August Updates

August 6, 2010

Sprig received both his left knee and left hip surgeries yesterday.  Dr. Williams felt he was strong enough to endure both so he's finished with surgery. He's got a screw in his left hip which they did with a small incision so that scar won't be so bad.  They attached nylon to the ligaments in his knee, drilled a hole in his knee cap and threaded the nylon through the hole.  He's got an external "cage" on his leg that will have to be left on for a couple weeks to keep it immobile so it can heal.

After 5 days of excruciating pain and 3 surgeries Sprig is finally back together!!!!  Now the healing process can begin. 



August 9, 2010

Today is Sprig's 3rd birthday. We took him some frostypaws frozen dog treats to celebrate but he was less than thrilled with the fake ice cream. He was however very excited to see us! The doctors say he's doing pretty well. He goes outside 5 times a day, assisted of course by 2 vet techs and a sling. He's eating a little, trying to put some weight on his legs. They've taken him off Morphine and IV fluids. He's on oral antibiotics, pain relievers and anti-inflammatories. Dr. Williams is a little concerned that he's constipated. He's hoping it's just the Morphine that made him that way so Sprig will get an enema and hope for the best. All in all, considering what he's been through he's doing good. He did play "poor pitiful me" when he visited us, something I'm sure we'll see a lot of over the next couple months.

August 11, 2010

 

We just got back from visiting Sprig.  He's looking better.  He was much more alert today but that may have been because Dad wasn't with us.  He's such a Dad's boy, he knows that being pitiful gets him anything he wants from Dad.  He had a little trouble getting comfortable when we first got there.  He was laying on his left side and I'm sure it's hard to find a comfortable spot with the external rod on his leg.  Once he found a position that worked for him he slept as long as I was touching him.  If I moved my hand away he opened his eyes and bumped me with his nose.  It made me feel better to see a little of the old Sprig in him!  When they took him back to his bed they slipped the sling under him to hoist him up and he didn't cry out this time.  He wasn't putting his right rear leg down today but he's trying to put a lot more weight on his left rear.  He wasn't moving his left rear leg a lot, kinda letting it drag as he went, but that's okay.  One baby step at a time.


August 12, 2010

The vet tech just called with my daily update.  She says Sprig is doing amazing!  He's moving himself around in his bed.  They're taking him outside more often to help him rebuild his strength.  He's using his front legs a lot and using his rear legs more and more each day.  Still no word on when he'll come home....soon I hope!


August 13, 2010

Sprig looked really good today!  He was awake the whole visit this time which is an improvement.  He had both back feet on the floor when they brought him in the room, not a lot of pressure on the rear right leg, but it was on the floor instead of just hanging there.  He was of course being "pitiful me" for Dad.  When the techs came in to take him back to his bed he wouldn't move at all as long as Dad was in the room, he has to make Dad think he's pitiful.  When Dad walked in the hall Sprig rolled over and pushed up with his front legs while the techs lifted his rear end and tried to go with me.  I think he's ready to come home too!

August 14, 2010

I just got off the phone with Dr. Stoll, one of the surgeons from ECVR.  She said she noticed yesterday evening that Sprig wasn't doing as well on his right side as he had been.  She took x rays to see if there had been any change and found that the fracture had shifted.  I'm still not exactly sure how or why or what that really means for that matter, all I know is he's got another surgery scheduled for Monday.  They're going to put a plate in his hip and try again to rebuild the joint enough to stabilize it.  Dr. Stoll said this is the best chance at repairing the damage.  The other option is to remove the femoral head, or the top of his leg bone, so it doesn't go into the hip joint.  Scar tissue would build up and provide a false joint to bear his weight but until then he would shift his weight to his left side.  Since he's already got a screw in his left hip and synthetic tendons in his left knee it can't handle all of his weight.

