Missy's Hip Replacement Page
On Wednesday, May 24, 2000 I took Missy the long 125 mile trek to OSU for her scheduled evaluation and surgery the next day. Dr. Hinton (and student) evaluated Missy to insure she was a good candidate for a hip replacement. Then the next day the perform the surgery and if no complications, the following day she can go home. That was the plan anyway. Turns out Missy was having another allergy flare up and had a bit of a skin infection and lick granuloma in her back left lower leg. Not to mention they were concerned about her lymph node still being swollen. They refused to do the surgery until all was cleared up. They offered to have the Dermatology group take a look at her and recommend a course of action. I agreed, but, since it was late and they needed time to check her out I chose to stay over night in Columbus. Missy's first night staying somewhere other than home. The next day I met with Dr. Cole to discuss treatment for Missy's problem (Pyoderma). I was given an E-collar, shampoos, topical ointments, and a whole host of drugs with a strict regiment. In 30 days if everything was OK we would make another trip to Columbus. Things went well for a week. Missy truly hated her E-collar. Then she began to cry out every so often when she laid down. I figured it was her hip. The next morning she wouldn't get up...would even lift her head. She just laid there whimpering. I tried to her her lift her head but she cried louder so I left her alone. When I left to call the vet she walked into the room. I guess she forced herself to get up. A visit to the vet (this dog is costing me a fortune) and a shot of steroids brought good results in a few days. The thinking is she must have caught the E-collar on the the steps as she was climbing them and fell backwards twisting her neck. About 10 days later things got worse again so the vet gave Missy another injection. A few weeks later she was doing very well. Well enough to make the return trip to OSU to have her checked out. On June 29, 2000 we made the return trip. Even with not using the E-Collar or doing all the shampoo's because of her neck Dr. Cole gave Missy a clean bill of health. Dr. Hinton took a quick look at her and gave the green light for the next step....the surgery.
The soonest I could get Missy's surgery scheduled was August 1st, 2000. Once again I made the long trek up. A new surgeon, Dr. Brourman and Mike (student), evaluated her. She was accepted and scheduled for surgery the next day. Since I couldn't find anyone to stay with KP and Bo I had to return home that night. I really wanted to stay. The next day someone was to call me when the surgery was done. When no one did I called them at 4:45 PM (OSU phones are switched to voicemail at 5 PM---ain't that a crock of shit?). After being on hold for ever Mike told me they cancelled her surgery because of her low protein. I was furious that no one called me. I told him everyone one was aware of this and that my vet check with Dr. Olmstead who said it wasn't a show stopper. Apparently OSU, a Research 1 institution, keeps shitty files that don't include simple IMPORTANT discussion notes. Mike said he would confer with Dr. Brourman and get back to me. They decided to go ahead with the surgery. On August 4th she finally had the surgery. Once again I received no call so I rushed to call them and had to leave a message. Mike called me back about 6:30 PM to say everything went well even though Missy developed diarrhea from all the stress of being in a strange place. She even let loose on the table as they were putting her on it. Yet the surgery went well. He said to call Saturday morning to make sure everything was OK for Missy to come home. The next day I called and she was OK for pick-up. She was never so happy to see me and damn near drug me out of the place, new hip and all. After Dr. Aper gave me 2 pages of instructions we were on our way back home.
First post-op meal at home, she nibbled
and that was it.
All she wanted to do was sleep. Here are some more pictures of the suture,
doesn't it look good? :
Missy did manage to get a few staples out so when I went out she was in the cage with the E-collar. By the time she went in to have them removed she only had 1 out of 8 left. Now for 6 more weeks of very restrictive activity and caging. Although, I did let her out when I was home and could keep a very close eye on her. For the first week I carried her up and down the steps so she could eliminate. But, when she got out through the doggie door, I forgot to shut, and down the steps I realized she was OK. A quick call to Dr. Brourman confirmed that she could do steps provided she was on a lease and not allowed to bound up or down them.
At the six week period Missy was doing great. She took steps with no hesitation, wanted to play with Bo and me, it was like she was a new dog. A follow-up call and discussion with Dr. Brourman resulted in the green light for gradual increases in her activity. I scheduled a return visit for her 3 month x-rays on November 2, 2000. The x-rays showed everything was perfect...yippee...man they were the neatest x-rays I ever saw. So crisp and clear. You could see everything so well. One thing is for sure, when Missy dies and I get her ashes back I'll know it's her because of the stainless steel implant that better be there. Since Missy was doing so well with only one good hip we decided that the other wouldn't be done. Good thing since I ended up needing the money for Bo's surgery. According to the vet only in about 20% of the cases does the second hip need to be done.
OSU was a great hospital. I just wish they had better people skills. If it wasn't for Dr. Hinton who made a great first impression and took time for me I would have likely gone somewhere else....except OSU was the closet by a few hundred miles and the leaders in animal hip replacement surgery. I'd love to work there.
THIS PAGE LAST UPDATED ON 11/28/2004 at 11:32:14 AM
