- Joined
- Jul 8, 2017
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- 5,750
- Location (City and/or State)
- Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
This is one of my fur kids, Sherlock, who is somewhere around 14-15 years old. This picture was taken yesterday, and is a very special picture.
10 years ago, a couple months before we adopted him, Sherlock had had a badly broken jaw. We didn't know how that happened, but it was repaired with a plate and screws and healed when he came home with me and Pete.
Aside from his jaw looking slightly crooked, the only significant difficulty it gave him was the inability to open his mouth very far. It would only open about 1.5 inches...he never could yawn.
So one week before Christmas, he ate his usual dinner and a short while later I looked at him sitting on the floor. Blood was running out of the left side of his mouth! Not just dripping...a steady flow! I couldn't see where exactly it was coming from, but it stopped pretty quickly...or so I thought.
I had to leave the house for a couple hours, and when I returned, the poor little guy had vomited his dinner and a lot of blood out of his stomach. Of course, he did this in 3 different rooms of the house. There are pillows on the floor in several rooms for my dogs to lay on, and he saturated about half of a pillow, along with puddles in the other rooms. A lot of blood.
The next 2 weeks were the holidays. Between the 'eves' and the holiday days and the vet's very busy schedule, we had 2 vet visits, x-rays, and lab work done. His red blood counts were extremely low, and his white cell count was extremely high. These results led to a preliminary diagnosis: severe infection caused by rejection of the plate and screws in his jaw. Sherlock was bleeding a small amount intermittently every couple days, but we still didn't know precisely what was bleeding. He was exhausted, weak, and lethargic. There were 2 nights I wondered if he was going to make it to morning. I was referred to a vet an hour away who specializes ($$$) in dental and oral surgery.
Early yesterday morning I was awakened by a call from the specialist's office...could I bring him in at 9:00? And don't feed him in case he needs sedation to be examined. YES!
Due to COVID, I had to wait in the car, but after the exam the vet called me. She said the plate and screws had to come out, and she thought some teeth needed to go. She would x-ray his teeth under anesthesia. And there was a cancellation...did I want her to operate that afternoon?! YES!!
So I left there at 10:30 AM, did a couple errands, and went home. And waited. And waited. And waited.
I had been assured that I would be called after surgery, and that he would be coming home that day. So I waited.
After a couple calls to update me, I picked up my boy at midnight! My 14 or 15 year old pup had been in surgery for 6 solid hours, had the plate and screws out, and had 21 teeth removed! It took so long because of his mouth not opening...she had a very small area to work in.
This morning he ate, drank lots of water, peed, pooped..he's almost normal, and seems to have very little pain despite a mouthful of stitches. He's even wagging his tail and begging for treats! With all those rotten teeth gone, he's going to feel like a brand new dog!
About this vet and her office...she and the staff are wonderful! I was called twice today by the office manager to check on Sherlock's recovery, and will be called daily for the next couple days. When I'm called, the concern is real. She's not calling just because she has to...she is genuine. And I was told that for the rest of his life, if he ever needs to come back for anything related to this surgery, there will never be another charge!
Now, why is that picture so special? Here's the rest of it...taken at the vet's office...
10 years ago, a couple months before we adopted him, Sherlock had had a badly broken jaw. We didn't know how that happened, but it was repaired with a plate and screws and healed when he came home with me and Pete.
Aside from his jaw looking slightly crooked, the only significant difficulty it gave him was the inability to open his mouth very far. It would only open about 1.5 inches...he never could yawn.
So one week before Christmas, he ate his usual dinner and a short while later I looked at him sitting on the floor. Blood was running out of the left side of his mouth! Not just dripping...a steady flow! I couldn't see where exactly it was coming from, but it stopped pretty quickly...or so I thought.
I had to leave the house for a couple hours, and when I returned, the poor little guy had vomited his dinner and a lot of blood out of his stomach. Of course, he did this in 3 different rooms of the house. There are pillows on the floor in several rooms for my dogs to lay on, and he saturated about half of a pillow, along with puddles in the other rooms. A lot of blood.
The next 2 weeks were the holidays. Between the 'eves' and the holiday days and the vet's very busy schedule, we had 2 vet visits, x-rays, and lab work done. His red blood counts were extremely low, and his white cell count was extremely high. These results led to a preliminary diagnosis: severe infection caused by rejection of the plate and screws in his jaw. Sherlock was bleeding a small amount intermittently every couple days, but we still didn't know precisely what was bleeding. He was exhausted, weak, and lethargic. There were 2 nights I wondered if he was going to make it to morning. I was referred to a vet an hour away who specializes ($$$) in dental and oral surgery.
Early yesterday morning I was awakened by a call from the specialist's office...could I bring him in at 9:00? And don't feed him in case he needs sedation to be examined. YES!
Due to COVID, I had to wait in the car, but after the exam the vet called me. She said the plate and screws had to come out, and she thought some teeth needed to go. She would x-ray his teeth under anesthesia. And there was a cancellation...did I want her to operate that afternoon?! YES!!
So I left there at 10:30 AM, did a couple errands, and went home. And waited. And waited. And waited.
I had been assured that I would be called after surgery, and that he would be coming home that day. So I waited.
After a couple calls to update me, I picked up my boy at midnight! My 14 or 15 year old pup had been in surgery for 6 solid hours, had the plate and screws out, and had 21 teeth removed! It took so long because of his mouth not opening...she had a very small area to work in.
This morning he ate, drank lots of water, peed, pooped..he's almost normal, and seems to have very little pain despite a mouthful of stitches. He's even wagging his tail and begging for treats! With all those rotten teeth gone, he's going to feel like a brand new dog!
About this vet and her office...she and the staff are wonderful! I was called twice today by the office manager to check on Sherlock's recovery, and will be called daily for the next couple days. When I'm called, the concern is real. She's not calling just because she has to...she is genuine. And I was told that for the rest of his life, if he ever needs to come back for anything related to this surgery, there will never be another charge!
Now, why is that picture so special? Here's the rest of it...taken at the vet's office...