Who'da thought when we picked out this adorable Boston terrier puppy back in March we would end up putting her through risky surgery to save her life? She seemed so healthy. Until.
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| Precious puppy! |
At four months we took our newest family member to the vet for spaying and docking her unusual long tail. Boston terriers just aren't supposed to have long tails, and Dr. B. said since the docking wasn't done shortly after birth, it could easily be done while she was under anesthesia during spaying surgery. As much as we hated to put her through that, we knew she would heal quickly. She went through the surgery like a champ and challenged us, even dared us, to keep her quiet the first week of recovery.
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| Comfy in her kennel with her pink blanky |
The time passed quickly, however, even with her having to stay in her kennel more because she tended to be too playful. I had noticed that she seemed a little thin, and that when she inhaled during breathing, her sides would suck in harder than seemed normal. Dr. B.'s new colleague, Dr. H., noticed the abnormal breathing as she examined Stella's incision. She wanted to take an x-ray, and her suspicions revealed a hernia in Stella's diaphragm that had allowed her abdominal organs to move into her chest cavity!
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| So playful! |
The doctors think that the surgery caused a difference in pressure which sucked the intestines, liver, and other abdominal organs through the hole in the diaphragm and around her heart, collapsing one lung. At first we thought we would have to take her to a specialist in Dallas but Dr. B. decided he could perform the surgery, and we trusted him to do it.
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| All tuckered out. Look at that tongue! |
To watch her now you'd never know how close we came to losing our sweet baby girl. She's just as active and mischievous as ever, thanks to two perceptive and skillful veterinarians. We hope to enjoy little Stella for many years to come.
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| Looking very thin before her problem was identified. |
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| Now healthy and happy with Daddy. |
XOXO
#Bostonterrier #puppy #dog #veterinarian #pets #veterinarysurgery #congenitaldefectsincanines
Labels: Boston terrier, dog, pet surgery, veterinarian