Also in the x rays, the screw in his left hip has backed out quite a bit. She's not too concerned with that yet.  He's still putting a considerable amount of weight on his left leg (I'm sure the problems with his right hip have a lot to do with that) so maybe scar tissue has built up around where the screw is and is making it more stable.  If that's the case she'll remove the screw all together.  If it's backing out but is still needed she'll replace it with a rod that will be attached to both hips.   

August 15, 2010

During our daily update from the clinic we learned that no one has a clue as to how his hip has taken a turn for the worse.  I can't help but wonder if our visits had anything to do with it.  We waited 6 days after his initial surgery before we went to see him so he'd have a little time to heal.  When we go in there, they bring Sprig to a room and he lays on a cold hard tile floor.  I really hope we didn't add to the problem.  We bought him an orthopedic bed yesterday, it really looks more like a mattress, so it will go with us from now on when we visit.

The tech I spoke with this morning was in tears talking to me.  She says they've all fallen in love with Sprig and hate that this has happened but promised they would get him fixed.  I've asked for copies of his x rays.  I still don't understand what they mean by "the fracture shifted" so maybe if I can see for myself it will make more sense.

When I got the call yesterday and it was the surgeon instead of the tech that usually calls I was so excited!  I had been told when he's ready to come home they'll set up an appointment and go over how to clean his left leg where the external skeletal fixator is attached, explain all of his medications, and show us how to properly help him get up and around.  I was sure when I answered the phone and it was Dr. Stoll she was calling to tell me we could take him home Monday.  How devastating to go from such excitement to hear her say Sprig's got to go back to the operating room.

August 16, 2010

I've been watching the clock all morning waiting for the call that he's going back to the OR.  I think that's the worst part....the waiting and wondering.  I couldn't wait any longer so I called.  Sprig's surgery for this morning got pushed back until this afternoon.  They had a couple emergency surgeries they had to take care of this morning so Sprig will go in when they've finished with those.  The surgeon will call me once he's come out of anesthesia and let me know how things went.  More waiting and wondering...

Sprig made it through another one.  He came out of surgery at about 7:00 this evening.  Once again I couldn't wait any longer and called them.  I didn't get to talk to a tech or a surgeon, just the one that answers the phone.  All I got was that he was out of surgery and waking up from anesthesia.  He got one implant completed today and the surgeon is very pleased with it.  She also said something about getting a second implant Wednesday.  I have no idea what that's about, I have to wait until tomorrow to talk to a tech to get all the details.  Maybe they're taking the screw out of his left hip....I don't know.

August 17, 2010

Sprig is resting comfortably today.  They have him mildly sedated to keep him still and allow his hip some time to set.  Apparently he's not good at being still.  He had been trying to stand on his own in his bed, well not really trying, the techs found him standing in his bed a couple times last week.  Hhmmm...I wonder why his hip reconstruction didn't hold.  At some point during all of his moving around he also broke the external skeletal fixator on his left leg.  The fixator is hinged at the knee but it's adjusted to only allow a very small amount of movement to keep him from disconnecting his new ligaments.  Luckily the doctors don't think he damaged his knee.  He'll get a new fixator this afternoon.  I hope they use a stronger material on this one, Sprig's a tough ole boy!

August 18, 2010

Dr. Stoll called last night to tell me how the surgery went Monday.  She said the fracture itself looks good.  Sprig broke the cement that was used to rebuild his right hip.  Dr. Stoll put a couple more pins in and added some cement.  She's pleased with the way it turned out.  She said he's putting a considerable amount of weight on his left leg and advancing it as she helps him walk.  She believes there has been just enough scar tissue built up already around the screw in his left hip to stabilize it.  At this point, and of course this is subject to change, she's not going to put a rod in his left hip and may even just remove the screw. 

She said it was still a little soon after the surgery to tell but she thought he was doing quite well.  There was even some inflection in her voice, something I haven't heard from her or Dr. Williams before now.  That in itself is encouraging.

