ROCKY HAS SURGERY

13 APRIL 2010

At 1:15 p.m., Debbie writes:

This time it' for real. Rocky went into surgery about an hour ago. They said it would take four to five hours. When I have an update, I'll let everyone know. He'll need lots of AireZen.

At 4:30 p.m., Debbie writes:

I have just spoken with the remarkably-gifted surgeon Dr. Hoch, who performed nearly six hours of surgery on Rocky. She reported that it was the most difficult arthrodesis surgery she had ever performed. Her exact words were that it was just a mess and he was one remarkable dog for dealing with this very traumatic injury. It is her supposition that he was most likely hit by a car.

He was not fully awake when she called ,but she knew how anxious Lee & I were for news. Do you think that was because I called twice? Rocky has one plate, ten screws, four pins, and a half a spool of wire on the inside. On the outside, he has six pins and three metal bars fixing it all together. He may never make it through a checkpoint at the aireport.

Good thing all he has to do now is rest and get well. Rocky has a lot of energy. He is very spastic. The surgeon reported that she saw some of that today. Hmph, I see it every day. Our family vet has shared with the surgeon that Rocky is even more excitable when I' around, so they have asked me not to visit. That may be the hardest part for me.

He should be able to come home on Thursday. In addition to his pain meds, he will be coming home on sedatives to use as needed. He just can't be the boy he wants to be right now. North Carolina Airedale rescue along with Lee & I thank all of you who have already donated to help offset his mounting medical expenses. I will have pictures for all of you on Thursday.

BOB ANDERSON:
And now, the hard part . . . much AireZen & Love

JANIE MILLER:
AireZen to Rocky for a safe & speedy recovery!