Today we went back to our veterinary clinic for Miles’ post-surgery appointment. The above image is of Miles in the waiting room, and I think it perfectly captures how he was feeling about being back at the vet clinic: trusting as possible, yet, very worried!!!
Even though Miles’ suture removal date was supposed to be 2-3 days from now, my gut reaction was that he should be looked at earlier than that. Miles’ doctor is away, so we saw another veterinarian at the clinic that we have seen before and like.
The vet looked through Miles’ file, and asked me how he was after coming home from surgery. I gave her a brief and factual description of what Miles was like. Being brief and factual in my “official” description wasn’t easy, given how difficult the experience felt: but I knew that summarizing the symptoms as factually as I could was important for establishing an accurate medical overview. The vet nodded after my description, and said, “Yes, the file also notes that he was quite slow to wake up…” She took a moment, and then said that it is clear given the list of symptoms and the time frame that Miles had a very strong reaction to coming off of the anesthetic. She made more notes in his file, so that if he ever needs surgery again, they can try a different mixture and quantity of drugs.
The veterinarian then told me that amount of scabbing and swelling around Miles’ sutures was uncommon, and it was clear his skin was having a strong reaction to the sutures (this is uncommon, given these are medical-grade synthetics!). Poor Miles! First the bad reaction to the anaesthetic, and then to the sutures? She said that if the swelling doesn’t go down soon, Miles will need to be looked at again, and to possibly go on antibiotics.
We both agreed that now that the primary sutures are out, that his recovery should speed up. The vet also said that there is another layer of dissolving stitches below the skin, and that Miles’ skin could be having a reaction to those too — so he really shouldn’t be overly active until they are likely to fully dissolve – which is in about two more weeks.
Below are some pictures from the last week of Miles’ recovery. For those of you that are interested, I am keeping an ongoing photo album of Miles’ recovery from surgery here.
Poor game Miles and poor Emma. Having been through several surgeries with my Kerry, I empathize with your anxieties before, during and after surgery. What a gift to finally see that terrier gleam returns after the days of medication. Congratulations on weathering the ordeal and also for removing the darn cyst.
Here’s to valiant dogs and loving owners!