Dr. Stoll also said we would get a call this morning to let us know how he's doing.  It's 1:15pm and still no call.  I called twice now, the first time I was told the tech was making her phone calls and I should hear from her shortly.  After an hour and a half I called back only to hear that he was resting and Dr. Stoll would give me a call this afternoon.  I'm not real impressed right now.  Aside from the doctor calling last night I've had to call everyday this week to get my update.  I think I'll forgo the phone call this afternoon and just go see the doctor in person this afternoon.

Dr. Stoll called about 5:00pm with my update.  She says Sprig's doing better than he was yesterday.  He's putting his right foot down on the floor (yesterday he was just holding it up) but not putting any weight on it yet.  There's some drainage coming from the incision.  Infection was one of the risks of doing a second surgery in the same spot.  She started him on stronger antibiotics today to try to get that cleared up.  We'll know in 24 to 48 hours if that's working.  He's still on a catheter so they don't have to get him up to go outside.  The longer they can keep him still the more time his hip has to heal which means we have to stay away for another couple days....I really hate that part.

Dr. Stoll is still not planning on doing anything about the screw backing out of his left hip right now.  She did say that could change at any time but she wants to give it a little more time. 

When I asked how confident she was that his right hip would hold this time she said there's about an 85% success rate.  Not as high as I'd like it to be but definitely better than none.  I think Sprig will make the final decision on if it holds or not.  He's been such a fighter throughout this whole process, sometimes even fighting a little too hard and doing more damage.

August 19, 2010

Sprig is doing okay this morning.  The drainage from the incision on his right hip hasn't changed any yet but we're still within the first 48 hours so hopefully that will start clearing up soon.  He did eat breakfast this morning!  They're still aren't moving him around during the day.  Dr. Stoll will get him up this afternoon to examine him and see how his hips are doing.  It will probably be Monday before we go see him so I don't have any new pictures either.  Not much of an update....

August 20, 2010

Not much of an update today either.  Sprig's doing about the same.  Dr. Williams is going to open the incision back up and pack it this afternoon.  I'm not real sure why Sprig keeps going back and forth between Dr. Williams and Dr. Stoll.  Anyway, he thinks that will help it heal a little faster.  My mother went through the same thing when she had open heart surgery.  It leaves a bigger scar but if it speeds up his healing and gets him back home I'm all for it. 

It's been a week now since we've seen him.  I hate that!  I have to keep telling myself the longer he can be there without us coming in and having him jostled around the better it is for him, but that doesn't help much.  Then I think about him being there so long without us and I can only imagine how he feels about it.  I don't want Sprig to think we've abandoned him!  I'm just ready for him to come home!!!!!!

August 21, 2010

It's been 3 weeks today since this nightmare began.  I'll be glad when I can wake up from it and know the worst is behind us.

I never received the call from Dr. Williams yesterday afternoon so at 9:00pm I called.  I was transferred to the back, as usual, and spoke to a girl that I would really rather not speak to again.  She told me the drainage in his left leg was better.  When I asked if Dr. Williams had opened the incision back up and packed it she said she had just gotten there and really didn't know what was going on but Sprig was "doing good".  First of all, there is no drainage in his left leg....it's his right leg!  Second of all, how hard is it to pick up his chart and scan over it to see how he's done that day???  I was livid! 

Our daily update is supposed to come between 10:00am and 12:00 pm.  At 1:00pm today I had to call since I once again did not receive a call.  I expressed my frustration over not getting my calls, about my experience with the tech last night, and explained that NC State Veterinary Teaching Hospital wasn't that much farther away, Sprig could just as easily be treated there!  Within 30 minutes Dr. Williams, who does not work weekends, was calling me to discuss Sprig as well as the problems I've been facing with getting information.  At least now I have a complete update!!

The infection in Sprig's right leg had gotten pretty bad.  As I said before it was a risk we knew about before hand.  Although it was a small risk, we were prepared for the possibility.  Dr. Williams reopened about 1/3 of the incision to allow for drainage and has it packed with gauze soaked in sterile water.  He said it takes a little time for the infected tissue to die off and healthy tissue to grow back and Sprig not being able to move around and increase the blood flow to the area may slow that process a bit but already it's looking much better!  They've got an e collar on him to keep him from licking the wound.  I can only imagine how mad he is about that!

