So I went in on Saturday morning to give Charlie his breakfast and saw that he had managed to work off the second e-collar overnight. Fortunately, the vet wrapped him so snug and secure that he can’t bend his neck or torso enough to reach his incision area, and he’s actually a lot quieter now that the cone is off – he kept flailing around trying to get it off. So I’m letting him keep it off as long as he isn’t bothering his stitches.
You can see how tiny he looks in the front with his leg gone. I suppose this is what the vet meant by it being a “less cosmetic” amputation. He’s also bald along that whole side because the vet wasn’t sure if she would need to do skin grafts. Fortunately she was able to tug his loose belly skin forward enough to close the incision without it being under too much tension. So I guess he got a tummy tuck as well!