sjdavenport
Well-Known Member
Rhaegar has some surgical procedures coming up on Thursday, and I am beside myself with panic (some irrational, some rational). He has had several bloat scares, most recently when he was in the hospital for a couple hours for sedated radiographs (of his chest and a stifle). He gets very anxious while in the hospital, even with pharmaceuticals on board. He has chronic GI issues, and I have spent many nights sitting up with him, watching him, worrying that he was in the early stages of bloat, including one 4 AM trip to the emergency clinic. So he absolutely needs a gastropexy, or it's just a matter of time before he develops full blown GDV. His internal medicine doc also recommended stomach and intestinal biopsies (for his chronic GI problems) and a liver biopsy (chronic liver value elevation) since we'll already be in his abdomen, AND bronchoscopy for a cough that I've unsuccessfully treated for the past three months. We've done every non-invasive testing imaginable with no answers. So we're talking major surgery, and a rather long period of anesthesia. Not to mention he's not a fan of strangers and is incredibly stressed in the hospital. I'm very much overprotective of him, and really haven't allowed anyone else to handle him, so I'm really worried about how he's going to handle strangers restraining/poking him/etc, especially post-op when he will be painful. I've spent the last week conditioning him to wear his baskerville muzzle and soft e-collar so hopefully that's one less traumatic thing for everyone involved.
And oh yeah, one reason I'm finally doing the gastropexy (I've know that he really needed one for a while) is that he will likely be needing a TPLO for a blown cruciate once he's done recovering from all of this. I was too afraid that he'd develop bloat stressing out while he was in the hospital for his TPLO.
So help! I'm a nervous wreck!!! Please, please, PLEASE send some good thoughts our way on Thursday please! Every time I think about surgery day, I start to feel physically ill. If anything happens to him so soon after losing my Mazey, I will be devastated. I adore this grouch, and even though we have Dany now, he's still my baby. It really hurts me to see him anxious or in pain. It's going to be a rough couple of months.
Side note - I am a veterinarian, but when it comes to my own dogs, I am just another scared, anxious pet owner. And I don't do surgeries on my own guys. Rhaegar will be in the hands of a board certified surgeon and internal medicine specialist.
And oh yeah, one reason I'm finally doing the gastropexy (I've know that he really needed one for a while) is that he will likely be needing a TPLO for a blown cruciate once he's done recovering from all of this. I was too afraid that he'd develop bloat stressing out while he was in the hospital for his TPLO.
So help! I'm a nervous wreck!!! Please, please, PLEASE send some good thoughts our way on Thursday please! Every time I think about surgery day, I start to feel physically ill. If anything happens to him so soon after losing my Mazey, I will be devastated. I adore this grouch, and even though we have Dany now, he's still my baby. It really hurts me to see him anxious or in pain. It's going to be a rough couple of months.
Side note - I am a veterinarian, but when it comes to my own dogs, I am just another scared, anxious pet owner. And I don't do surgeries on my own guys. Rhaegar will be in the hands of a board certified surgeon and internal medicine specialist.