"The Care of Your Pet Following Surgery"

The following is an instruction sheet (1 of many) that we received from our vet when we picked Chili up on Friday. I thought I'd post what the sheet reads for some further information. (Please note: I wrote down the sheet as it was filled out for Chili's specific situation. There were more options for other surgeries, etc.)



Care of Your Pet Following Surgery and Hospitalization
Procedure: MPL (Medial Patella Luxation) right hind limb

Proper Restraint
Please protect your pet when leaving the hospital by using either a leash or a carrier. Excessive activity may result in your pet getting loose or result in an injury if your pet is recovering from surgery. Try to prevent your pet from becoming overly active and excited when you pick him up from the hospital.

Food and Water
With the excitement of returning home after surgery, your pet may be inclined to drink and eat excessively, which may result in vomiting. To avoid this, we recommend restricting access to food and water for an hour or so until your pet is calmed down. Then you may offer water and a light meal later in the evening. Normal feeding may resume the next day.

Exercise and Activity
Patients recovering from surgery or illness should have limited exercise. Avoid access to stairs or situations that may lead to injury. Due to the effects of anesthesia, he may be groggy for 12 hours. Your pet should be strictly confined to a cage or small room for 8 weeks. Carry your pet outside for eliminations. No running, jumping, or access to stairs is permitted.

Medications
It is important to follow all label directions carefully. Medications dispensed:
Clavamox
Tramadol
Rimadyl
Sedative

Sutures/Staples
Discourage your pet from licking or chewing at the sutures. Please check the incision line daily for any redness, swelling, or discharge. If it appears irritated or infected, notify us immediately. Also, keep your pet dry (no bathing or swimming) until the sutures are removed. Sutures will be removed 10-14 days from the date of surgery. Please keep an e-collar on at all times to prevent self trauma.

Bandage and Splint Care
The bandage should be kept clean and dry. Notify us if the bandage slips, the toes swell, or if you notice any odor or discharge. Discourage your pet from licking or chewing the bandage. It may be necessary to use an Elizabethan collar to restrict your pet's access to the bandage. Keep your pet confined to keep the bandage from becoming loose. Tape a plastic bag around the bandage temporarily to keep the leg dry when your dog goes outside. Immediately remove the bag when the dog returns indoors.

Appointments
Please make an appointment for the following:
Bandage change/removal in 4 days
Suture removal in 10-14 days
Recheck in 4 & 8 weeks

Monitor
A decrease in activity or appetite for one to two days may be observed. However, if your pet exhibits any of the following signs, please notify the hospital.
Loss of appetite for over 2 days
Weakness
Depression
Refusal to drink water for more than one day
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Unwillingness to move around as usual

Bandage Removal

Chili went back to the vet today for his bandage removal. His incision looks good, and he has a few stitches in (so the e-collar will be on pretty much 24/7). He's very tender on the leg, we got the go-ahead to do a little bit of gentle movement with his hip (with him laying on his good side) but he's so tender he won't really let us. We are also supposed to ice for about 5 minutes a day, but I can't get the ice pack near his leg without a tantrum! The vet says the next 4 weeks are imperative to his recovery: he'll be on VERY strict crate rest! We go back in 10 days-ish (May 15th) to get his stitches removed. Then he doesn't have to wear the e-collar anymore!

With the bandage off, he's trying to move more, so its very hard to keep him still, but we're trying. Bathroom time is hard, because he wants to run all over the yard, but we keep him on a very short leash, so he can only take about 1 step in either direction. His appetite is good, and we're only giving him the sedative at night now (although it doesn't seem to work: he kept us awake ALL last night, I feel like I need a sedative, too!)

I have some pictures of Chili now with the bandage off. They are of the incision site, so may be a little bit graphic. I'll try and post new ones every few days or so, so people can see his progress. His hair is growing back pretty quickly, and pretty much all of the razor burn is healed or scabbed over.

































Hopefully Chili will let us sleep more tonight, I feel like I'm about to fall over! He seems to be in pretty good spirits and is always wagging his tail, which is great. Right now he's finally sleeping, so maybe we'll get lucky and it will continue until the morning! We're setting up a private webcam so I can keep an eye on him during the day (I have some emergency people to call in case he gets that e-collar off)! I'll post an update within the next few days!

Actual Surgery Cost

So, awhile back I posted the Estimate I was given for his surgery. I'm now posting the actual amount we paid for his surgery- feel free to refer to the estimate for comparison.

