Injuries

It turned out this was to be the first of our many visits to the Weiper's Centre (also known as the vet school).  I phoned my line manager as I heard the news via a phone call to me at work, I was imaging all sorts of scenarios, broken jaw, fractured teeth, bitten tongue etc etc.  I finished the phone call and ran out of the hospital where I worked.  I would like to say I drove sensibly to the stables, the truth is I doubt if I did as I cant remember the journey.

I arrived and Jake was already for travelling, he was reluctant to load, but he eventually saw sense.

We hadn't been to the vet school before, thank goodness somebody else was driving.  After registering Jake and signing a consent form.  Jake was examined and x-rayed.

It turns out he had fractured 2 front teeth, probably from a kick.  Thankfully it was nothing more serious, but only having Jake for 2 months, the guilt kicked in; it was all my fault, I could have avoided it.

Knowing this way of thinking was not helping Jake, I gave permission for him to have surgery.  He was sedated, given pain killers and thankfully, not all the teeth needed to be removed, just the fractured fragments.  He was discharged home, still sleepy, still leaking blood from his mouth, but he could go home.

Being slightly sedated, he was easier to load home, strangely.

Since then he has been in and out of the vet school many times over the past 9 years.  I partly feel it is my fault, but then again, he is very well-loved and not many would have spent 18 months of carefully controlled rehab for a split tendon with a potentially poor result.

Oh the things we do for our animals....