Remington's Anal Gland Surgery Scheduled!

[Kendra K. Rhoton]

Here is the most recent update on Remington's surgery...

I contacted Purdue's Small Animal Clinic on Friday.  After getting a referral from our current vet they were more than happy to speak with me about the surgery. They have several vets in house that specialize in soft tissue surgeries.  The type of surgery that we are discussing doing with Remington is something that their surgeons are very familiar with and do on a routine basis. What would happen is we would bring him in for a consultation to go over Remington's medical history.  They would do testing on him for 2-3 hours to make sure he is healthy enough to have the surgery.  If he is... then we would leave him there that night and they would perform the surgery next day.  He would then stay at the hospital for 2-3 days after the surgery because they would need to keep a close eye on him and manage his pain levels accordingly.  While there he would be monitored 24 hours a day until we came to pick him up. We would also receive calls on a daily basis to update us on how he is doing.

Now... here is what is tough to swallow.  The price they quoted us for the surgery is between $800-$1300.  YIKES!  However, this would cover the consultation, blood work/tests, anesthesia, the removal of the anal glands, pain medication, and his stay at the hospital after the surgery.  It is a lot of money for us to spend and will definitely put a huge dent in our savings, but we absolutely feel it is worth it for him to have people that specialize in this and for the amount of care he will get.

We have scheduled the consultation for May 17th... which means he will have the surgery on the 18th.  We decided on this date specifically because the way Dan and I's schedule work out we would have 13 days where one of us would be with Remington during the recovery process.

At this point in time I feel very much at peace with the decision.  I don't feel like we could do anything more to ensure that Remington have the best outcome possible for this surgery.  I am planning on documenting the recovery process because as I was looking for information on this subject is was incredibly hard to find anything out there that would tell me what to expect.  I'm sure that there will be many more posts concerning this :)

 

Thank you to my DK Family for all the advice and support that was given to me on this subject!  I don't feel I could have made the decision I did without you!

[Donna K & Quincy]

Good luck to you and Remington, hope everything goes well. Tough choice to make, but sometimes the only choice you have is no choice at all.

[Pam & Trixie]

Im So glad you found a good place to have his surgery done.

It is alot of $$.  But will be worth it.  Surgery like that here I think would be 2-3 times the cost.

 

Its good that you were able to schedule his surgery for a time when you will have lots of days off .

I wish Remington a Speedy recovery. (and fresh air for you!)

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I don't think that is an unreasonable amount to pay at all.  My Gracie Doodle got fox tails in her paw last August and we had two surgeries in one week that came to over $1,000.  All they did was put her out, probe around in all the entry holes with hemostats hoping to find a fox tail...two were found...one in each surgery!  She was an outpatient too.  So compared to what you are accomplishing and the care Remington is getting and the end result (pardon the pun), I think the price is quite reasonable.  I hope everything goes well and the surgery is successful.  I would pay just about anything to be rid of that smell if I were in the same situation.  Whewwwwww  FYI...I now have Pet Insurance!!!

[Lynn D.]

Kendra- Try to think about the money like this. Let's say Remi has 10 years (minimum) of happy life ahead of him. Every trip to get his glands expressed costs $20 (or did for me 4 years ago) and if he were to be able to maintain at 1x per month it would cost you $240/ year = $2,400/ 10 years. This doesn't include the uncomfortableness after being expressed and leading up to being expressed. It also doesn't include all the time it will take for your hubbs and you to get Remi, go to the vet, wait in their office, have the procedure done and get home. But there are also the times where you might have waited too long, or they filled faster than expected and you are spending time cleaning carpets, furniture and bedding.

And likely, you would end up having the surgery done anyway.

This is a good decision with sound reasoning.

Good luck, we'll be thinking of you.

[ERIC A. NATER]

I think you have found the right place, and made a hard but very responsible decision.  I hope everything goes well for Remington, and he has a seedy recovery.  Compared to the Surgeries I have had on my Golden Retrievers, I think the cost is very reasonable.

[Adina P]

Wishing Remington (and you!) the best for his surgery!  

[Bonnie and Kona]

Hoping for the very best outcome of Remington's surgery. Your lives will be greatly improved, I'm sure. You are such a great doodle mom as you so carefully researched the best option for your boy. Please post news about the recovery process.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I'm glad you feel good about the decision. I know it is a lot of money but it doesn't seem expensive given what's involved and today's prices. You have chosen a place with expertise which is so good. I hope everything goes smoothly. Think of all the disappointed dogs sniffing Remington : )

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

I really think that once Remington is through this surgery - the improvement in life style will smooth over the cost issue.  He'll be happier and so will you.  Keep us in the loop on how this goes, our prayers are with you.

[Clifford, Cloud, Jake..and Kim]

I hope Remington comes through the surgery like a champ - he will be like a new dog once he has recovered.