by Dream_Merchant » Mon Aug 15, 2005 8:29 am
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*hugs Rio* No an easy decision -- I know all too well.
My top showjumper had surgery at the start of this year because of a breathing difficultly he had. His larynx had collapsed during his racing career (the flaps had sagged down and become parallysed) -- so it was like you or me trying to run a marathon breathing through a straw. Impossible!! And he was jumping 1.30m at the end of the year, and he was really struggling with, even started to stop near the end of rounds gasping for air, and he is a horse that WILL NOT STOP!! Which meant, something had to be done for him.
So off to Murdoch we went, and after the scope, he was booked in for the surgery the next week. I had just lost my other good horse a few months ago, and you can understand how edgey I was. Mum said I was like a mother expecting -- I was there from 6am when they first opened, stood in his box next to him, just cuddling him, with tears in my eyes. He keep nuzzling me and nickering everytime I went off to the loo or something, he was really worried. When they took him out of his box to prepare him for surgury, I was standing around the corner, anyway, he started calling out and going off his brain in the crush, Mum said he was gazing around and stuff, and said as soon as I came back in the room and he saw me, he calmed straight down and relaxed. Mum has always said he gets worried about things if I'm not around, I've never believed her until that day!!
Anyway, when I seen them cart my baby into the padded red room where they drop them down, I had tears welling in my eyes, then I heard the loud thud of him dropping down... from then, at 9am in the morning, until 1pm in the afternoon, I did not stop crying and weeping. I feel so pathetic when I think about it now. The main reason I was so worried is because he is such a fighter, if he is restricted in any way, he will break every bone in his body to get the hell out of there. So, been under I was worried for him because of all the normal complications -- however, my biggest fear was when he was to come out of the surgery and to wake up, I was so frightened he would fight the anesthetic that he would thrash around and break his leg (it has happened before in there on a rare occassion).
When the vet came out to tell me the surgery was a success, I completely broke down, poor guy freaked out and kept saying, "it's ok, he's fine, really, the surgery went fantastic"... it was mum that finally told him it was the waking up part that scared me the most, that he understood. Anyway, at the same time, the guy who is in charge of the anesthetic, came in to tell me that Sandy was a real fighter, kept trying to wake up on the table and fighting the anthestic, so he kept having to put him deeper -- just the dam news I needed to hear!!! So yer, for the next hour and a half while he was waking up (they gave him a heap of tranquilizer so that his body would wake up completely before his mind did, so that when he woke up mentally, he body would react to what he wanted to happen). Which helped him alot, naturally, I heard him bash around a bit as he got up, and heard him snorting in there (which I was told by a vet student there is normal, helping them clear the blood and gunk from their throat).
Finally, there staggered my dopey baby from the red room -- and yes, just after I had pulled myself together, I balled!! This time in happiness, and also when he seen me and nickered out, so sweet!! (pathetic thing is, I'm teary now remembering it!)
So darl -- after that LONG and WINDED tale, I know how hard it is, *hugs tightly* it's a decision that is hard, and to be there through the surgery is tough as well. Naturally, I was there each day for the first five days seeing him, holding my boy out to grass and such -- which the students said really helped him, because he would become upset when I wasn't there. I hope everything goes well for your guy -- keep us posted on how he goes!!
<font color=royalblue><i><b>Horse; you are truly a creature without equal - for you fly without wings, and conquer without a sword
NCAS Level One Coach</i></b></font>