Sukah’s Surgery
Good Afternoon!
I am happy to let you know Sukah had surgery on his leg last Thursday!
When we rescued Sukah, we knew he had been hit by a car when he was a puppy and in turn was left with a “bad” leg. When he walked, his right leg would bulge out a bit to the side causing an abnormal gate. He did quite well on it, but it was obvious he was in some pain and certain activities and times of day he seemed to favor it noticeably more than others. We had long hoped that we could have it fixed for him, but we weren’t sure if it had been too long since the injury happened or if there was anything anyone would be able to do for him.
A couple days after we brought him home the quest to try to fix his leg began. Our local vet took a few x-rays followed by some additional views a few days later. They were sent off to a radiologist for viewing. We were referred to Washington State University for an evaluation with a surgeon at their medical school. Unfortunately, do to Covid-19, we were put on a waiting list since appointments were very limited and consultations were put on hold for the time being. We were told it would be the end of June or July before they would hopefully be able to take a look at Sukah. Knowing this poor little guy had been living with this fractured leg for about a year, we didn’t want him to have to live with it any longer than he absolutely had too. So, Eric said, why don’t you ask Dr. Hardy (our farm animal vet) if she knows anyone in the Seattle area who would be good. Sure enough, Dr. Hardy had experienced surgery with her own dog and had just the Doc!
We called up Animal Surgical and Orthopedic Center and were able to schedule an appointment less than 2 weeks later with Dr. Alex Aguila for Sukah’s consultation. With a brief exam and previous records of Sukah’s, Dr. Aguila wasn’t convinced that he would be able to fix his leg. This was the news we were most nervous for, Sukah being a young active dog, we so hoped something could be done. So, Dr. Aguila advised a CT Scan and sedation so he could really move Sukah’s leg around and get some good images of not just the bones, but really get a look at what was happening with Sukah’s back end. He found a torn ACL in Sukah’s leg and an old fracture in his Tibia bone. There was also something going on in his ankle, but it was not mendable and fixing his other injuries was likely to help it out the most we could. Because Sukah was still a puppy when the trauma happened and wasn’t full grown, the Tibia didn’t grow properly and ended up being shorter than it was supposed to be. Dr. Aguila was very confident he could fix the ACL tear, a surgery he was quite familiar with, and he was also pretty confident he could make some adjustments to the alignment of the leg and help Sukah out that way as well. So, after long discussions, explanations, etc. Sukah was on the schedule for surgery for the following week.
In the mean time we were walking Sukah as much as we could without causing too much discomfort and he played hard a couple times each day with Maya in the goat yard, it was the favorite time of day for both of them. The morning of Thursday June 11th, Sukah and I woke up at 3:30am and headed over to Seattle for a 6:30am drop off time. He seemed a bit nervous on the way over, knowing something weird was up because neither of the girls came with us, we brought his bed and left at a terrible early time…this was not normal and he was not pleased! He sat up front with me the whole way…worry, worry, worry. And I was worried about him. He was less than pleased to be back at the vet and gave his best effort not to go inside. I told him it definitely was going to be the sh*#@ for a while, but in the long run it would all be worth it.
By noon we had a phone call that all had gone well and Sukah had done great. (of course!) What a relief! It is protocol that they stay the night, so pain can be managed and the nurses can watch over them.
9am the next morning I was there and ready to pick up the lil’guy. As drugged up as he was, he was still excited to see me! He hobbled out on his new leg and we lifted him up on to his cozy bed for the long ride home. We had to make a couple stops on the way home (details on that coming soon) but he was such a good boy and slept most of the way. He was so excited to be home, to see Dad and the girls. Eric put together a nice little kennel for him inside the house, so he can still be the center of action and feel a part of the family but be protected and contained where he can’t run, jump, or play during his recovery. We carry him over the stairs when we take him outside and he almost immediately pees and poos each time and is ready to come back in. We have lots of toys, chews, bones, etc. to keep him busy, but luckily for now the best recovery is rest and sleep. He still comes into the bedroom at night to sleep with us. He is such a tough little guy and such a trooper. No fun for now, but we have high hopes his future looks brighter than ever. It will be a long recovery with the first check-up in 2 weeks, followed by a 10 week. No running, jumping, or playing for 10-12 weeks, but at 1 ½ yrs old. it leaves a lot of time for that, we hope. :)
Thank you for all your well wishes, comments, calls and check ins on him! I would also like to send an incredibly HUGE thank you to a couple of supporters who have donated toward his surgery. We are so incredibly grateful and can’t thank you enough for your generous help. It means so much to us and to Sukah.
On the road to recovery!
~ Namaste