We have been kept in suspense all day, however we finally linked up with Dr. Silveira this afternoon. Lewis did not have surgery today, as they took more radiographs and discussed his prognosis with other doctors at OSU. The good news is that there may be more good bone there than the original x-ray showed. However, the chance of saving the leg is still slim. The doctor feels we have a chance and will do surgery tomorrow to clean up the infection. Lewis is still eating well and seems to be feeling well over the course of the weekend. We are hoping and praying that the doctors can indeed work a miracle for Lewis. We are praying for him!
Monthly Archives: December 2000
Leg Incision
Lewis and all of us had a nasty surprise Christmas day when his incision, which had been healed for weeks, came open and oozed a white, ominous pus. Dr’s Toni and Gary Cotton saw him in their office on December 27, and determined that the new callous growing around the break had an infection. Dr. Gary cleaned out the area and inserted a drain. Lewis is now back on antibiotics and has the area flushed twice daily. If we can get the infection cleared up he should continue to heal well. A photo showing the long incision and ends of a piece of surgical tubing inserted to keep the area open for drainage and twice-daily flushing. Not a pretty sight!The good news was that radiographs taken on December 27 showed the bone plate still intact and holding! Other than the infection, the bone is healing and well and we are very hopeful of a good recovery.
Lewis has been stall-bound for the last three weeks with our early snow fall. He still takes twice-daily walks about the garage, but there is no fresh grass to be found! He is reluctant to stand on his healing leg, though he walks easily. The callous forming around the bone appears to result in a difference to Lewis that makes him not want to stand on the leg. We don’t believe he is in any pain at this time as pain killers do not alleviate his reluctance to use the leg. It is still a few weeks before complete healing can be assumed, so we will keep his activity confined until then. He enjoys visitors as a welcome stimulus to his long days of confinement. He also enjoys having his back, neck, belly and all four legs scratched vigorously, and this has become part of our daily ritual!