It's Just For A Little While My Dear Friend...

So, Dr. B told me that my Maggie Mo had a congenital hip condition known as hip dysplasia ... In short, Maggie's hip sockets were "shallow" and they did not properly cover the head of her femurs. He also said that once damage to the ball-and-socket occurs there would be no point of doing surgery. Maggie would develop painful arthritis and she would need pain medication for the rest of her life. He recommended that I consult with Dr. R., a canine orthopedic surgeon. I immediately decided to take Maggie down to VCA All-Care animal hospital in Fountain Valley, CA. There I met with Dr. R.

Now, Fountain Valley is approximately 2-1/2 hrs away from where I live. But Dr. R was recommended and recognized to be the "Father" of the hip surgery and the inventor of the devices that make the surgery possible and successful. So, after checking-in at VCA, Maggie and I met Dr. R. He began to examine Maggie and her x-rays. He spent time with me and Maggie: we went outside so that he could see her walk, we went inside where he examined Maggie's hips and legs (front and rear.) He then explained that Maggie was a good candidate for the surgery. Dr. R was very confident that the "TPO" procedure (tri-pelvic osteotomy) would help Maggie to live a long, happy, and pain-free life. He also explained that Maggie's recovery would require her to stay at the VCA hospital for three to four weeks! Geesh . . . this was gonna be hard on Maggie and me!

I decided to allow Maggie to have the surgery but saying goodbye was very hard for me... although this hospital was everything you would want it to be, it was very painful to put Maggie in her "kennel" and say good-bye ... I know I won't be able to visit her as it's too far for visits ... and of course it would be just as hard to have to leave her each time ... The tears kept flowing down my cheeks on my way back home ... I hope I'm doing the right thing ...

Dear Lord, I know you love animals since you are the creator of them ... protect my Maggie Mo and give me the strength for days to come ...