Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Butchy-Butchy-Bo-Butchy-Banana-Fana-Fo-Futchy

Yesterday was three months exactly since our veterinarians scuttled their attempt to remove Butch’s anal sacs. As we might have anticipated, those troublesome organs are still giving him problems.

Butch stayed on antibiotics for a few weeks after the aborted surgery, and for a few more weeks after that, I lived in a state of denial, trying to pretend I wouldn’t have to make a decision about what to do next. I obviously knew it isn’t healthy for Butch to have anal sac abscesses one after the other, and I knew he can’t stay on antibiotics indefinitely, but thinking about how close I came to losing him just scared the bejesus out of me. Finally, when he began spending way too much time with his nose stuck up under his tail, I knew I’d have to face my fears and take him back to the vet.

We did that two weeks ago yesterday. Butch does indeed have another abscess, and it needs to be cleared up before surgery is even an option. This time the vet did a bacterial culture, which identified three separate bacteria, and she prescribed a four-week course of antibiotics that are supposed to wipe out those specific bacteria. At the end of the four weeks, we’ll consider surgery again.

While I was at the vet’s office, I asked her to write down what anesthesia they were using when Butch stopped breathing. That’s information I want to keep handy in case Butch ever has to go to the emergency after-hours vet clinic. The vet gave me a written list and said she suspected either morphine or pentathol -- or the combination of both -- caused the problem. She also said it wasn’t that Butch had an allergic reaction to the anesthesia but rather that he went under too deeply. He’s had anesthesia on at least three previous occasions, so no one knows for sure why he had problems on that particular day.

The mention of morphine helped me to better understand Butch’s bizarre behavior in the hours after I brought him home following his near-death experience. During the hours he paced the floor and crashed into walls and furniture, he may well have been having morphine-induced hallucinations. I remember my mother’s description of something that happened when my over-90-year-old grandmother stayed with her for a while. Mammaw was taking morphine to reduce cancer pain. Mother woke up to noises in the middle of the night and discovered that my fragile Mammaw had pulled the mattress and all the bedding off her bed. She was also highly agitated about the "naked men" who were flying around the ceiling of her room. I don't know if Butch's hallucinations included naked men, but he was definitely agitated.

To wrap up this lengthy entry, let me tell you about one moment I treasured on Butch's most recent visit to the vet: I was sitting on the end of a cushioned bench in front of a window in the lobby, and Butch, on a leash, was standing at my feet. A woman across the room spotted Butch, did a double-take when she noticed he didn’t have eyes, and walked over to ask about him.

Butch accepted the woman's attention enthusiastically while I explained about the primary glaucoma, but he lost interest after she stopped petting him. After a few “oh, poor babies” and a couple of “bless his hearts,” the woman asked, “Does he have problems getting around the house?” Butch chose that exact moment to turn away from her, scrunch up his hindquarters and leap up onto the other end of the bench, where he sat facing the window, nosed the venetian blinds open wider, and basked in the sunshine on his face.

I was kind of surprised myself that he'd figured out the layout of the bench, the window, etc. That’s my good boy.

8 comments:

  1. Your sweet boy is so amazing. That story just made me smile -except for the surgery part. I hate he has to go through this. But I know his mom loves him so and will make the best choices!

    My Maggie had issues with going under too deep too. It was such a frightening thing to deal with.

    Butch will be in my thoughts and prayers in the coming weeks Velvet!

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  2. Let us know when he'll be having the operation so we can watch for updates. I know you'll be nervous that day, and I hope things go better this time.

    Butch is a wonder dog! What an answer to that lady's question. Give him a scritch and a hug from me!

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  3. You know it just may be ME, but my shepherd mix had several surgeries and I swear she had a personality change after each one. Not anything HUGE...but it was there. Then I read in an article somewhere that when humans are put out for surgery, so many brain cells die that it can cause a bit of a personality change. Just like when we humans have a broken bone...it lets something loose in our systems that can cause erratic behavior. I'm not a medical person so I know I'm butchering this...but I think you know what I mean. Anyway I do think that dogs may have the same things happen to them. Bless you, bless you for taking such good care of Butch...he certainly did get lucky. Oh and yes...aren't they amazing what they can do...sometimes its almost like they aren't even impaired. Shhhh don't tell Butch I called him impaired. He would be quite indignant I'm afraid. In the meantime, Butch will be in my prayers also.

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  4. Holly and Janet, it took two weeks to get the results of the bacterial culture, so Butch just started on the antibiotics this past Tuesday. It'll be more than four weeks before surgery becomes an issue again, but we'll appreciate the thoughts and prayers anyway. Thanks!

    Val, I've also read that anesthesia can cause subtle personality changes in humans. That's scary, isn't it? And yes, Butch is lucky, but I think I'm even luckier than he is. Through his blindness, he has opened my eyes to how easily a disability can be overcome with a positive attitude and a big heart.

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  5. I love that Butchy Boy! Give him some neck skruffies and a hug from me and the greyhound kids. Carmon

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  6. And there you have it. Reason number way up in the teens now why I love that dog!

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  7. Had to comment on Val's comment. I've been under three times in the last three years, and I don't think I've changed. Well, I think I might be a little more forgetful, but that might be my age. What was I talking about? ;-)

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  8. Carmon, Butch's neck has been scruffled, and he says thanks.

    Duly Inspired, Butch has a big heart and so do you.

    Janet, I don't think the personality change is something that *always* happens, just something that *can* happen. I've been under anesthesia a few times, too, and have never noticed any difference. Although there was that attempted bank robbery after the knee surgery...and the unfortunate brief marriage to the itinerant farm worker after the hysterectomy.

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