Spot Updates

Tuesday Nov. 7 : Picked Spot up from the emergency vet to take her to the regular vet... She had some water on her own from a bowl. and had turned herself over and was sort of sitting up...  She looked much better this morning than last night, we are still looking at taking her down to Tufts.  We got a rough estimate from them this morning, anywhere from $3000-$3500 (gah)  so we are also trying to get a rough estimate from the emergency/regular vet/orthopedic surgeon in order to compare which would be best in the long run. (please note that if either the regular vet or emergency vet thought she needed to go to Tufts, she would already be there estimate be damned)  She was licking the staples on her sides so they were thinking about wrapping her back up for a bit.  I will post another update when I hear back from the regular vet with an estimate.
update : Spot is going to Tufts today.  A wonderful man has offered to help us make sure that Spot gets all that she needs.
another update : Spot is safely admitted at Tufts.  They checked her over and admitted her, she gave the Doctors lots of puppy kisses to insure good treatment :)   She will probably be seen by the orthopedic surgeon sometime early tomorrow..  It is going to be awful not being able to see her everyday, but we know that this is the best/fastest way to get her back up and running ASAP.  She still had a little bit of a fever and the ER doctor who evaluated her was a little concerned about the fact that the toes on her bad leg were cold.. we should hear some time tomorrow afternoon what the plans are for surgery/treatment.

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Wednesday Nov. 8:Well we just got a call from Dr. Blazer (who will be Spot's Dr at Tufts) They looked at her leg last night, and there is an infection in her foot.  They are going to take more X-rays this morning and take a closer look at her leg (while she is sedated) They still think, though, that they are going to be able to save the leg.  The estimate has gone up but along with what we have many generous people are offering there help so the $5000+ will be within reach.  Another special thanks to everyone who is helping out with this, emotionally, financially or otherwise.  We should hear from the Dr again later today and I will update again then.
Update: So  Dr Blazer called us tonight around 6:30 pm...  The leg is in really bad shape.  She said it is basically our decision, they will try to save it, which will entail multiple surgeries and lots and lots of recovery time, like months OR we can opt to have the leg amputated in which case she will face a quick surgery on Monday and probably be able to come home on Tuesday.  We haven't made a final decision yet, although we are leaning to the amputation, it will mean both a shorter recovery time for her as well as getting her back home sooner.  We don't have to make a final decision right away as she won't be scheduled for surgery until Monday no matter our decision.  So we have some time to think about what each decision will mean both for us & for Spot.  

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Thursday Nov 9:Well, after much discussion, we have made the decision to have the leg amputated.  She could be home within days and back up and around in a much shorter time than if we went ahead with the surgery that is not even guaranteed to work.  It was a difficult decision but we decided that it would be the best for everyone.  Spot will be up and around sooner, and we will get our puppy back sooner.  We will have more info on how long it will be before she can come home and what kind of post surgery care she will need after we talk to the Dr. later today. 

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Friday Nov 10 :We are going down to see Spot tonight, we will talk to the Dr again & see how Spot is feeling, I am taking her a new chewie toy, but I am not sure if they will let her have it... but it can't hurt to try.  We are going to go down right after work, since our daughter is  here at the office with us.  It is easier than driving all the way to the hospital tomorrow afternoon.  I will add more after we get home & have talked to the Dr.
Update:  Well we saw a 4th year and spoke with her regarding our options... we are going to have them remove the leg, if anything speaking with her just made us feel better about the decision we had already made.  Spot looked great, she was very happy to see us.  I got to give her a little chewie toy and they told us that she has been eating and drinking & going to the bathroom on her own, they let her out of her kennel about every 4 hours to walk around a little, she is starting to put a little weight on the left leg (the one with the broken pelvis) so they are anticipating a swift recovery after the surgery which will happen on Monday.  The Dr.  that we talked to has taken a real liking to Spot (who could resist) and even admitted to sneaking some chicken in for her today.  She was rather upset that her rotation ends on Monday and Spot will get a new caregiver. 

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