Bel’s Surgery, and a Tribute to Old-school Vets

I wrote a post about my old-school vets, but didn’t have time to get it up earlier, so I’ve included it below.  It is especially fitting today, because Bel had her surgery for her luxating patella today.

First, though, how about a picture of our little invalid the night before her surgery?  Here is Bel, in her splint (and read on to find out more about the splint):

Bel, the night before her surgery

We thought Bel was going in just for the luxating patella.  (For more information about luxating patellas in dogs, and the grades, check this site and this site has some good x-rays to get an idea of what the problem is in the knee.  Finally, this site talks about ACL surgery)  We knew she had a mild LP problem a year or so ago; at that time, she was probably a grade 1 or 2.  Then in December, she suddenly went to the worst possible grade.  We did not suspect a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at that time because she didn’t seem to be in a lot of pain, nor did she have swelling.  However, twice during heavy snows she was knocked down by Oskar, and both times she cried, and then limped badly for a couple of hours.  And finally, last week, I noticed her foot and lower leg were swollen, and when I tried to touch it, she nipped at me.  I gave her a painkiller and something to take the swelling down, and by the time she went into the vet the next morning, it still appeared that we were only looking at a luxating patella.  So we outfitted her with her stylin’ new splint (so she could get used to it pre-surgery) and planned for surgery, which was this morning.

I got two calls from the vet this morning.  The first was to tell me with the splint off, she saw swelling, and suspected damage to the ACL, which would be a more complicated surgery.  Then I got the post-op call.  Bel was groggy, but fine, but the knee had been a hard repair.   The ACL was not just stretched, but was completely torn in two–shredded was the word the vet used–and she found it was quite difficult to repair.   She managed to suture it together, finally.  Also, Bel’s knee problems were extensive.  While the groove her patella sits in should be about 1/4 inch deep, Bel’s was not even 1/16 of an inch deep, and she had some bony growths (buttresses) that had developed to hold the knee in place (which further damaged her already weakened ACL).  Those were shaved off, and  the place where her patella sits was deepened.  My vet said she tested out Bel’s range of motion after the surgery, and she believes she will regain 80-90 % of it, and will still be able to run and jump, but the damage was too much for a full recovery.

Still, my little girl will have the use of her leg back (after her convalescence) and we suspect she was in much more pain that she ever indicated, so this should also take care of that.  She’s resting now, and by the time I get her tomorrow morning, she should be back in her splint, and ready to spend the next few weeks doing very, very little.

So it’s with that, that I post this, A tribute to my Old-School Vets, who have seen my dogs through a lot of trials and injuries.

Recently I posted a picture of Bel in her leg brace.  If it looks a lot like it is made mostly out duct tape, that’s because it is covered in it.  This is what my vet wants Bel to wear after her surgery for her luxating patella, and she wants Bel to be used to it before the surgery, so we know she isn’t going to try to destroy it, thus destroying all the surgery’s effects as well.

I’ve read some about the surgery for LP and some vets do not put a splint on the dogs afterwards.  I suspect my vet is, as usual, conservative in this.  My vet is rather old school…in fact, they don’t even own computers!  For awhile I worried about that, worried that I should find a new vet who was very up to date on the latest technology.  The thing is, I discovered quickly, that I couldn’t afford the vets who had the most high tech equipment, who tested for every possible thing.  My dogs have, unfortunately, had a lot of health issues, and if I took them to high tech vet in town, I’d never be able to afford their care.

And what I’ve discovered is that conservative or not, my old school vets have done right by me and my dogs.  Sure, it may not look like much:  they cover bandages with dishtowels, use duct tape liberally, and generally go for what is less expensive.   But after Toby’s nearly deadly fight with Bel, he was so badly injured that he was at the vet for six weeks!  Six weeks!  Every day, twice a day, I went in to see him, to try to get him to eat.  They taught me how to clean out his wounds and re-bandage him.  And they didn’t turn me away when I ran out of money, but let me pay off my huge bill in payments.   Sometimes, when I’ve been in a lot, they don’t charge me for the office call, but only charge for any meds I might need.  Sometimes I worry they do this too much….but I’m never quite in the position to refuse that generosity.  High tech vet wanted my credit card number before they’ll be willing to see my dog, and the emergency vet?  Pay or get turned away, even if it meant your dog might die.

I’ve had to do a lot of educating of myself (and sometimes my vet) because they are not up to date on everything.  When my GSD was becoming aggressive, I read about thyroid related aggression, and asked them to test his thyroid.  They didn’t believe that was what was wrong with him, but I insisted, and it turned out he had almost no thyroid function.  I told them about the places I’d looked for information on thyroid and aggression (including the vet school sites I looked at), and they listened.  Since then, it’s clear they’ve done the research on thyroid issues, and I’ve overheard conversations they’re having with other clients about the kinds of problems hypothyroidism can cause, including aggression.

Some people may not be comfortable going to a vet that they have to occasionally educate, but for me it’s worked out ok, because over the years, they’ve come to understand I really do my homework, and I can refer them to articles and webpages if need be.  I also understand that what I read needs to be balanced with their many years of practice.

I say all this because I did wonder about Bel’s LP surgery, when other people talked about it, about not splinting her, etc.  I began to second guess myself…..should I take her to another vet?  But there is no doubt about the luxating patella:  my vet showed me how to manipulate the knee myself, so I could feel it popping in and out of place.  And I already know, from talking to other people, that my vet is charging me almost half what other vets charge for this surgery.

I thought about getting a second opinion.  I thought about seeing what high-tech vet has to say about Bel.  But I can’t afford a more expensive option.  It’s either this, or Bel doesn’t get surgery, and given that she is unable to put her leg down, it’s clear she needs it.

(And of course, it turned out she had a torn ACL, which means a slower recovery, and more immobilization of the leg, so the splint turns out to be just what we need).

And I trust my vet.  And in the end, this has become a kind of tribute to them:  to the old school, country vets, who are still around, still trying to do right by people and their pets.  It’s not pretty.  It’s not high tech.  But it works.  And they care about their clients:  When Kai was dying of osteosarcoma last spring, and we realized the time had come, we took him in on Saturday, much, much later than their practice is generally open.  We all petted him, and held him, and both my vets cried along with me, cried because another good dog was gone, cried because there was nothing more they could do for him.

I kept going to them because their prices were good and they are near my home, but it turns out the relationship we’ve developed is priceless.  We’re lucky to have them.