The Story of BB the Great Dane

Heading for the shade!

BB’s back in the puppy hospital, as of yesterday. He had gotten ahold of a “lost” bone we thought Kenai had gone off with, or had dropped into the back of the couch. Ate the whole thing, too, because he was completely plugged up with bone chips. The colon, the large intestine, the small intestine…

We have him on low amounts of laxatives because his pelvis is so narrow from being fractured. His stools need to be on the loose side to get everything out. That bone was way more that he could leave in a puppy scrap pile. Bless his heart, he’s getting enemas for his birthday, 7 months old today.

First thing in the morning BB was barfing, and crying when he tried to go potty. We packed up the car with puppies and went to the local vet. They sent us straight to U of Missouri where he’d had his leg surgery. Didn’t even get to use deoderant. Just jump in the car and drive. It’s four hours each way, 3 1/2 if I can pass the dunderwunders who like to plug up the highways as bad as BB plugged up himself.

Thank God, Beebs is having small bowel movements on his own today, 3 enemas already done. It will probably take 2-3 days of that to clean him out. Just hope and pray he doesn’t rupture a bowel or puncture it with a sharp bone fragment. That’s the greatest danger to him, and could easily kill him.

The surgeon that did BB’s leg said he doesn’t want to do surgery on his pelvis if we can avoid it, because it’s a huge and terribly painful surgery. But if Beebs starts obstructing regularly, we won’t have a choice. So no more edible bones or pig ears for the little buddy. He’s gonna have to make do with pressed rawhide which is tough enough he can’t swallow bunches of it.

This poor kiddo, he’s been through the wringer already. I may have to go get him to come home, since Mom really MUST return to her own pulmonary therapy. That means Kenai has to make the drive again, to fetch little brother. He’ll get home just in time for the weekend, which means the boogey man will be here: my 2 year old niece.

No rest for the weary and sore bottomed, I’m afraid.

Tuesday afternoon, BB was taken to surgery because his intestines were beginning to swell. The bone chips were gone, but they found a collar he’d swallowed. Of all things, Beebs, honestly. Stop that!!! How on earth he got it and swallowed it unseen is a mystery. Had to be overnight, the same night he decimated that bone

He is recovering well, and had no peritinitis, so his prognosis is good. We’re hoping still to have him home this weekend. But he has to be eating and pooping normally. So cross your fingers, and wish him well! We miss our funny little bananna butt…Beebs is doing very well, though, and had his stomach “tacked”, called gastroplexy, to prevent his stomach from twisting if he happens to bloat.

But the vets at the Univeristy of Missouri put such pressure on Mom to neuter him I got mad. They called 3 times, not to tell Mom about her uppy’s emergency surgery but to pressure her to neuter. Not a word about how long the surgery would be, what complications might arise, etc…nothing but neuter, neuter, neuter. The final call, they said since we weren’t going to castrate, they’d just go do the surgery and hung up. Mom was sobbing, and I was pissed. (pardon my french fries)

BB has an undescended testicle, which isn’t too rare. It’s hanging out up there, atrophied and useless in his abdomen since it can’t get through the super narrow pelvis. Undescended testicles are more likely to grow tumors and even become cancerous. I know that, having had a dog with the same problem. That one single sentence was all those vets had to say, and we would have replied thank you for being concerned for BB’s future health, but no.

It would be nice to not have to worry about another surgery to nueter him later, but we have medical reasons NOT to neuter yet, if at all. You cannot look at his smashed up pelvis, his damaged leg and tell me he won’t ever need another surgery to keep him walking. It’s not like there won’t be an opportunity later.

Nuetering is an elective surgery, it is not medically necessary. BB cannot risk developing the super fast bone growth that giant breeds usually will have if castrated before adulthood. Male Danes will grow super tall and super skinny if neutered before 12-18 months old. Experts in giant breed growth are starting to say it all over the place, finally.

If BB’s leg bones grow too long and too fast, he is far more likely to speed up the process of deformity in his impaired leg. He bears most of his weight on his front legs, and they are splaying already because of it. Neutering him now would make those other legs longer, faster, and weaker. He could even fracture the smaller bones from nothing but improper distribution of the weight of his body.

Our sweet Bananna Butt could wind up an amputee or even need to be put to sleep if the deformity cannot be repaired again, or the other legs give out. I WILL NOT ENDANGER HIS LIFE FOR SOMETHING NOT MEDICALLY NECESSARY. I was so angry at the heavy handed tactics and the fact that they told us nothing at all about his emergency surgery, that I called Dr. Fox, the vet that had done BB’s leg surgery.

Ten minutes later, Dr. Fox called back after going into the operating room and finding out what was going on. He certainly knew I was mad about the inappropriate way we were treated. He did as he always does: give a complete and detailed report of what was being done, what complications we need to worry about, how long BB would likley be in intensive care, and asked if we had any questions. THAT is how you talk to a dog’s owner.

The vet in charge hasn’t called us yet today. She’d better suck up her pride and either apologize or seriously alter her bedside manner. Mom’s still very fragile, so I have the phone. Boy do I have the phone… I better not get avoidance, either. Can ya tell I’m a little displeased?

So we’re waiting for news, now.