Our dog needs surgery

Our little multi-poo Jesse, has had a recurring back problem which apparently is common to this breed.  He has a disc in his lower spine that creates problems that until now has responded well to medication.  The problem surfaced again on Monday so our vet put him on medication again but he got progressively worse to the point where he now can’t walk.  One of his hind legs just won’t support him.  It’s so sad to see because although 12 years old, he’s a healthy, active little dog.  We were referred to a special veterinarian surgeon yesterday who is optimistic surgery will be 90% successful.  The cost?  We’ve been given an estimate of between $5-7,000.  The vet said our options were to either consider surgery or put him down.  We could not consider the latter. 

Jesse is part of our family and we’ve had him since he was six weeks old.  We’ve accepted all his idiosyncrasies and extreme separation anxiety.  That’s who he is.  We adore him anyway.

Four days later…..

I started this post and put it into “draft” until I had more information.  A CT scan indicated that Jesse had multiple herniations which put him at a slightly higher risk of further damage if surgery was performed.  The surgeon said he wanted to consult with the radiologist to get another opinion.  They concluded they could operate and the outcome should be about 90% successful.  We agreed to proceed.  The surgery was yesterday and the post op report was that it went “very well” and the radiologist was accurate in isolating the L 2-1 disc as being the one causing the most problem.  I spoke with the surgeon again this morning and Jesse is already up walking, albeit wobbly.  He predicts he should be walking normally in about a week.  We’re elated and can’t wait to have him home again.

We miss Jesse sleeping on our bed at night.  We miss him waiting outside the bathroom door while we shower.  We miss seeing him curl up on his favorite couch and rest his little head on the armrest.  We miss him racing to the door to greet us when we come home.  We miss seeing his excitement when we offer him a little piece of orange.  I miss him reminding me that it’s 9:30pm and time to go out.  Pets are part of the family and if you own one, you’ll be able to relate.