So now that we’ve reached 1 week home from surgery, I thought I might post a detailed description of our day by day over here! Hope this helps anyone who doesn’t quite know what to expect when bringing their dog home. Also, I highly recommend “Three Legs & a Spare: A Canine Amputation Handbook from tripawds.com” a wonderful resource for dealing with the before and afters of amputation.
Ulla is a female 75 lb. 7 year old German Shepherd so as you could imagine, it wasn’t easy when we first got her home after surgery, but she quickly began to come around and things are going great now.
Ulla was at the vet for a total of 2 nights for monitoring after her front right leg amputation. She’s our shadow and also very shy with other people so we wanted to bring her home as soon as the vet said it was OK so that she could be comfortable recovering at home. While she was there, my husband and I had to keep busy to keep our minds off of everything that was going on. It was the perfect time to makeover the backyard and turn it into a nice retreat for Ulla. Our backyard was all bricks so we had to pull out a ton of them so we could lay down some sod. This way she could have a nice secluded place to go to the bathroom, away from where other dogs and creatures are lurking. Plus she’s not going anywhere for awhile, so it will be her outdoor retreat when she gets bored in the house!
On pick-up day, we were sooo excited to see Ulla. Although the incision area was very hard to look at with so many stitches and bruising, we were relieved that the painful leg was finally gone and she was coming home. As soon as we opened the door, she literally tried to run out to the car and we had to stop her so she wouldn’t get hurt. We lifted her into the car with some help from the vet technician and we were on our way!
At home, we prepared a room to confine her where she would be comfortable and not be able to get hurt. No furniture to jump up on and no sharp edges that she could fall into. We also wanted to be able to sleep in there so we could continue to monitor her day and night. Luckily we have an office room that she prefers to hang out in anyway so it worked out very nicely (& we are still sleeping in there to this day on an old futon mattress on the floor! haha- our backs are really starting to hurt!)
We put area rugs and thin mats everywhere she would be walking as well so she wouldn’t slip. Ones that worked really well were Microfibre Neoprene Rugs from bed bath and beyond. They worked great not only in the kitchen but also in a few areas where rugs wouldn’t work. Plus they are easily machine washed.
Day 1- Pick-up day- ouch, lots of stitches and bruising! At home, she is very groggy and unsteady. We use a beach towel around her mid-section to help her get up and guide her. With 2 carpeted stairs out to the backyard, it’s like dragging around a drunk- very hard to navigate and we don’t want her to get hurt but we manage! Vet recommends to give her whatever food she might like to get her appetite back so we sprinkle some cheese over her normal food to entice her. She refuses her bowl but I find she will eat small portions out of my hands.
Day 2- Barely can get up, even with our help from the towel so my husband carries her out for her morning pee, then back in the house for breakfast. Again she will only eat out of my hands and won’t use her bowl even when holding it up for her. She drinks water when I bring it to her as she still seems too weak to get up and go to the water bowl. Later in the day, we drag her bed outside (with her in it!) and she sees the grass, gets up on her own & pees. Still no BM though. Vet said it will take a few days for that anyway because of the lasting effects of the anesthesia.
Day 3- Finally she is walking with limited guidance from the towel hammock! I give her extra pumpkin and fiber in her food hoping it will get her digestion back in order and it works! Very small BM but at least it was something. Her appetite is back in full and she is also motivated now to walk on her own by calling her with cookies. We stay very close at all times she is walking to make sure she doesn’t stumble & fall. For the most part though she is resting & sleeping the days away which is completely normal during this time (and also because she is on pain killers!).
Day 4- Yay! Completely walking (well hopping!) on her own. Still not much energy but just enough to get her in and out for bathroom breaks. She has a real BM so we celebrate! She still won’t eat out of her bowl but prefers a dish now instead of my hands. We make a customized t-shirt for her because she’s wanting to lick at the stitches. She has also tried to scratch them with her back leg so we keep a constant eye on her. We use a warm compress on her stitches and clean them up a bit to be sure her saliva doesn’t stay on them. Everything is looking good though. At night, she wakes us panting and moving about. We’re still not sure if it was pain or because an earthquake was just about to occur! Weeeee- So Cal!
Day 5- More energy today- wagging her tail and kissing us. Even barking when she hears someone outside. When she takes a nap this time she wakes up with a wimper and cry. Is it phantom limb pains or a nightmare? Not sure, but she’s all good after some comforting from us. Outside in the yard, we decide to play a fun new dog puzzle game “the original Dog treat Fighter” that Ulla’s Aunt & Uncle got for her. Of course it’s a game we can play while sitting so she doesn’t have to exert much energy! She catches on real quick and we have fun playing for a little while until Ulla gets sleepy. We notice a little swelling around her incision area so we take some photos and send them to the vet. Vet says it looks completely normal and that fluid often accumulates there after surgery and starts drifting downward due to gravity. At night, Ulla has to wear the cone (recommending the “comfy cone” rather than the hard plastic one!) She can’t be trusted not to lick her stitches. She even licks them through the t-shirt so we have to be extra cautious.
Day 6- Ulla has a bit more energy and is getting around great. She finally eats out of her bowl (raised bowl recommended for bigger dogs as it is much easier for them to eat and drink this way). She is restless today and seems to want to get out of the house. She’s not happy in her confined room anymore so we let her out and she sits by the front door staring at us. We decide since we have to run an errand, maybe she’s ready for a car ride. We get her ramp (we use the Solvit Ultralite bi-fold which is great) and she hops right up into the car. She seems really stoked to be out in the world again and we people watch as my husband runs into the store. At night, my husband and I make her homemade peanut butter & pumpkin dog biscuits. Success- She loves them- Good day today!
Day 7- Ulla is doing fine. She has to wear the cone anytime we aren’t with her because now that her fur is growing in, the stitches are really itchy and she sneaks a lick every time we turn around. One more week until they come out… ugggh! She is getting around very well now but still pretty sleepy for the most part. She is finally getting the deep sleep that she missed all the time she was in pain. She is even running in her sleep which we have never seen her do before! My husband and I are so thankful that we were able to work out a schedule where one of us will almost always be with her until the stitches come out. She is our family and we’ll do whatever we have to do to make sure that she recovers without any setbacks! Mother and mother-in-law even offered to come stay with her while she recovers. Everybody is rooting for Ulla 🙂
