Ivan and Peggy Spend the Day at the Vet Hospital

 

      Our little Ivan had dental surgery a few weeks ago. Due to his kidney issues, he had to have IV fluids for 24 hours before the surgery. This was potentially a big problem. In 2009, my puppy boy had bowel surgery and had to stay at the vet hospital for several days, so he really doesn't like being there. As long as I’m with him, he’s OK. I stand by the examining table and hold his head for blood draws, etc. and he’s really good.

     When we made the appointment, I told Dr. Jennifer I’d sit on the floor, anything, if I could stay with Ivan while he was getting IV fluids. And this is where a good rapport with your vet pays off.  Our kind vet allowed me to stay with Ivan most of the time, which was really better for everyone. Ivan would be scared if I left him, I would be sick with worry, and the vet staff would have a very difficult time.

    Ivan and I arrived at the vet the morning before his surgery and were installed in the comfort room. I had two little donut beds, his blanket, a fuzzy toy, his lunch and dinner in a cooler, treats, and a backpack with books, iPad, bottles of water, etc. It looked as though we were moving in. I stacked Ivan’s donut beds on the couch next to me and they hooked up the IV.
       As long as I was there to hold him when they checked his IV and tell him what an amazingly good boy he was, everything went well. They checked on us every hour, and we had a switch to flip if we needed help sooner. Ivan napped in his cuddle bed and I sat next to him, reading and talking to my little guy. Every three hours I took him out for a potty break. At noon, I fed Ivan and Eric stopped by to stay with Ivan so I could eat lunch. Ivan and I hung out together all afternoon and I served his dinner at six.

 

The vet staff had told me I couldn’t stay all night because there are fewer staff people around and it was sort of against policy. Dr. Jennifer and I discussed how to deal with this, since Ivan was not going to be happy when I left. They decided to give him a mild sedative that wouldn’t hurt his kidneys. They were going to administer this at 8:30 pm, but fortunately for us, they were running late and didn’t get around to us until a bit later. They gave him the sedative and Ivan was soon groggy. They said he should stay groggy for 12 hours. I was somewhat dubious about this. I told them I would sleep in my clothes and they should call me if there were ANY problems. I live close by and could come at ANY time.

I went home, ate dinner, showered, changed into clean clothes and went to bed. At 3:45 am the phone rang. I answered it on the first ring: Ivan was no longer groggy. The tubing to his IV fluids had come undone, and he wouldn’t let the vet staff touch him. I was out of the house in 5 minutes and arrived at the vet at 4:02 am.
    My poor baby was at the back of his crate, looking very worried. I took him out to potty, and then they reconnected the tubing. I believe a staff member was sleeping in the comfort room, so we settled in an exam room. They spread several blankets on the floor, I put Ivan’s little cuddle bed in the middle of the blankets and sat next to him. He soon went back to sleep.

       Dr. Jennifer came in around 7:30 and said, “They told me you had to come in.” I said, “No problem, I got about 4 hours of sleep.”  Eric arrived at 8 to pick us up. They unhooked the IV and off we went to the doggy dentist in St. Louis.

      Due to their insurance and legal requirements, I couldn’t hold Ivan for blood tests at the doggy dentist and my poor boy had had about enough. He tried to eat the dentist so had to wear a little cloth muzzle for the blood test to check his kidney levels. Thanks to all the IV fluids, his creatinine levels were in the normal range, so a quick sedative shot and then he was falling asleep. When he was a sleepy little noodle, I carried him to the operating table and then we Waited. He did beautifully.

   We were able to take my puppy boy home that afternoon. Dasa was so glad to see her Ivan, and we were all relieved to be home together again. Ivan’s face was a little swollen after the surgery, but he came through in excellent form.

       Fortunately, we have a very understanding vet who worked with me to make this procedure as stress-free as possible for our little puppy boy. A few days after Ivan’s dental procedure, I took apples, oranges, chocolate chip bars, and a thank-you note to our vet and vet staff. I’m very thankful for the kindness and consideration we receive at our vet hospital. I’m grateful they understand how much we treasure Ivan and Dasa. Sometimes when I arrive carrying one of the Munchkins, someone will remark on how cute they are. The receptionist will then say in a stage whisper, “They’re a little spoiled.” To which I reply, “They’re not spoiled, just loved,”  and everyone smiles at my baby.

 

 Ivan at home, convalescing.