IVDD Surgery

Almost three months ago, I went to the vet to have IVDD surgery.  I'm finally ready to talk about what happened.  There's too much to tell you all in one post, though.  Today, I'll just tell you about my experience from surgery day until getting picked up to go home.

My people took me to a new vet.  The sign said Central Texas Veterinary Specialty Hospital.  I was kind of scared to go to this new vet, but I was also excited because I had so much pain and my back legs weren't working right.

There were a lot of dogs in the waiting room.  Some looked like they were in bad pain.  They were in the right place to get better, though.

After a short wait, I met a new doctor who was very nice.  He had me walk for him and then he said, "It looks like IVDD. We'll run an MRI to be sure."

Dr. BevanHe took me to another room and some people started doing things to me.  The next thing I knew, I woke up in a kennel at the hospital.  The pain was gone!  However, I couldn't move my back legs at all.  I was also very, very tired.  Also, I had some strange string in my back, and I was missing some fur.

It was very strange being at the hospital, but the people made me feel safe and secure.  They talked to me nicely, and they gave me a cool scarf that had a bunny on it.  It said, "Bugs Bunny" on it.  They must have heard that I like to bug bunnies by barking at them!  It's my specialty, and they knew it.

They did some strange things, though.  One thing they did was help me pee by squeezing my stomach area.  I couldn't pee on my own for some reason, so I was glad they helped me.  The really strange thing they did was pinch my back paw until I yelped in pain!  When I yelped, they said that was a very good thing.  They said that I passed the deep pain test.  I thought it was a stupid test. :-(

After a couple days, my people came to get me!  I was so excited that I almost jumped off the table!

Greeting my people!Before I could go home, the vet gave my people some pills for me.  They also showed them how to press my tummy to make me pee.  They had trouble, but they figured it out.  They also said that I needed 6 weeks of strict kennel rest.

I was so happy to get out of there!

They put me in my kennel in the car.  This was also different since I usually have my own special seat.  I didn't really mind riding in my kennel, though.

As we drove home, I wondered what would happen?  How could I guard the house without my back legs working?  What was "strict kennel rest"? Would I ever be able to walk again? Why was my mind so foggy? (It almost felt like that time I ate the wrong kind of mushroom.)

Going home! What next?I knew that the answer to all those questions would come in time.  What I knew now was that I was going home, and I was going to be with my people.  No matter what else was going to happen, that made me so very happy!