Things I’ve learnt over the last 3 weeks:
1. Trust your own thoughts, process and dog. It’s easy to read other people’s experiences on Facebook and various places on the internet. You know your dog best, you know whether it will be happy not sedated, or where it will wee and poo, and whether it will need a short walk to poo. I had to trust myself, and Huckleberry when it came to advocating for what I thought was the best thing to get him to go to the toilet, and that was a short walk. Equally SO MANY people told me I should be sedating him to keep him quiet - even my local vets. I know my dog, and I knew he didn’t need this.
2. It’s not easy. There are some days I’ve questioned my decision to go ahead with this, and wondered why I put Huckleberry through it. I’ve had to remember that at the end of these long 12 weeks, his quality of life will vastly improve. He’ll be pain free and back to how he was 9 months ago.
3. I’ve had to learn to adapt. Whether that’s how he’s walked, how he’s fed, how we keep him occupied. No two days are the same.
4. Finding a GOOD surgeon is key. I’m so glad I didn’t go with the well known famous vet, who couldn’t give me 10 minutes of his time to answer my anaesthetic questions and told me I worried too much. I picked a surgeon that has literally been on the end of the phone and emails day and night, and that’s important. A good support network is key, and he’s taught me it’s fine to worry, fine to ask questions and bloody normal to want to ask questions, because it shows you care.
5. You can’t count on everybody. Some people have been amazingly supportive in this whole process, and others haven’t. Friends have shown up at my door with food because I can’t get out and offered to watch Huckleberry for an hour so I can have some “normal”. Or come to keep me company for the afternoon
Mum and Mike are the ONLY family to have offered to have him for any lengthy periods so I can at least go and ride.
6. People only post the bad. I read various posts on various groups and all I read was horror stories. Yes this has been hard, but it’s not been harder than I imagined, or too hard. It’s been rough, but only because I want what’s best for Huckleberry.
7. Not everyone agrees with your decisions. I’ve had people question why I chose surgery and not conservative treatment. Smile at these people, tell them you want what’s best for your dog and you made a decision based on a surgeons recommendations and their experience in THEIR chosen job field, and to give your dog the best possible chance at a pain free life.
8. Taking 30 minutes for yourself isn’t bad. I’ve cried in the bath, cried in the car, cried into Huckleberry’s head - all because I feel stuck in 4 walls and the anxiety over my head about this going right has been EXTREME.
9. Do your OWN research, speak with your OWN surgeon and base your decisions on YOUR dog. No two dogs are the same, no dog is textbook. Some have a low pain threshold, some have a high, some like Huckleberry want to be walking normally within a few days, others don’t. No dog will act the same as the next one.
10. A hip dysplasia diagnosis isn’t the end of the world. Initially when I got the news Huckleberry had slight hip dysplasia and needed a hip replacement, I thought my world was ending. A hip replacement to me was a devastating diagnosis. I’ve since learnt and come to realise it’s not.
I’ve also realised he seems to much more playful than he’s been in the last 9 months. Pre operation he would grumble when I scratched the left side of his bum / hip and it’s another reason I wanted his hips checking. In the last week he’s not grumbled once and enjoys a good bum scratch on both sides now! Happy progress!
Overall, has it been hard? Yes! Has it been easier than I thought though? YES! We’re a third of the way into his “lockdown” now and I’m feeling positive we can do this!! We’ve got a 3 week post op check Wednesday and I’m keeping fingers and toes crossed the surgeons happy! Fingers
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