Tusker is in Recovery...

 

hoping this emotional roller coaster can at least stop spinning a bit now.  the past two days I have spent hours in my car in front of veterinarian clinics.  i mean literally 5+ hours yesterday and 3+ the day before. the temperatures last night were around 5F.  thankfully i was in the CR-V with it's heated seats and warmth.  went through nearly a tank of gas idling...my apologies to the environment.  i turned the car off often but it was chilly out there. 

it's been Tusker will die, he might die, he will die, he might die. he finally went to OR in the wee hours this morning.  i'm so grateful to the tech at Pet Emergency for allowing me inside to sit with him from around midnight until 1:30 am when they took him to prep for exploratory surgery. 

it must have been a long surgery.  i had finally headed home at that point.  when i was back in the cold i became pretty chilled driving home.  i was not able to sleep because i was chilled, too exhausted and too worried.  Dr Riddles seemed to be leaning on the cancer side.  i figured i'd get a call pretty quick saying they opened him up and he was full of cancer.  i knew they would know that immediately.  

hours past and i didn't get a call.  i dozed off, woke up, still no call.  had a sicker animal bumped his surgery.  i took some comfort in a long surgery possibility as that would have meant they found something repairable.  Dr Riddle called me at around 7 am. 

my sweet Tusker had made it through surgery and was in recovery. 

he had a stricture.  the cause of this is still unknown.  a sample has been sent to rule out cancer. 

behind the stricture was a collection of stuff.  the vet described it as being like you opened your vacuum

just tons of hair and dirt....the only thing i can think of is that he drags his bowl across the floor each meal and then slowly eats off the floor...perhaps he has been a vacuum all these years.  did he have a congenital stricture that just over time bogged up or is there a cancerous process causing the stricture or did he have some sort of partial obstruction that caused an irritation that led to the stricture.  clearly i need to vacuum more!!!!

it's out at this time.  the vet last night removed part of the small intestine and put the ends back together and then put a patch of healthy intestinal material over that to help protect from leakage.  that is the next worry is that this will not hold and that bowel material could leak into the abdomen cavity causing an infection.  

the vet from the first clinic Midnight Sun just called me as i called to give them an update. they had gotten an update from Dr Riddles so she said she'd send me the intra-op photo's he sent her.  everyone has been so nice.

sitting with Tusker in the clinic last night reminded me of those happy days working with animals and made me want to return to vet care after i retire from human care even more.  it was comforting just to hear the sounds of the clinic. 

he will be in the hospital for several days i believe.  he has an nasogastric tube in place.  draining at this time but they may need it to feed him, even a trickle feed in a few days to get him started. 

for a time it was a concern that this was colon but the barium study showed the blockage was in the jejenum.  so that was promising.  at least something could be done there.  dogs do not get colostomies like humans do...can you imagine? well, who knows it could be done i suppose.  

never say never.  if you told me years ago i'd be willing to spend this amount of money on my pet i would have been aghast.  the price of care has gone up so much. i do miss the discounts i got working in the business...i do have dog insurance so i pay up front and then get a refund back.  with Ivy's surgery it was over half of what i spent.  fingers crossed my financial burden is lifted a bit with this expense as well. this was more expensive than that.  what are you going to do?  i love these dogs and i have grown pretty dependent on them through the pandemic.

they are a huge part of my life and my emotional support.  the thought of losing him brought me to tears several times last night. 

Ivy did not seem too disturbed that Tusker was not home.  she snuggled in with me and seemed so chill...it felt like she was saying he's gonna be fine Mom, just sleep. i took her message and after i reheated i slept off and on.  i woke several times to check and make sure i hadn't missed a call. 

the stair railing looks so much better in the dark stain...admittedly i still have a little bit left to stain on the rail...i have to get on a ladder for that part.  lazy won. 

forget me nots...i love these delicate little flowers

i have had an outpouring of love and support from all parts of my life. it has been greatly appreciated.  

so many prayers and positive thoughts directed at Tusker and myself.  many thanks for this. 

before and after. 

i have more hope today that Tusker will be romping on these beaches again next summer.

they said i could visit as long as it's not too busy.  better get my day started.  Ivy will need a walk...as will i, to clear my head a bit. 

i have to call in after 5 to check on jury duty.  yes, i still have that lingering over me. 

i had hoped to get a little tree for myself yesterday.  i woke early and walked Ivy and then came home to rewarm and take a nap before meeting friends for a short festive light viewing and then heading to the clinic to get Tusker. 

will have to make some sort of schedule for today. 

one thing i know...it is Ivy who moves things around the house while i am at work or out and about. i always assumed it was Tusker. 

i miss him being here.  we are a pretty tight group. carrying only one leash on the walk yesterday felt heavy and i waited for him to jump out with Ivy at the park. 

he did get to ride in the front seat of the new car this weekend..will i ever be able to get him in the back again.  haha.  he is so spoiled, but he deserves it.  

better get this day started.  calmer already....waking to positive news was wonderful.  again thanks to so many for the kindness these past few days. you are never alone in this world. 

something i like about me....my love of animals.  it has been amazing to share my world with pets but to also work with animals over the years in various capacities, whether it was being a vet tech, volunteer zoo keeper, volunteer at bird center in Ketchikan, volunteer necropsy of sea otters, walrus advocate.  that love has given me some amazing life experiences.  thankful for A.  that Tusker is in recovery mode when he could have easily been in a very different place now.  B.  great vets and care up here in Alaska C.  amazing friends and family who actually like me and support me.