A Crippling Revelation: After Surgery

The Big Day

I dropped Buddy off at 7:30 am on January 18th.  I then drove home feeling terrible.  It's interesting how even when you are doing what is  for the best, you still feel like crap doing it.

For his part Buddy was as chipper as ever the morning of his surgery.  He went through his usual routing of waking up the boys before heading downstairs to hit the bathroom.  Today was a little different though as my mother had come to stay for the week to help after Buddy's surgery.  She is an avid dog lover and former vet tech, so she was perfect to come and help us get through the first few days.  Buddy greeted her too, all with his signature enthusiasm and pounding tail.

With our morning routine out of the way, Buddy and I headed off to the Viking Animal Hospital in North Canton.  The hospital and its main vet, Doctor Terry Owen, are well known for their quality care and especially good work in surgical procedures.  What surprised me when I dropped him off was how quick everything went.  I was in and out in less than five mintues.  There was no big goodbye, just a happy dog and a distraught owner.

The rest of the day went by fairly well.  I worked in the morning and waited for a phone call.  Around noon the vet called to tell me everything went ok.  Our first hurdle had been crossed.  I spent the rest of the afternoon split between an 11 mile run, playing with Ben (my youngest son), and reading.  Time passed slowly, but evetually we made it to 4:30pm.  It was time to pick up Buddy.

Arriving back at the Viking Animal Hospital we waited for a few minutes before being taken back to a consultation room where we met with Dr. Owen.  He explained how the procedure went, and also told us what to expect and about all the medicines Buddy will be on in the coming weeks.  He also told us something rather shocking.  Dr. Owen, who has been practicing veterinary medicine for over 30 years, said that this particular case of Hip Dysplaysia is the worst he's even seen.  As bad as this is, it actually made me feel a little better.  Had we not made the decision to have this procedure done, Buddy would've had a very short time with us before the pain would've become severe enough that he would have to be put to sleep.  I was also relieved when Dr. Owen told us that Buddy's prognosis wouldn't change, regardless off the severity of his Hip Dysplaysia.

Buddy with his stitches.  He has matching incisions on both hips.  The wrap on his foot is a slow release pain patch.

The First Night Home

Our first night home with Buddy was pretty rough.  Hopefully this will be the worst it gets.  Early in the evening things weren't too bad.  Buddy was still drugged up. He spent most of the evening sleeping on the floor with his eyes rolled back in his head.  This I would find later was preferable to what we dealt with in the middle of the night. 

The difficult part started a little while later when the drugs started to wear off.  My mother and I ended up taking shifts as Buddy passed in and out of sleep.  He would sleep for half an hour to forty minutes and then wake up and cry for a half an hour or more.  My mother sat with his from 11pm until about 3am and I got up at 3am and sat with him until morning.  In the midst of his crying, he also mad several attempts at getting up.  These resulted in yelps, louder cries, and inevitable failure.

At about 4:30am though we had a minor breakthrough.  Up until this point Buddy had not eaten anything but ice chips, but in the middle of the night, as I sat alone with him, I was able to hand feed him a cup and half of his kibble. I even got him to drink some water from his bowl.  It's moments like these that build bonds between humans and animals.  I've never felt a stronger connection with him than I did that moment.  In light of all the sadness and pain the day brought, this one bright point will provide a moment I'll remember for the rest of my life.

As I write this, it's been about 24 hours since Buddy's surgery and he's resting comfortably.  I'll try to update more as he progresses with the good and the bad.   Thanks for reading.