Surgery is scheduled

Penny and I met with Dr. Tamara Walker of Animal Critical Care and Emergency Services today. I heard, for the first time, that Penny had cruciate ligament disease, which is the slow deterioration of the ACLs, rather than torn ACLs from an injury. Same result. Same recommendations. But, this time, I made the appointment for surgery.

I am not dissing Dr. Allen Johnson, not at all. I think it's a matter of timing. Seeing Penny in such severe pain (she's still not putting any weight on her left leg) made me vehemently aware that it is time to schedule surgery. Had I seen him this week, Penny may be scheduled at Animal Surgical Center on Stone Way, rather than at a clinic in Lake City.

I also considered her comfort level with the vet. Penny was more comfortable with Dr. Walker, than she was with the tall, powerfully built Dr. Johnson. Or, maybe Penny was so uncomfortable that a stranger didn't matter. Really, though, we know Penny likes girls better. She allowed Dr. Walker to manipulate her knee, obeyed me when I asked her to stand up. She tolerated the pain while Dr. Walker manipulated her other leg. (Dr. Johnson took her in the back to perform the manipulations as she got antsy.)

Plus, Dr. Walker has a vet technician of her own, so that will be helpful if I want a progress report during surgery and her stay after that. The vet clinic is also open 24 hours a day, under the same ownership. The Animal Surgical Center shares its location with the Emergency Veterinary Clinic, which operates in the off hours. Penny would be able to stay there and be monitored by staff all the time, but I hope that the setup at Animal Critical Care and Emergency Services provides more continuous care.

Dr. Walker had an easier job talking to me than Dr. Johnson. Dr. Johnson told me about TPLO and the other, less expensive surgery techniques. I had time to research TPLO and knew about the procedure, while I didn't with Dr. Johnson. She didn't have to convince me that Penny's weight and age makes TPLO a better choice than for the less expensive options. I had time to recover from the price quote and think of how I was going to pay for the surgery.

Thanks to all of my community's generosity, I have $2,000 toward her first surgery, which is estimated to cost between $3200 and $3700. X rays are included, while they aren't at Seattle Surgical Center. Coming up with $1,200, even putting it on a card, seems easier than the original amount. And, we'll keep fundraising. We'll schedule another bake sale for March and I intend to have a big old rummage/garage sale this spring.

Dr. Walker took her time with me, too, answering my questions. We discussed whether Rick should build a ramp to the back porch. (She doesn't think so. She thinks that it is likely that Penny will refuse to walk the ramp and that it might become a power struggle.) She thinks that Penny would be just fine walking slowly up and down the steps. We discussed whether I should take Penny to Ideal Pet Stop (she is the store dog there) immediately after the surgery (probably not-- she should be as still as possible), or whether I should pay for boarding (save my $$ for the second surgury), and whether physical therapy is helpful (not at this time). Because Penny will be more active than what is ideal during her first two weeks, she does feel that Penny should not go upstairs to sleep for two months. It sounds like it's the XPen for her for the next 2 months. We've got it set up in the living room now. Lovely!

Penny also got new meds because the aspirin that she is taking is an antiplatelet medication and prevents blood from clotting. Not good during surgery! I'll report on how she tolerates the new meds once she's taken them for a few days. She first starts with pain killers and then after 5 days or so, starts taking Rimadyl, another anti-inflamatory. Rimadyl is not without its critics. Pfizer lists one of the side effects as death. Here is one such report. I'll watch her carefully and be on the lookout for vomiting, lethargy or diarrhea after she starts taking it.

We're in shark-infested waters anyway. 80-85% of TPLO surgeries are considered successful. But what about the other 15%? Half of them are infections and other issues. The other 5-8% may require additional surgeries. What's that saying: In for a penny, in for a pound? Let's not dwell too much on that. Instead, let's think positive, healing thoughts.

The surgery is scheduled for Thursday, Feb 28.