Sprig is putting his right foot on the floor, sometimes on his toes instead of his pads, and he's advancing his leg when they move him.  It's a step in the right direction, each day a little better than the last.  He said his left leg is looking great. 

He said Sprig still has a long way to go but for now he's stable.  Once his leg heals they'll start him on more aggressive physical therapy to get him back to where he needs to be.  They don't want him doing too much too soon again.

The good news......we get to go see him tomorrow!!!!!!!

August 22, 2010

Sprig looked really good today!  He was awake and alert and even wagged his tail for us.  He likes his new bed.  He was much more comfortable during our visit than he had been previously when he had to lay on the tile.  He was scaring me laying right on the edge, but we made sure he didn't roll off.  He's still got his catheter in and his urine is still pretty dark.  The tech said they had just changed the packing in his incision and it's looking better. 

He was using his left rear leg to support himself, his right leg was just kinda hanging there.  I'm not sure if he'll ever regain use of it.  As long as everything heals and he's not in pain I'll be happy.  There are many otherwise healthy, active 3 legged dogs out there! 

Unfortunately there are only 2 exam rooms so our visit was cut short today when the clinic got busy.  Overall it was a good visit though.  I was glad to see my boy's spirits were back up.

August 23, 2010

Once again I waited until 1:00pm with no phone call so I called for my update.  The tech said Sprig is doing really good this morning.  He ate a huge breakfast, his incision is healing the way Dr. Williams hoped it would, his urine is a lot lighter today...all good news!  He had just been outside right before I called, bowel movements are normal. 

What an amazing boy!  He's been to hell and back the past three weeks with the initial trauma, then the set back of having to repeat a surgery and the infection that followed and still he's trudging on and getting better and stronger each day!  I can't wait to get him home again!!!!

August 24, 2010

Dr. Stoll took more x rays yesterday evening to see how things were looking.  So far so good, everything is still in place!  His urinary infection seems to be clearing up, the incision in his leg is looking healthy again, his appetite is back, and best of all his attitude is back.  Sprig has always been a vocal dog.  From the time he came home as a puppy he would "talk" to us.  And if he wanted to go outside and you weren't paying him any mind he would stomp his foot and huff at you.  I had never seen such a thing.  The techs have told me he's been "talking" to them.  They were worried at first, thinking he might be in pain, but have realized that's just part of his personality. 

Knowing Sprig is being himself, not angry or depressed, reassures me I've made the right decision.  There were a few times during this ordeal that I've had my doubts, wondering if I've just prolonged his suffering or if he'll come out of this a completely different dog (obviously he'll be different physically, I mean mentally). 

Thanks to all of you for your well wishes and prayers!  I believe they've made all the difference!

August 25, 2010

Sprig is doing about the same today.  He has started standing on his own for a couple minutes and moving around in his bed a little more.  They're taking him off the strong pain medication.  The tech said they think it's making him a little antsy.  I think he's antsy because he's ready to come home!  I did ask if she knew when Sprig would be able to come home, she said Dr. Stoll is out sick this week and Dr. Williams hasn't said yet.

August 26, 2010

Dr. Williams called last night.  He said Sprig is doing well.  His incision is healing nicely.  Dr. Williams closed about 30% of what he had opened.  Sprig is supporting himself on his left hind leg.  He's still not using his right hind leg much.  I told Dr. Williams we had come to terms with the fact that he may never be able to use his right leg and Dr. Williams said we would probably be surprised.  In 6 months he believes Sprig will be a completely different dog.  He said Sprig's enthusiasm was much higher last night, most likely a result of taking him off the narcotics. 

When I asked about a time frame on bringing him home Dr. Williams said he still has a ways to go.  He said how Sprig does over the next week will determine when he can come home. 

