Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Vet visit for x-rays

It started out as a simple vet visit to get baseline x-rays, but it ended up taking the entire afternoon and the better part of last evening.   The therapist at LSU wanted me to have x-rays taken of Joey's hips to see exactly where we are at the moment since they didn't take any after his hip surgery in Houston.

So I left work early yesterday to go get Joey and run him over to AVS to get his medical records from Houston entered into his records there, and to get those baseline post-surgery x-rays done for LSU.  First the vet tech attempted the x-rays but they were unacceptable, so the doctor re-did them -- still not good.  So they ended up deciding to sedate the boy so they could hold him still lying on his back without having to force his legs into position.  Poor guy.  When they brought him back and laid him back down on the table in the exam room, he crawled over and stuck his head under my arm, sighed deeply and conked out completely.  By the time they got done, it was after 7:30 in the evening.  The vet tech carried him out to the truck for me and laid him on the blanket in back and as soon as I started the engine he was out like a light.  I drove home and let the other dogs out and back in, got myself something to drink and changed into my boots, etc. for the barn and when I went back out to the truck he was still snoring, so I just left him in there and drove on over to the barn, fed the horses and cleaned the stalls (leaving the truck run with the A/C on, of course -- it is HOT down here right now).  By the time I got back to the house at 9-something and turned off the truck, he actually raised his head but that was about all he could manage.  So I got a big towel and lifted him with that and helped him walk back inside.  He stood for a minute and looked up at the bed where he normally sleeps and then apparently just said "the h... with it" and collapsed onto the rug and went back to sleep.  Poor guy.  I'm thinking they could have accomplished what they needed with a BIT less dope.  So I waited to feed everyone until after 11.  Once he ate, he managed to go outside and then I helped him climb up onto the bed.  So we pretty much wrote off the whole day yesterday.

On the plus side, Mark will be home tomorrow. . . eventually.  He was planning to get home about 10 AM, but it turns out BP has leased all the boats in the world so there were no crew boats available to bring them in from the rig!  They ended up having to arrange to use a boat that is carrying in the guys from a nearby rig AFTER they finish taking those guys in to the dock (too many guys for both crews to fit on the boat at once).  That means it will be supper time before he makes it home instead of morning.   But at least he will be home.

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