Off to Anchorage

[krazyaboutkatz]

Have a safe trip and I hope that everything goes well for Heyoka. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way.

[kuhio98]

If anyone hears from Glacier -- or sees updates on Facebook, please let us know.

(I'm away at work, and Facbook is blocked.)

Thanks!

[Glacier]

Heyoka's surgery went very well this morning. We were able to take him to the hotel this afternoon. He's sleeping off the dope right now, but has been out to mark the soccer goal at the park across the street! He's even eaten a bit of canned food....no way would I be eating with a 4 inch long incision only hours old in my throat!

The root problem was larnegyal paralysis. I am tempted to go tell off the vet who told me 2 years ago that he didn't have LP! The lumps in his throat are likely granulomas.....a reaction to the long term irration in his throat. The surgeon took a biopsy just to be sure, but he's fairly sure there is no malignancy. I can not say enough good things about the surgeon and the clinic! I hope to never need Dr. Priddy's skills again, but I would not hesitate to put another of my animals in his talented hands if the need arises!

The LP was dealt with through a "tie-back" procedure. We'll need to take some precautions for the rest of Heyoka's life...no collars, raised water and food bowls. The major concern is aspiration pneumonia as his larynx will remain slightly open all the time now and he could inhale food or water into his lungs. He may loose his voice or have a changed sound, but as the doc said....breathing is more important than barking!

On that note......Silence is weird!! Heyoka's breathing is perfectly normal already, quiet, not recuiting his ab muscles to inhale, not panting all the time, not gasping. We've gotten so used to the racket that we both keep getting up to make sure he really is breathing!

[Cookiebaker]

I'm just reading this now, and wanted to say how happy I am that everything went well. Hope you have a good trip back!

[robinh]

So glad to hear it went well.

[Karen]

Yay, so glad!

What you can do is write a thank you letter to Dr. Priddy's staff, explain the situation fully, and also send a copy to the local newspaper where you are and where their office is. Good business can always use recommendations and good publicity never hurt either. Include big ol' Heyoka's pictures and you have a better shot at getting the letter published, too!

[Queen of Poop]

So glad they were able to help the big dog!!!

[lizbud]

So glad to hear the great result for Heyoka. How did you hear about
this particular DR. ? I am so happy for all of you. Have a safe trip home.

[kuhio98]

I can not say enough good things about the surgeon and the clinic! I hope to never need Dr. Priddy's skills again, but I would not hesitate to put another of my animals in his talented hands if the need arises!

Dr. Nelson Priddy !!!! He consulted on Halo's golf-ball sized fatty liver tumor years ago. He is definitely one of the Vet Hero's of the world.

Hope you enjoy your stay in Anchorage -- I'm still in Prudhoe -- Bobcat says the forecast is for snow tonight. But, you know how the inaccurate forecasts can be.

You guys are in our prayers.

[Taz_Zoee]

This is a wonderful update! So glad to hear everything went so well and that Heyoka is on the road to recovery......quietly.

[cassiesmom]

Heyoka's surgery went very well this morning. We were able to take him to the hotel this afternoon. He's sleeping off the dope right now, but has been out to mark the soccer goal at the park across the street! He's even eaten a bit of canned food....no way would I be eating with a 4 inch long incision only hours old in my throat!

The root problem was laryngeal paralysis. I am tempted to go tell off the vet who told me 2 years ago that he didn't have LP! The lumps in his throat are likely granulomas.....a reaction to the long term irration in his throat. The surgeon took a biopsy just to be sure, but he's fairly sure there is no malignancy. I can not say enough good things about the surgeon and the clinic! I hope to never need Dr. Priddy's skills again, but I would not hesitate to put another of my animals in his talented hands if the need arises!

The LP was dealt with through a "tie-back" procedure. We'll need to take some precautions for the rest of Heyoka's life...no collars, raised water and food bowls. The major concern is aspiration pneumonia as his larynx will remain slightly open all the time now and he could inhale food or water into his lungs. He may loose his voice or have a changed sound, but as the doc said....breathing is more important than barking!

On that note......Silence is weird!! Heyoka's breathing is perfectly normal already, quiet, not recuiting his ab muscles to inhale, not panting all the time, not gasping. We've gotten so used to the racket that we both keep getting up to make sure he really is breathing!

YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY! Good news about the sweet guy! Please give him a huge hug for me .

[dab_20]

I'm so glad to hear surgery went so well! That is the scariest thing, putting someone you love in a professionals hands, relying on them to give you the correct information, only to find out later that it is wrong. Incredibly frustrating. I'm glad in the end it ended up well for Heyoka.

Kisses and positive thoughts for healing to handsome Heyoka.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so glad to hear that everything went well. Now I hope that he'll recover quickly too. Have a safe trip home.

[chocolatepuppy]

Good to hear Heyoka's surgery went well!

[Glacier]

So glad to hear the great result for Heyoka. How did you hear about
this particular DR. ? I am so happy for all of you. Have a safe trip home.

Our new vet has clients in Haines, Alaska. She had referred them to this clinic previously and got good reports. Our only other option was to fly Heyoka down south, which proved to be extremely difficult and he would not have down well without us there. I also have a cyber friend who's malamute had a hip replacement done by this doc and he raved about him. I think our Dr. Candace will be sending more referrals his way now!

Dr. Nelson Priddy !!!! He consulted on Halo's golf-ball sized fatty liver tumor years ago. He is definitely one of the Vet Hero's of the world.

Hope you enjoy your stay in Anchorage -- I'm still in Prudhoe -- Bobcat says the forecast is for snow tonight. But, you know how the inaccurate forecasts can be.

You guys are in our prayers.

He is great vet/surgeon We were very impressed!

We did enjoy Anchorage. It's a lovely city...what a great trail system! Since the surgery was less expensive than we expected, I had some fun in your shopping malls too!

We made it home this evening. Our dogsitter did great with no traumas this time, except that Polly Paws hates him...Polly hates me too. She is Stuart's cat! Heyoka is very happy to be home. I'm pretty sure he thought we were going to leave him behind somewhere along the road!