I don't like to keep people in suspense, so I always start from the end - Horsey's amputation went very well and Lydia is taking Hosey home now, for the month-long fostering.
Phew!!
Now...the full story....
Lydia and I were at the clinic at 10am sharp, waiting for Horsey to arrive.
Here's Horsey...she's so small, Lydia exclaimed. All the better, because small-sized dogs do very well with 3 legs.
Lydia making friends with Horsey.
Horsey did not want to come out from the carrier by herself, so we had to unscrew the top cover.
Joanne insisted that Horsey could already use the leg. Yes, she can, the vet explained. That's only because of the antibiotics. If the surgery is not done, the antibiotics would have to go on for life, each time on a stronger dose, and this would be very bad for the kidneys and liver, and could lead to an early death.
Our greatest worry is osteomyeletis, which, according to the vet, had already set in, because there was water oozing out of the wound last week. Osteomyeletis is bone infection and it can lead to death.
Horsey was very good and let the vet examine her.
Joanne was still not too keen on the amputation, so the vet again explained to Joanne that there were two options for Horsey. The leg is definitely broken, there is absolutely no doubt about it.
The two options are:
1. External Skeletal Fixator - see diagram above. Pins would be fixed into the bone, but the pins would protrude out and would be attached to a (sort of) frame outside the leg. The fixator would be there for 2 months or more. This procedure is very expensive, and very uncomfortable for the animal. How can we explain to the animal that she has to be still and not try to bite the fixator off? It also causes a lot of pain. And if the fixator is destroyed because the animal does not keep still enough, what then? The vet doesn't mind doing this, but is this the better option?
2. Amputation - the vet highly recommends this as it is a clean cut and the risks of infection and complications are highly reduced. A dog has four legs and especially if small-sized, they usually cope very well with 3 legs. Lydia has looked after a few 3-legged dogs and they get up and walk after barely a few hours. For Horsey's case it is even "better" that it's the hind leg and not the front one. It's the front legs that bear most of the body weight.
Joanne had sent me a message last night insisting that an X-Ray be done. Our vet explained that it wasn't necessary to expose Horsey to radiation (and also expose the humans doing the X-Ray to radiation) because he had no doubt at all that the leg IS broken. Taking the X-Ray is a waste of money since the amputation is going to be done, anyway. Why would you want to take an X-Ray of a limb that is going to be cut off, he asked.
That made a lot of sense to me, and that is because I trust our vet. He has done so, so many cases (and difficult ones, too) for us and I would place the life of any animal safely in his hands, knowing he would give me the best possible advice. All my pets are taken care of by this vet. He saved Vixey's life when she was barely one month-old and towards the end, he helped make Vixey's final days as comfortable as possible.
But Joanne insisted on the X-Ray and said she would pay for it. Our vet explained that the X-Ray would not be done for Horsey, but for Joanne.
So the X-Ray was done. It wasn't exactly easy because Horsey had to be restrained in a certain position.
See the broken bone?
It's definitely a compound fracture as there was an open wound. This means the bone had already protruded out of the skin and "seen the outside world", which in turn means bacteria had already gone in.
So, Joanne agreed on the amputation.
We brought Horsey to the cage, and surgery was scheduled after lunch.
See you later, Horsey...you'll be ok. Be brave, little one.
The plan was to spay Horsey as well. Might as well do both at one go.
I went to visit Horsey again at 2pm and the vets had just taken her up to prepare for surgery. The spaying and amputation would take a few hours and the expected time of completion would be around 6pm. The clinic would be closed as they needed full manpower for this procedure.
There was no point in waiting, so I drove home but upon reaching home, my daughter told me there was a major power failure in the whole of Subang Jaya.
Oh gosh....what rotten timing....I was so worried about the surgery. I hoped every clinic has a stand-by generator.
The power failure lasted HOURS!
At around 4.30pm, there was a missed call from the vet.
I called back...with bated breath. Oh please...let it be good news.
All is well, the vet said. Horsey is alright and the surgery went well.
Phew!
The vets had to postpone the spaying since the power went out after they had administered the anaesthesia. They decided to do the amputation as that was more urgent. I learnt that most clinics do NOT have a stand-by generator but this clinic had stand-by spotlights. Still, they had to use a high-powered torchlight to do the surgery and it lasted longer than usual.
That's when I thanked all guardian angels that Horsey was in such good hands.
I drove to the clinic. It was raining very heavily.
Hello, Horsey!!
The vet uses a good anaesthetic, so the animal wakes up very quickly after the procedure. Still a bit groggy, though.
She's put on drips, just to be on the safe side. The vet said despite the "nightmare" of the lights going out, the surgery went very well and there was no massive loss of blood at all. Horsey took it all in her stride.
Atta girl, Horsey! Way to go!
The electricity came back while I was at the clinic. The vet said the drips could be taken off if Lydia decides to take Horsey home this evening. There was no need to stay at the clinic as a home environment is always more healthy for recuperation. Horsey was doing well, too.
The wound is bandaged.
Horsey appeared to be quite cheerful, certainly more cheerful than before the amputation! Lydia had already told us that from her experience in handling amputees, they are usually happier after the limb (and the pain) has been removed. I also figured that dogs don't really care about beauty (as we humans do), they only need love, care and food, and to feel comfortable.
Sometimes it's we humans who humanise (!) them and impose our values on them, and this can sometimes be very detrimental to their wellbeing.
The ear-notch is one such example, but let's not talk about that, shall we?
Hey, girl!
You get well soon, ok?
Aunty Lydia will be coming to pick you up and take you home where you have another 3-legged doggy friend as companion.
Lydia has prepared a padded floor for Horsey for the first week. Ah...Horsey cannot possibly be in better hands.
At the point of writing this posting, Lydia and Horsey are on their way home.
It's been a very long day for me....
With no thanks to the power failure, I'm totally beat, and I need a rest!
But no...our new stock of 400 tshirts had just arrived and I have to do stock-taking now!
All for the animals....and it's all worth it!
Disclaimer: The facts in this posting are written based on my layperson's understanding of Horsey's condition. I take full responsibility for any inaccuracies and wrong usage of terminology.
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