to the incision a couple times a day to help with swelling, it also helps with the pain.  You can also massage around the incision to help get rid of some of the extra build-up of fluids. 

Murphy is a front-leg tripawd, so things are a little different for him.  The rugs help a lot, hard floors are difficult to navigate.  Later, after his incision is healed, you can get him a harness to help.  Check out the tripawds gear page.  We live in a ranch-style house, but there are a couple areas with 1 step, so what I did was to put one of those battery operated tap-lights in those areas so that when we went to bed at night and turned off the lights I would turn those on and Murphy could see where the step was and would be able to safely walk anywhere he wanted.  They are just bright enough to light that area, but not too bright to bother us.

I just looked up those meds - 1 is anti-inflammatory & 1 is opioid.  If his pain doesn't seem improved, perhaps you could ask your vet to add gabapentin.  It works for nerve pain, which a lot of dogs have from this surgery.

Donna

My Leland was a hind leg amp like Whisper and Leland was 108lb.  It took my Leland close to 2 weeks to start attempting to getting up on his own.  We were sent home with a cushioned belly sling that I was use to help my boy.  Hubby and I figured the best way to get him to a standing position was have him sit up and we'd put the sling around his belly and help lift him up.  When we went outside for potty breaks we'd walk assisting him with the sling and when he found his spot to pee we'd slide it up to his chest so he didn't pee on it but it was right there to slide back into position when he was done.  With pooping I would leave the sling around his belly but loosen my hold so he could find his balance with one hind leg but he knew the sling was there to catch him so he wouldn't fall over when he'd start hunching up.

We assisted our Leland with the sling for 2 weeks (until staples came out).  Then one day he just started pooping on his own without the sling and I was so proud of him.  It will just take time for Whisper to figure out how best to maneuver his body on 3 legs since he's a bigger and older boy.

Also, not sure what your ramp is made out of (I'm assuming wood) but you may want to consider having your family staple/nail some indoor/outdoor carpeting to it.  My husband built a ramp for our Leland to get in and out of bed.  Like Sally mentioned my hubby added sides to it because I guess it just freaks some pups out when they notice a drop off.  We also put carpeting on it so Leland was able to get better traction and he became really comfortable with using it.

Hope some of that helps you and your family in getting Whisper through the recovery period.

Sahana and her Angel Leland and Lucian too

It has been a tiring couple of days for all of us but Whisper seems to be recuperating at a steady pace.

His incision appears to be healing spectacularly, no swelling, no irritation, no seepage, and the bruising is fading quite nicely. I was concerned that it might not heal so cleanly because he often lays on the side of the incision because If he lays on his good side, his good eye is staring at the surface he is laying on, and in order for him to see what is going on he has to lay on the side of the incision.

We learned the other day that we have to make sure to be on his sighted side when assisting him to get up and go outside, otherwise he gets a little confused.

We picked up 20 ft of runners for the floor so Whisper can get better traction , although I am pretty sure we will need more. We are also considering rearranging a few things to redirect the traffic flow. Three dogs running past the top of the basement stairs in a race to the front door could end with Whisper being pushed down the stairs. There is no door at the top of the stairs and a gate may not hold up against 3 super excited dogs.( I mean it could be the pizza guy and then I may even be part of that stampede)

Kura sent me a text today while I was at work to let me know that Whisper walked about 6 feet on his own! The girls at work celebrated with me! Now the difficult task is trying not to let him do too much, since he tires so easily.

He finished his pain meds today, but he was getting pretty grumpy by the end of the day, so I will be calling the vet for a refill.

Thanks again for all your comments and advice, it has all helped us to cope and keep it together as we help Whisper get back on his feet.