I'm sorry, I forget if Frankie is a front or back amp? Bo was a front L amp and after surgery he had a gauze/bandage wrapped around. Mainly for compression, I think. After that the vet took it off and we were told that we could just let him go "naked". Well, I was a bit queasy when looking at all of those stitches, so we put t-shirts on him. The stitches didn't catch on the cotton shirts, it covered the area, and helped to keep it clean. Talk to your vet, but a few days after surgery, if all is "normal", I would think it would be ok to remove the dressing. 

Cadence week post amp in a nutshell:

Pee - Right away. The surgeon said they don't mind as much about the poo because they know the drugs make their bowels sluggish and they typically don't go. But she did have to take a pee the morning after surgery or they would not let them go home. The tech told us that sometimes when they give spinal blocks it causes urine retention. Cadence's floodgates opened up and she was good there. Poo came three days after surgery. At no time did she ever poop or pee on herself because she could not get up. She always was able to get up to go. We also tried to  use a sling but it caused more hinderence to her than help, so we just stopped trying to use it.

Whining - None, except for when I quaratined her to the carpeted area of our house so she would not go sliding around. The crying was so pitiful and it was because she had to wear her cone whenever I would have to use the bathroom or shower or whatever so she wouldn't chew her staples out. 

Phantom Pain - Maybe. She would be lying still then suddenly jump up like something had bit her in her doggie behind and go galloping across the room, stop, nip at the air by her stump, then gallop back, turn in circles, and lie down. That happened 3 or 4 times in the first week then never happened again. We assumed maybe phantom pain . Hard telling. Could have been the drugs

The Meds: She was doing so well that the only thing she remained on for the full five days was the Fentanyl patch. The other meds we decreased quickly under the supervision of the surgeon and she did not remain on them the whole time. The only one we kept her on for the full cycle was the antibiotics. They do get depressed from some of the drugs that they are on. Once you stop the meds you should see improvement in the mood.

Running around: She would have done it all the time if we would have let her but her first full unsupervised run out was on day three. She ignored the ramp on the deck and jumped up by herself on the one leg. 

Leaving her alone: I took 3 days off work just to be there present with her in the house full time. Then on day 4 I had to go back and we had someone come and stay in the house to look after her. Then the next day my husband stayed with her. So 5 days she had someone there at all times and on day 6 and 7 either my husband or I were at home. After that we went back to work and left her cone on while we were at work until the stitches came out. 

Peeing/Pooing on three legs/balance: usually good except if she gets distracted and turns her body a little bit she sometimes dribbles on her other leg. heheheh. Poo is always good. She has not poo poo'd on herself YET! 🙂

Chemo: You have to wait and see on this. We always schedule chemo in the late afternoons so we can be around her the rest of the night. Usually side effects don't happen the first two or three days, but after that. So far so good on Cadence's.  

Her Attitude: Has always been positive. We even have a picture of her smiling the day after surgery. It was when we gave her the wet dog food when we brought her home. No wonder she smiled. She had fasted before the surgery and part of the day before we picked her up. I agree with the poster that said try to be positive and strong. The dog doesn't know they are sick, they just know something is different. Keep everything as normal as possible after surgery. 

Hope this helps: Cadence's Mom