Introduction: Roo and Java (13 y/o Labrador retriever x) adrenalectomy advice

Roo -

you must be so thrilled to get such a good report on her after just getting out of surgery hours ago!! Way to go Java!!!!!!!!! I know its hard not to worry (believe me I know) but I hope you get some sleep the next couple of nights cause she will need her Mom when she gets home!!:):) HUGSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roo,

All of the news is wonderful, as good as you could possibly hope for at this point. I think Java is well over half way out of the woods now. I hope you will be able to visit her soon.

Ken

That is really good to hear.

Terry

Wonderful news. Continued strength and love sent your way as dear Java recovers from surgery. Kim

Hi Roo - Just checking in to see how Java istoday?? Hope all is going well. Will check back:)

I'm happy to report that Java is at home today. Our vet was thinking of keeping her until Friday but he thought it would be better for her to be at home. He said that she was constantly looking for us and nervous, and he thought she would be more likely to eat if she were at home. Java got wonderful care while she was in the surgical facility, they encouraged us to call at any hour of the day or night. The woman who works in the evening even brought in some plain pasta for her to see if she would eat it. The whole staff is fantastic, and Dr. Bookbinder is very skilled and compassionate towards the animals he is treating.

It's pretty obvious that Java has been through a lot. Right now she is having a little trouble with her back legs and getting up, I think because of the abdominal incision. She had her left knee repaired a few years ago, that seems to be the one that is giving her trouble. The doctor thinks she may have been laying on that leg most of the time and was lame from that. She was not very interested in eating today after coming home, I think because she did not get much rest when she was at the hospital. She's sleeping on her favorite rug right now. Hopefully tomorrow I can get her to eat something. I'm going to be working from home so I'll be able to keep an eye on her.

I'll let you know tomorrow how Java is, waking up in her own home might be a good start. I'm sure the sleep she is getting tonight will help her to heal. She goes back in three weeks to get the stitches removed.

Hi Roo,

Thanks for the update. I'm glad your girl is home with you tonight. I'm sure once she gets settled in and feeling more like herself, she'll find her appetite. Hugs to you both.

Glynda

One thing I did notice, and I will have to ask the dr. tomorrow, I notice Java has some thick mucus coming out of her eyes. She did have the problem before she went in, but it seems more severe now. Has anyone noticed this in their pets after bringing them home? It could be just a coincidence.

One other thing I just remembered - her alkaline phosphates were 1740 pre-surgery, today's bloodwork showed that it is in the 800 range now - still too high but is lowered by more than 50%.

Hi Roo

Anesthesia dries out the eyeballs so if Java had irritation before, it is undoubtedly worse now. You should call your vet tomorrow and see if you can get some eye ointment to alleviate the inflammation. It sounds like conjunctivitis (dry eye) and that can be very painful. Cyclosporin (Optimmune) is usually prescribed and it helps a lot. Have you had a Schirmer test done on Java to check tear production?

I'm glad to hear that the alkaline phosphatase has dropped so much. That's great. Now that the source has been eliminated, you should see this continue to go down. There is no one time frame to use as all dogs are different. I'm sure your vet will keep checking infrequently so please keep us posted on the progress.

You were correct about the anesthesia and the irritation. I have some ointment for her eyes now which should help.

I discovered part of the reason that she did not want to eat was because of a growth that was removed from the side of her mouth...she has tiny little staples in it to hold it together and she was having trouble eating out of a bowl. The vet told me to give her some chicken and rice or ground beef and rice. I had some ground lamb in my freezer so I used that instead. She actually got up and went towards the kitchen when she smelled me cooking it; that did the trick. I hand fed some of it to her, and then put it on a flat plat instead of her bowl so that it would be easier to eat.