Pre and Post Amputation Care Tips

Now that Kayla is all healed up, I thought I'd share our learnings and tips for other dog-parents anticipating their dog's amputation surgery or going through post-amputation recovery. Hope this helps!

Be prepared before the surgery

1. Once you've gathered all the information and made the decision that amputation is the best course of action, be confident that it's the right choice. It was really hard for us to accept that Kayla will be losing a leg and we got 2nd and even 3rd opinions, but in my heart I always knew it was the right choice. 
2. Stay strong and be positive for your dog. Dogs are very attuned to their owners' feelings so send them positive energy before going into surgery. I remember Kayla was totally fine at the vet until I couldn't hold in my emotions and tears. Once she sensed that something was wrong, she became really scared and started shivering. 
3. Make sure you feel very comfortable with your vet and the surgeon doing the actual surgery. Our surgeon was different than our oncologist, so we asked to meet the surgeon before the surgery. He spent time answering all our questions and bonding with Kayla the morning of the surgery.
4. Discuss the surgery schedule and ask to be updated throughout the day. We dropped Kayla off at 9am. Our surgeon called me to let me know that they're going into the operation at noon. The surgery only lasted about an hour and a half and the surgeon called me right afterwards to let me know that the surgery went well and there were no complications. Then they called one last time that day around 5pm before the team transitioned to the overnight emergency staff. At that time, Kayla was already waking up from the anesthesia. It was a very emotional day, but being updated regularly definitely made me feel more comfortable.

Post-surgery care and recovery

1. Prepare your house before your dog comes home post-amputation. Pick an area that you will want to confine your dog to for the first week. Make sure it's somewhere he feels comfortable and safe in. We chose our living room since it's where we spend most of our time together at home and there's a big area rug so she doesn't slip when she tries to get up to walk around. We put her bed, her favorite blanket, toys, and water bowl in that area so she doesn't need to travel far for her favorite things.
2. Add traction to slippery surfaces in your house. You don't have to cover all of the area, just where your dog can have a clear path to get to his favorite spots (i.e. feeding area, front/back door to be let out to go potty). We used yoga matts that we already had in the house and we bought a couple long area rugs that were on sale at Home Depot. Make sure you use anti-slip rug pads (I almost slipped and fell when I was running over the rug!).
3. Make sure your dog doesn't try to jump on or off furniture. Although they recover and adjust very quickly, it's still a very significant wound that needs to heal. Think of what it's like to take care of a toddler... it's kind of like that! You have to watch your dog at all times or confine him to a pen/crate with an E-collar. He won't know what his limits are yet and won't understand why you won't let him do what he use to but you have to be very strict for the first week.
4. It might be hard to imagine what it will be like for your dog to relieve himself with 3 legs. I was really worried at first but you'd be surprised at how quickly they figure it out. Kayla was able to urinate and defecate with no problem from the get-go. Some dogs have a tougher time. There are slings that you can use to help them in the beginning.
5. Since we're on the topic of defecating, note that constipation from the pain meds is very normal. It can take 48 hours before your dog's bowel movement becomes regular again. Don't worry -- he'll go when he needs to!
6. Keep your dog's activity to a minimum for the first 7 - 10 days. He may seem ready to run around and play, but too much activity will cause fluid build-up between the tissue and muscle around the amputation area (aka seroma). Read more about our experience in the previous post "Bye Bye Fentanyl Patch, Hello Seroma." It's not fun to deal with... 
7. Cold compression vs warm compression? I learned that cold compression helps with pain, which is why the vet recommended it for the first 2 days (~5 times a day). Warm compression helps with blood flow and healing which is good for day 3 - 10.
8. He may have a decrease in appetite the first few days. It's okay to spoil your dog with boiled chicken and other bland human food to help him eat. We stuffed Kayla's meds in boiled chicken chunks and it worked like a charm. 

See pictures of Kayla's wound throughout the recovering process below. We wanted to share these so other dog owners know what to expect.

[WARNING: If you are squeamish about wounds, do not scroll down]

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3-5

Day 6-8

Day 9-11

Day 10-12

Day13

A year later