Angus. Vet emergency.

Last Saturday, we threw a party at home for my birthday.  The weather was windy, but the sun shone and our outdoor area is sheltered.  As people arrived, Angus went from person to person, greeting with a sniff and a wag. He seemed a bit quiet, but showed no sign of distress.  As the party progressed, comments were made about how well he was behaving.  All our friends know not to give any bones to Angus as bull terriers tend to swallow them whole and of course this can cause problems.  A friend came to tell me that Angus had vomited so I checked him over, found nothing out of the ordinary and let him be.  That night, he seemed restless and unable to get comfortable.  The following morning, my actual birthday, he refused food and just lay under the kitchen table, shivering.  I had a feeling that he had a blockage in his stomach and I know how serious this can be.  No vets are open on this side of the mountain so we decided to take him to the Animal Hospital in the suburb of Kenilworth over the mountain.  The vet there checked him out and had x-rays taken. He showed no discomfort when his abdomen was palpated and nothing showed up on x-ray so she sent him home after a series of injections.  The following morning we were at the Fish Hoek vet's door before it opened.  The night had been horrible, sleep impossibe with Angus simply lying still, pale and distressed.  The CD of x-rays was perused and a blockage was in fact visible.  An emergency operation had to be performed immediately.  Bull terriers are a breed who tend to only show pain when it is severe which makes diagnosis very difficult.  We waited, cell phones close by.  Eventually the call came and Angus had survived the operation, a long piece of an unidentifiable something had been lodged in his gut.  The problem with long objects is that many incisions have to be made to remove them.  As there were no staff available to do the night shift in hospital, we took a semi-conscious Angus home on a stretcher with a drip attached.  I am a paramedic, so I was allowed to do the necessary observations.  Angus, my husband and I had another sleepless night on the couches in the lounge and when morning came, Angus was extremely distressed.  We took him back to the vet and peritonitis or infection had set in, which is always a risk with gut surgery.  Another operation had to be done to check for leakage and to flush the abdominal cavity.  Angus stayed in the hospital for the night sedated.  I spent the evening wondering if I would ever see him again, trying to be positive and sending him healing. The outpouring of love for him from all our friends was massive and it helped us tremendously.  The vet called at eight the following morning to say that Angus had made it through the night, he made sure that I knew how critical Angus was and that it was touch and go at this point.  The reason for this is that the gut had been damaged due to a lack of oxygen to the tissue during the time that the object was lodged.  The dead tissue had been removed and the gut sewn closed.  Another night, this time sleeping on the floor, with Angus on a drip at home, medication to be given via the IV.  He insisted on moving around because he was so uncomfortable so we had to follow holding the drip bag high.

 Back to vet for a check up in the morning.  He had to stay for observation because his temperature had spiked slightly.  Once the team was happier with his condition, I went to collect him.  Armed with a bag full of drugs and special food, Angus came home.  His wound began to seep serous fluid so we attached a sanitary towel to his tummy to stem the flow. Last night was better and I was woken by a nose nudge at two am.  Angus was in need of cuddles which he got along with his pain medication.  This morning, Angus looks brighter and is eating and drinking.  I never thought I would be so excited to see dog poo on the lawn!  His wound has stopped seeping and we are hopeful that he is turning the corner.  This makes me realise just how much a part of my life my furry shadow is and how much of my heart he has stolen!  My grateful thanks to the vets who saved Angus and to all those who have enquired, sent love and positive energy to him.  Let the healing continue.