Rimadyl $13.15
Tramadol $8.88
Clavamox $23.40
Biohazard Disposal Fee $3.25
Pre-Op Blood Panel $52.25
Radiology- Additional View $103.50
Bandaging $18.00
Injection- Cefazolin $18.00
Fluid Therapy (I.V.) $72.00
Catheterization $39.00
MPL Right Rear $875.00
Analgesia (Pain Medication) $25.00
Surgery Room Fee $68.00
Surgical Monitoring $15.50
Anesthesia- Induction $16.25
Isoflurane Anesthesia $87.50
Analgesia Injection $16.00
E-Collar $13.00
Acepromazine $8.72
TOTAL: $1477.25

Cost so far: $1809.25

I have to say, I hope its worth it and the surgery works, I think it will! The people at the clinic have been amazing, they took great care of him. I'll post back once we have a few more updates!

He's Home!

I would have written an update on how Chili is doing last night, but we were so tired and focused on Chili, we just didn't have time.

He apparently did pretty well the day of surgery, he started chewing on his bandage at the clinic the following day, so he has to wear an e-collar when he isn't monitored by us. He barked so much at the clinic, they had to move him from the hospital wing to the boarding wing! Dr. Rodriguez was great, she sat both of us down when we picked him up and told us what to expect. Chili will keep his bandage on until Monday- then they will remove it and the sutures. When the bandage is removed, we do a little bit of "therapy" with his hip (basically, he lays on his side and we move his hip around). He is 100% crate confined and should remain so for 8 weeks! I don't want the correction from the surgery to be undone if he moves too much or jumps.

I have to admit, when they first brought him out from the back room, my heart nearly broke. We tried to hold him, and he just whimpered and squirmed in our arms. We finally got him into his crate in the car, and all he did was whine on the way home. I really thought I had made the wrong decision, I was almost in tears. However, once we got him home and settled in his crate, and he got to see Bridgett, he seemed to settle down a little bit. He has a ton of medications- antibiotics twice a day, pain pills every 8 hours, an anti-inflammatory once a day, and a sedative every 12 hours (if needed). Last night was a bit of a rough night, we were awake most of the night with him. He would sleep a little bit, then wake up and bark. I think he was just uncomfortable. (There was also quite a bit of razor burn where he was shaved). He's been sleeping on and off throughout the day. I sure do hope tonight goes better! Here are some pictures of Chili just after we brought him home:


















I'm hoping his path to healing will continue. I will be sure to post an update with pictures once his bandage comes off. Keep the positive thoughts coming our way!

The Day After- short report

I called the vet clinic around 10am this morning to check on Chili's progress, and spoke to one of their technicians. She was very nice and spent a few minutes on the phone with me. She said they had to move him to a back room because he kept barking after surgery (surprise). He ate his dinner and breakfast just fine (she said he acted like he hadn't been fed in a year, not surprised at that, either!) He's been very perky (oh joy) and she mentioned that he has plenty of personality! Thats my little guy! All in all, he's been good and is comfortable. I'm still pushing for a few days worth of sedatives- make him a little easier to handle!

It was strange being home without Chili last night. Bridgett ran around looking for him- she ended up just laying down in her crate. We sure did miss him, I'm excited to get him home!

Surgery Day- He's Awake!

I got a phone call from the surgeon at about 12:40pm telling me that Chili was waking up. She said the surgery went very well and his post-operative radiographs looked great. I'll be able to talk to her more tomorrow when I pick him up. We'll be given all his therapy exercises and medication when he's discharged (oh yeah, and I think they'll want our money, too!) I'm very relieved everything went well.

I called back the clinic and spoke to a vet tech- she said Chili was still groggy and had his IV in. He was propped up on some heated blankets for comfort. Once he's fully awake, the IV will come out and they'll try and get him to eat some solid food. She told me to call in the morning and check on him. It will be a very strange and quiet house tonight without the little guy. I think Bridgett will initially be happy to get some peace and quiet, but I know she misses him when he's not there.

I may post tomorrow morning once I talk to the staff at the clinic with an update on Chili (if there is anything worth reporting). Expect a detailed update tomorrow night, along with some pictures. Thanks again for all the positive thoughts!

Surgery Day- The Operation!

I dropped Chili off at the clinic at 7:30 this morning. I took 2 bags of food for him, labeled "am" and "pm" (for tonight and tomorrow morning). I also took his blanket and 2 of his favorite toys. They usually give his harness back to me and use their leash to take him potty, but he wasn't used to just a collar and leash, so they readily agreed to use the harness to take him out. I think the look on my face said it all: I walked in and they greeted me and said "Its Chili's big day, how are YOU doing?" I asked a couple questions, how long it would take, etc, and got ready to go. The technician got Chili and took him to the crates in the back room. I could hear him barking when I left, it nearly broke my heart to pieces!

I got a call at 11am from Chili's regular vet. She wanted to let me know Chili was anesthetized and surgery had just started. Everything is smooth so far, and they would call me after he wakes up. I don't know when that will be. They have to do post-operative radiographs before he wakes up, so he'll be under a little bit longer. I'm so anxious- I want my baby to be ok!

I'll be sure to update as soon as I hear back from the vet- thank you for all of the well wishes and prayers!