Dr. Williams is out of the office until Monday and Dr. Stoll is out sick this week, hoping to return Monday.  One of the emergency veterinarians will be taking over through the weekend.  I have a feeling I'll be calling for my updates the next few days!

August 27, 2010

We went to see Sprig yesterday afternoon.  Surprisingly the clinic was empty so we got to spend quite a bit of time with him.  He's licked all the hair off his left hind foot, hence the lovely collar he's wearing.  I'll have to ask Dr. Williams about that when he gets back.  I hope he's not trying to tell us there's something wrong with that foot.  His catheter is out as are the staples in his left leg and the small incision in his right hip.  I have no idea when that happened, I wasn't told.  The incision in his right hip is looking pretty good.  We were there before it was time to change the packing and although the gauze was pretty damp looking I didn't see any pus or nasty looking mess.

You can kind of see in the picture of him on his back (his absolute favorite position) that he's lost all muscle tone in his right leg.  I was thinking as I looked at him yesterday, it's hard to believe he was 129 pounds four weeks ago.  I'm sure once he starts physical therapy he'll be able to build some muscle back up.  And Sprig has always loved to swim!  I can't think of a better exercise for him to keep the pressure off his hips.  Of course he'll have to learn not to lunge from the bank like he used to do.

The funniest thing yesterday, my daughter was laying behind Sprig.  Sprig turned his head up and was looking at her face to face.  She told him he had pretty eyes and he immediately closed his eyes and would not open them back up.  I got so tickled!

When the techs came to take him back, Sprig's least favorite part of the visit, they were trying to get the sling back underneath him to help him get up.  Sprig pushed up with his front legs and sat right up!  It was a little awkward with his left hind leg sticking straight out, but he was sitting none the less.  I wish I would have had the camera ready!

 

August 28, 2010

Sprig is doing well today.  His incision is about the same. The tissue is healthy, they're just waiting for a little more healthy tissue to grow in. He's getting up to go outside, still assisted with the sling of course.  He's putting a considerable amount of weight and the flexibility is improving in his left leg.  I don't know how the flexibility is improving when he still has the external skeletal fixator on it, maybe they're adjusting the hinge in the knee.  I'm assuming the urinary infection has cleared up since he no longer has a catheter and they've not mentioned it the past few days.

The tech said Sprig slept like a baby after we visited him Thursday evening.  She said he slept well last night and was sleeping when she called today, too.  That got me wondering.....why is he sleeping so much?  He's no longer on narcotics so he shouldn't be sleeping all day and night.  Then I remembered something one of the techs told me Thursday while I was there.  Sprig, like any other dog I'm sure, doesn't like the "cone of shame" they're making him wear, but they take it off when he's sleeping.  I have a feeling he's not sleeping as much as they think he is.  If they keep watching I bet they'll see him peeking to see if anybody's looking!

August 30, 2010

We missed our update yesterday, I'm sorry about that.  Sprig's doing well, he's eating a lot, had just been outside before they called.  The tech said his urinary infection has cleared up.  His incision is still looking good.  And they have caught on to his "sleeping" so he's wearing his cone a little more now.

Not much of an update today either, everything's about the same.  But I'll take more of the same over another step backwards any day!

August 31, 2010

  

Sprig looked great today!  He was so excited to see us!  He walked in with just a little assistance and his tail was wagging like crazy once he laid down.  I even got kisses from him! 

The tech said he's doing good.  The doctors had taken some cultures during his last surgery and they got the results back.  The cultures tell them which antibiotics he should be taking so they switched what he was taking Friday and hopefully we'll see a better pace in his healing.  They're just waiting for the incision (I say incision but it's more like a hole now) in his leg to heal up some more so they can close it back up and then he can come home!!!!!!!!

If you would like to help with Sprig's medical bills please call Eastern Carolina Veterinary Referral at 910-790-1070 or use the donate button below.