Welcome to the forum.  You and Kermit are in good hands here. 

It's hard to say how Kermit will do with his amp and what specific obstacles you may encounter.  Every dog is so different from what I've read.  Take it all in stride and you will figure it out as you go.

My experience was actually a pretty good one.  Brendol had her surgery on 2/6.  The vet kept her overnight and through the next day.  I picked her up in the evening and then took the following day off (which was a Friday) so that I had 3 whole days to watch over her.  And I watched her like a hawk.  You will probably be hyper-vigilant about every minute detail... most of us here were.  But you will see that most dogs are up and about right away.  They don't stay up very long and tire easily... there will be a lot of laying around and resting as Kermit heals. 

I have a house with stairs everywhere, so that freaked me out some.  I made a sling out of an old pillow case to put around Brendol and give her support when we needed to go up or down any stairs to go take care of business.  Other than that, I slept on the couch with her for 4 days.  By the 4th day, she was ready to go up the flight of stairs to the bedroom and we've been back to sleeping in bed ever since.  She's the one that told me she was ready... she just followed me up when I went to change.  So let Kermit show you what he is and isn't ready to tackle.

Brendol wasn't super interested in eating much at first, so I put a half a can of chicken and rice in her bowl with her kibble and then she ate like a champ.  So you may need to give Kermit something really yummy to get him interested.  As for incision measures, Brendol had a tshirt on until her drain came out and then I put a tshirt on her when I wasn't around so she wouldn't scratch her incision.  That worked really well.  Once she was feeling much better - about 5 days later - she managed to keep getting the tshirt off and thats when I stopped putting it on her.  Again, she let me know when she was ready.

So take a deep breath.  Follow Kermits lead.  And give him lots of love.  If anything comes up, just hit the forums.  There is a ton of information here and so many super friendly people that have gone through the whole gammut of possibilities.

Pitt Kisses from Brendol and myself (Karma)

Good luck with the surgery today! I'm sure everything will go smoothly. Recovery is tiring and challenging, but you will get through it. We are now 8 days post-op (surgery on 2/18) with our 6 year old boxer mix Sadie, also for a RF amp. We have had a few hiccups, but she is recovering well. This forum has been a huge resource for us from everything to diagnosing phantom pains, to figuring out Sadie was having a bad reaction to one of her pain meds, to just reading others' stories and being reassured that Sadie will be better soon!

Just follow Kermit's lead, observe him and be patient (I'm sure you will be!). Karma's advice, above covers it all. I would also say, if there is anything you are scared/nervous about don't hesitate to contact the vet or surgeon. I was on the phone with our surgeon and our vet a few times a day during days 2-4 when Sadie was having screaming episodes from phantom pain and dysphoria from fentanyl. They were great and I think my persistence in calling them and talking things through were what helped us make adjustments quickly.

The first two weeks are overwhelming/not fun, from what I've read here because of the worrying and the exhaustion. I've been sleeping downstairs with Sadie each night, but today, like Brendol, Sadie followed me up the stairs so I think we will rejoin my husband and her brother upstairs tonight and we'll all sleep in a real bed now...

Sending good thoughts your way!

It sounds like we have the same setup.  I too have wood floors and an extremely high bed.  Brendol did good with the floors, but you could probably try those rug pads... you know the ones you put under the rugs so they don't slip.  I think they come already cut like runners if you want them in strips for traffic areas.  I didn't use them, but I they would work really well and they are inexpensive.

For the bed, I bought Brendol a brand new pet bed (a nice soft cushy Kong bed) and she used it for about 4 hours and then jumped up on the couch.  That was day one.  She kept getting up on the couch the entire time.  I slept downstairs on the couch with her for 3 nights and then we moved upstairs.  She actually jumps up on the trunk that I have for them to make it to the bed on her own.  But I do usually have to lift her down because she has decided she doesn't like going down (she did do it for a week, but now won't).  She is a front amp too and going down is what is the most difficult for them.

Hi there!!

I do not have much to add about the sleeping situation.  I have a kitty cat, and you cannot stop them from jumping (or at least TRYING to) no matter how hard you try even after amputation.  But yes, a front leg amp has a much easier time jumping up then jumping down.  You may consider sleeping on the floor next to Kermie (GREAT name btw!!), that way he may be inclined not to try to jump up on the bed to be with you for the first couple of nights.

Let us know what else you need!

Erica

Hi!  First off: wow, what a traumatic road you guys have been down so far!  The good news is that with all his pills, you've got a sense for what he can tolerate and some side effects to look for.  That's GREAT as a major hurdle here is pain management afterward.  Keep us posted on that.

Second: stop researching, stop tying, pour yourself something relaxing and SLEEP TONIGHT.  This will be a chance to get more rest than you have prior to today and after today.  Get some rest.  After that, come on back and let us know how he's doing.  He already sounds like he's in GREAT hands and loving ones at that!

You know your pup best about what bed he'd like.  For Jackson, we didn't know, so we gave him tons of options.  Literally, a 40ft square area in our living room had 3 beds offered, not including the couch.  What'd he like best?  An old, king size down comforter!  It cannot be donated anymore and may now be his favorite item.  Yep, we fluff it for him about every 3 days.  It's super gross now, but he loves it!

I'd also encourage you to stock up on some simple foods that'll keep him interested in case he doesn't like his kibble too much or gets a little tummy upset.

Besides that, you're well on your way!  Plus, you've already gotten some great advice.

Please keep us posted!  We like to know surgeries went well, when he first poos, when he eats, etc.

~ Katy