THE BIG DAY

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The hospital waiting room is an interesting place. It is large with seating for maybe 70 ‘guests’ and their companions. It looks just like the waiting room in any human hospital with institutional design painted walls and well scrubbed floors. But looks are where the similarity ends. There is a powerful feeling of bonhomie that pervades the place, people look each other in the eye and they talk immediately with complete strangers. We are all here because our furry friends need attention of some sort and we all share that bond and we are all at least just a little apprehensive at what will happen today. Will it be good news or bad, will surgery be needed or not, am I facing the end of a long and wonderful relationship that has no preconditions on the part of the four legged partner? And of course, will I be able to afford it? So the gathered throng talk and seek succour from the others in the same position. Groups form, ebb and flow all the while a steady stream of fourth year vet students enter in their white coats and call for another patient.

As this is also an emergency hospital the occasional acute case enters. One lady had a poor little daschund that was clearly in distress and after sitting for a short while the dog peed on the port owner’s lap. No laughing, no disgust, everyone immediately tried to make woman and dog feel better while a lovely receptionist rushed over with an outsized diaper and some tissues - the owner was in tears. It is a remarkable, the immediate bonding between dog owners.

So while we are a disparate bunch we have that common bond and it is really rather remarkable in the way it can transform normal human behaviour. It starts in the carpark - we clearly all drive minivans, SUVs or trucks, there were no sedans to be seen. And we all smile knowingly at each other as we make our way to the hospital entrance, some patients like Ben trotting happily others in need support straps or even to be carried. The old, the infirm, the cancer patients, the acute ER cases. But I have never seen such a well behaved parking lot with strangers helping each other find a space or helping hold doors or simply offering comfort. Actually I wonder why I said ‘simply’ just there - it is by far the toughest thing on that little list to offer a stranger.

One owner had a labrador that clearly was coming in for a post surgical check-up. When called they walked toward the doors that lead to the consulting rooms until the dog recognized where she was going, sat down, rolled over and refused to go any further! There was a collective ‘Ahhh’ in the room and a barrage of helpful tips on how to entice Miss Very Reluctant through the doors. The med student of course had a ready supply of treats…. It was at that point that Ben was called and he looked pityingly at the prone lab as we walked calmly by toward the consulting room. Ben, mate, you are such a star! He had already charmed half the waiting room by waving a proffered paw at anyone that passed close by or even looked in his general direction and now he turns his attention to Stacey his fourth year med student.

Well I guess Stacey has seen it all before but even so, under the twin barrages of Ben insisting she rub his head and his handsome owner [that would be me] being as charming as he possibly can [she looks like the archetypal ‘sexy librarian’ with glasses and swept back hair] she manages a smile or three. History taken she heads off with Ben who has thus far not peed one bit - unusual for him once he gets to a consulting room. I am to waiting in the - you guessed it - waiting room for 45 minutes while the initial diagnostics are performed. Upon return to the consult room Dr Dyce himself arrives with Stacey and proceeds to give me his opinion. I must admit it was at this point I felt nervous - supposing Ben was not suitable for surgery after all? But the good doctor tells me that in fact Ben is an excellent candidate, has osteoarthritis that is so bad in his right hip that the gravelly graunching can be felt at the lower extremity of the leg. A new hip will immediately take away the pain that the Previcox and Tramadol can no longer hide.

Dr Dyce has cleared him for surgery and they spend the rest of the day doing "the technical stuff" to determine exactly what sort of hip to fit. He went over them briefly and the pros and cons, a bewildering array. I go back at 17.00 to learn what they have decided upon. They also then pair me up with a dog and owner in for a post surgical checkup to learn their experience with a (hopefully) similar size dog and replacement hip type. Neat uh?

So now I am back at the hotel and writing this before going out to see what Colmbus has to offer. Stay tuned.

A few hours later.......

Good evening from Columbus.

I received a call from Stacy the 4th year med student to say that they had finished the ‘technical stuff’ with Ben and I could return to the hospital for another consult with Dr Dyce. Once in the consulting room the X-ray video screen was turned on and I was taken through their findings in great detail. Dyce has a smooth and even delivery and does not treat you like a buffoon or simpleton. If you exhibit a knowledge of medical jargon and have done your research he rewards you with insights that I personally find quite fascinating. Like exactly why he has decided that in Ben’s case they will utilize a cement-less titanium joint rather than cemented. Why the early instances of using cement less were a bit of a disaster and why a problem theses days is extremely rare. What contributes to the risk of femoral fracture, how it can be mitigated and what the fallback position can be. I love this stuff, fascinating to me because it is so mechanical in nature I find it easy to absorb and understand.

Then we moved on to case histories of other dogs [especially border collies] and their case histories, treatment and outcomes. He seems delighted when I correctly identify in an x-ray a huge increase in muscle mass in a border collie’s left thigh after just 8 weeks recovery. Clearly he is very focussed on the quality of life in his patients and equally he feels that in Ben’s case this hip replacement is the right thing to do. After 35 or 40 minutes we have pretty much covered everything I want to know and I head back to the hotel to collect Ben’s meds, dinner etc. On returning to the hospital I make another splurge on my Visa on Ben’s behalf [50% deposit] and then take him for a walk up to the equine centre. After a Face Time session with Nicola I return him to the tender care of Stacy and we put him back in his run.

Surgery is scheduled for 11.30 tomorrow and another meeting with Dyce is set for 14.00. Watch this space.