Oh let me tell you about the stitches, once they come out that makes a huge difference!  Jill was like a new kitten once those came out!  What pain meds is Ranger on right now?  Jill was on buprenex for 7 days and I know that knocked her out a bit.

Come over to the chat room if you can, theres a bunch of us in there right now!

Hi Rangers Mom!  Another welcome.  Everyone has pretty much said what I'd been thinking, especially Mandy's comments.  Cats and dogs pick up on our emotions and, adding pain meds, invasive surgery, and confusion to the mix is probably overwhelming to your guy.  Deep and slow breathing when you're near Ranger may help calm you and him; it's harder for stress to take over when you take charge in this simple way.

I have a couple of very neurotic 2nd-floor cats (we call them the trolls b/c they live under beds and under the covers on the beds), and I've found the pheromone plug-ins really do help keep them calmer.  Feliway is one brand; Sentry also makes one.  It's like a plug-in air freshener that has a glass refill bottle; it's a calming chemical that mimics ones that cats produce naturally. Any pet-supply place carries them; our vet does, too.  Prices are all over the place but if you wanted to try it you can get the unit with a month-supply for under $35.  Ideal for a single room.  There are also sprays that have the same stuff, but those are better for using in carriers before a trip.  Our vet now routinely sprays a squishy mat for their cat patients and I've seen all 4 of ours just melt all over it.

You've made a tough decision out of love for your boy; one day (sooner that you think, I hope); he'll show his agreement that it's the right one.  Once you get past the meds he should feel a whole lot better.

You now know a whole community of people who have been through this and are here to help.

Day by day!!!

Hugs, Liz and Roxie

Ranger and Mom welcome,
I'm joining the party late. Sounds like you are doing an excellent job, we all know the first few weeks after surgery can have its challenges for sure. You'll both be fine(tired I'm sure!) keep us posted.

Esther and Snoop

Hi Ranger and Mummy,

Our mini schnauzer lost a right rear leg to a probable fibrosarcoma a few months back and we had a really tough recovery. It does get better and it happens dramatically, right when you are convinced that nothing will ever be normal again.  You are tired and traumatised, try to be gentle on yourself. Your little pal is up to his eyeballs in medication and won't be himself for quite a while yet and there will be much to-ing and fro-ing as you change meds and try different doses of things. The roller coaster ride will end when it ends, you just have to hang on til that time comes. Give Ranger lots of love and try to put on a brave face for him, he's probably just as worried about you as you are about him. As I said to myself many times in the rough early days "fake it til you make it", you'll actually kid yourself that everything is under control as well as Ranger. Win-win!

I got lots of great advice and a few timely pep talks in these forum pages, I am so grateful to all the wise and loving people who are here. Keep coming and keep talking!

Good luck, lots of love to you and Ranger

Victoria and Dotty