We just got back from the hospital and thankfully Linus's surgery went well! Dr. Myhre said that there were no complications and everything went quite smoothly. Here are pictures of today's events! (Most were taken through a glass window, so I apologize for the poor quality.)
Dr. Myhre (second from left) preparing Linus for surgery on the table. Note the plastic exam gloves on his hooves to help keep the area as sterile as possible. The technician on the far right cleaned his entire abdomen with betadine solution. By the time this picture was taken, the temporary catheter is already in place.
Dr. Myhre assisting a technician in starting his IV. Apparently Linus has difficult veins to work with.
With a veterinarian and technician lifting his head and Dr. Myhre at the controls, Linus begins to gracefully lift off of the operating table.
The technician on the left is standing on the operating table monitoring Linus's vitals. Every few minutes she took notes of his heart rate, his breathing and the amount of drugs and fluids he was receiving. The machine she is standing in front of is the ventilator, and it is breathing for him.
Dr. Myhre, himself prepped for surgery, doing a final check of the ventilator and IVs. Here you can see the tubes for the ventilator going into Linus's mouth.
Dr. Myhre covering Linus with drapes to keep the area as sterile as possible.
The first incision with the help of Dr. Myhre's assistant.
The excess has been removed and now comes the delicate part of suturing the skin in place and recreating the end of the urethra.
The surgeons finishing up the last details. The tech in the background stayed next to Linus's head throughout the entire process and monitored his condition.
The table was lowered back down to ground level, where Linus was given an injection to begin reversing the effects of the anesthesia. The breathing tube was temporarily disconnected to put Linus's halter back on.
The vets prepare to move him back into the recovery room, strapping his hind legs together and then untying his front legs from the table.
Dr. Myhre covering Linus with drapes to keep the area as sterile as possible.
The first incision with the help of Dr. Myhre's assistant.
The excess has been removed and now comes the delicate part of suturing the skin in place and recreating the end of the urethra.
The surgeons finishing up the last details. The tech in the background stayed next to Linus's head throughout the entire process and monitored his condition.
The table was lowered back down to ground level, where Linus was given an injection to begin reversing the effects of the anesthesia. The breathing tube was temporarily disconnected to put Linus's halter back on.
The vets prepare to move him back into the recovery room, strapping his hind legs together and then untying his front legs from the table.
With a veterinarian and technician lifting his head and Dr. Myhre at the controls, Linus begins to gracefully lift off of the operating table.
With a few pushes and pulls, Linus heads for the heavily-padded recovery room.
About a half an hour later, he gets himself up to his feet and is slowly led back to his stall. His entire body was trembling from the anesthesia, and he was a little off-balance, but he made it back safely. Here, two of the techs remove his IV.
Linus will stay at the clinic for a few days. The catheter will be removed prior to coming home, and then he will be under the supervision of Dr. George. We are told to expect about 7-10 days before he is healed and pain free!
A special thanks to Dr. Grant Myhre and his wonderful staff! Also, a huge thanks to everyone who donated to Linus's cause! We couldn't have done this without you!
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A special thanks to Dr. Grant Myhre and his wonderful staff! Also, a huge thanks to everyone who donated to Linus's cause! We couldn't have done this without you!
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Whew, one hurdle jumped for Linus. Keeping him in my thoughts that the next few days are problem free.
ReplyDeleteI learned alot today! But I was so happy when I saw him walk about of the padded room and into his stall, even him he was shaking. That meant that his surjery is done and that he can go home in a couple days! <333
ReplyDelete~Lambert! <333
You did a great job telling this story with your writing and the images-I am glad all went well and hope all continues to go well!
ReplyDeleteWow I didn't know you could lift a horse by it's legs! Glad the surgery went well, here's hoping for a speedy recovery! :)
ReplyDeleteAmazing! Glad the surgery went well!
ReplyDeleteKeeping Linus in our thoughts.
how soon will they know if the surgery is succesful?
ReplyDeletePoor boy! Love the gloves on the hooves. He's so lucky to have so many to love and care for him. Get well soon Linus. Congrats everyone involved. Fantastic job.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's really cool that they have a viewing room and allow you to watch the surgery. It must have been very educational. :-) I'm glad that everything went as planned and he is on the road to recovery. He's such a sweet-looking boy and he certainly deserves this new lease on life.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I cracked up @ the little rubber gloves on his hooves! :-P Who would have thought?!
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear that the surgery went well
ReplyDeleteI think he realized what happened right before you took that last photo, lol.
ReplyDeleteWow! I learnt ALOT of new things today but it was very interesting! I am glad that the surgery is over and that he is feeling a little bit better! I can't wait to see him at the barn on Friday!
ReplyDelete~ Lucy! <33