Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Surgery Day!

We just got back from the hospital and thankfully Linus's surgery went well! Dr. Myhre said that there were no complications and everything went quite smoothly. Here are pictures of today's events! (Most were taken through a glass window, so I apologize for the poor quality.)

Dr. Myhre (second from left) preparing Linus for surgery on the table. Note the plastic exam gloves on his hooves to help keep the area as sterile as possible. The technician on the far right cleaned his entire abdomen with betadine solution. By the time this picture was taken, the temporary catheter is already in place.


Dr. Myhre assisting a technician in starting his IV. Apparently Linus has difficult veins to work with.


The tecnician on the left is standing on the operating table monitoring Linus's vitals. Every few minutes she took notes of his heart rate, his breathing and the amount of drugs and fluids he was receiving. The machine she is standing in front of is the ventilator, and it is breathing for him.


Dr. Myhre, himself prepped for surgery, doing a final check of the ventilator and IVs. Here you can see the tubes for the ventilator going into Linus's mouth.


Covering Linus with drapes...


The first incision with the help of Dr. Myhre's assistant.


The excess has been removed and now comes the delicate part of suturing the skin in place and recreating the end of the urethra.


The surgeons finishing up the last details. The tech in the background stayed next to Linus's head throughout the entire process and monitored his condition.


The table was lowered back down to ground level, where Linus was given an injection to begin reversing the effects of the anestesia. The breathing tube was temporarily disconnected to put Linus's halter back on.


The vets prepare to move him back into the recovery room, strapping his hind legs together and then untying his front legs from the table.



With a veterinarian and technician lifting his head and Dr. Myhre at the controls, Linus begins to lift off of the operating table.


With a few pushes, he heads for the heavily-padded recovery room.


About a half an hour later, he gets himself up to his feet, and is led back to his stall. His entire body was trembling from the anestesia, and he was a little off-balance, but he made it back safely. Here, two of the techs remove his IV.



Linus will stay at the clinic for a few days. The catheter will be removed prior to coming home, and then he will be under the supervision of Dr. George. We are told to expect about 7-10 days before he is healed and pain free!

A special thanks to Dr. Grant Myhre and his wonderful staff! Also, a huge thanks to everyone who donated to Linus's cause! We couldn't have done this without you!

1 comment:

  1. I'm so glad to hear the surgery went well! I know from experience how nerve wracking it is while they are under. Best wishes for a quick and uncomplicated recovery!!

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