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Miss Emmy's Ongoing Saga
Jan. 3rd, 2011 09:12 pmSo, on New Year's Eve (why does this always happen on the holidays?) I noticed Emmy was walking weird and when I went to pick her up, she yelled. Huh? I flipped her over and her tumour (which she was supposed to have excised this coming Friday) had nearly doubled in size. In less than four days. Now golf ball sized. Couldn't call the vet to move up the surgery date because of the holidays.
I fasted Emmy last night in hopes of being able to get her surgery done today. I called the vet as soon as they opened, and Dr Story said to bring her on in. I dropped her off and headed in to work an hour or so late. I left early from work this afternoon to pick her up. I have a lot of confidence in Dr Story, but I was really kinda dreading seeing Emmy post-op. Her last surgery was a tremendous ordeal, thanks to the butcher who operated on her without my permission.
I was fucking AMAZED at the job Roger Story did on Emmy. Absolutely beautiful surgical technique! She's got a huge incision (navel to vulva), but it's clean edged, precise, and stitched like a plastic surgeon. I damn near cried. No bruising, swelling, fluid pockets, mangled flesh, etc., like last time. Anesthesia technique was outstanding as well. She was already walking when I got to the clinic, and looking for food. A little glazed from the pain meds, but in awesome shape. When I compare this to the wailing, comatose, butchered mess I picked up from animal control after the last surgery-- well, there is no comparison.
He couldn't get clean margins-- we figured he wouldn't be able to-- but he removed what he could, up to the scar tissue from the last surgery. I had him show me the tumour (yeah, I'm morbid like that, ha ha)-- the damn thing is huge! There was so much more of it under the cutaneous tissue I'm amazed her was able to remove as much of it as he did. It literally is nearly the size of a baseball. He had to use the largest specimen jar he had (it's going off for a histopath), which is about the equivalent of a large size jar of mayonnaise. (For you non medical people.)
I am so pleased, I just can't tell you. She'll be uncomfortable for a while, and probably will have a little drainage and bruising, but that is nothing compared to last time. I'm just thrilled to have found such a competent vet in this town (population of about 11,000 in a rural county with an unemployment rate of over 19%). He practiced for years in a big Florida group, got tired of the rat race, and moved here to have his own clinic. His building is old but clean and well maintained, and he has all the medical toys. He also understands what a licensed veterinary technician can do, and he utilizes them. Something I've got to tell you is not the norm here in the backwards South.
Anyhow, Emmy had a light dinner and is currently snoring on her favorite dog bed in her crate. I'm going to go in to work a few hours late tomorrow so that I can be sure she's doing okay, but *knock wood* I think she'll be fine. For now. Until she springs another tumour on me. Sigh.
I fasted Emmy last night in hopes of being able to get her surgery done today. I called the vet as soon as they opened, and Dr Story said to bring her on in. I dropped her off and headed in to work an hour or so late. I left early from work this afternoon to pick her up. I have a lot of confidence in Dr Story, but I was really kinda dreading seeing Emmy post-op. Her last surgery was a tremendous ordeal, thanks to the butcher who operated on her without my permission.
I was fucking AMAZED at the job Roger Story did on Emmy. Absolutely beautiful surgical technique! She's got a huge incision (navel to vulva), but it's clean edged, precise, and stitched like a plastic surgeon. I damn near cried. No bruising, swelling, fluid pockets, mangled flesh, etc., like last time. Anesthesia technique was outstanding as well. She was already walking when I got to the clinic, and looking for food. A little glazed from the pain meds, but in awesome shape. When I compare this to the wailing, comatose, butchered mess I picked up from animal control after the last surgery-- well, there is no comparison.
He couldn't get clean margins-- we figured he wouldn't be able to-- but he removed what he could, up to the scar tissue from the last surgery. I had him show me the tumour (yeah, I'm morbid like that, ha ha)-- the damn thing is huge! There was so much more of it under the cutaneous tissue I'm amazed her was able to remove as much of it as he did. It literally is nearly the size of a baseball. He had to use the largest specimen jar he had (it's going off for a histopath), which is about the equivalent of a large size jar of mayonnaise. (For you non medical people.)
I am so pleased, I just can't tell you. She'll be uncomfortable for a while, and probably will have a little drainage and bruising, but that is nothing compared to last time. I'm just thrilled to have found such a competent vet in this town (population of about 11,000 in a rural county with an unemployment rate of over 19%). He practiced for years in a big Florida group, got tired of the rat race, and moved here to have his own clinic. His building is old but clean and well maintained, and he has all the medical toys. He also understands what a licensed veterinary technician can do, and he utilizes them. Something I've got to tell you is not the norm here in the backwards South.
Anyhow, Emmy had a light dinner and is currently snoring on her favorite dog bed in her crate. I'm going to go in to work a few hours late tomorrow so that I can be sure she's doing okay, but *knock wood* I think she'll be fine. For now. Until she springs another tumour on me. Sigh.
