To watch a Scottish Deerhound run is to watch pure poetry in motion. Magek was exceptionally fleet of foot…..flying low, feet barely touching ground as he stretched out in acceleration…and then….a quick squeak of pain….he came limping toward me.
He was diagnosed shortly thereafter by our local vet to have a ruptured CCL in his left rear leg. We had to wait a month for a second opinion from a specialist and to schedule surgery another month later.
During that interim time, he ran like the wind with our 5-year-old, Coren, giving us serious doubts as to the necessity of the recommended surgery. His level of activity made us question if he had any injury at all.
After the “incident”, I noticed that Magek no longer put full weight on that leg while standing and seemed unable to fully extend it, which supported a CCL rupture diagnosis.
According to both vets and the information garnered through research on the internet, this injury if left untreated would likely cause eventual lameness and arthritis. The long-term prognosis for an untreated CCL rupture seemed rather bleak. Corrective surgery would save him from a future disability. The post-op recovery was so much easier for a younger dog.
At the initial evaluation with the surgeon, we questioned the diagnosis. She had identified and performed this corrective procedure on many dogs. On the morning of the surgery, I again discussed the wisdom of proceeding but she assured me it was “the right thing to do” ….. so we let them take him.
Following the surgical procedure, I received a most welcome phone call, telling me that upon further investigation of the left rear leg, he, in fact, did not have a torn CCL but rather a meniscus problem. The surgeon had sewn him back up, leaving only the resulting incision to heal. So relieved that she did not proceed with the joint “rebuild”, I felt we had missed a bullet. And we had, the first 3 days post-surgery.
On the 3rd afternoon, Magek began have breathing difficulties, refused to eat and later became unresponsive. The surgeon felt his reaction was due to Tramadol and advised to stop the medication immediately.
Rebounding the next morning, he had a follow up with our local vet. We began to relax but he relapsed once more during the night. We spent the majority of the next day at the vet’s office running multiple tests to determine the cause of his difficulty.
Magek died that night at 1:39 a.m. on December 12, 2019. He was 1 year 6 months old. Autopsy revealed a perforated ulcer which resulted in fatal abdominal toxicity.
Surgery is risky for Scottish Deerhounds. Lower levels of body fat and sensitivity to medication and anesthetics put them at high risk for any surgical procedure. It is my belief that the stress of the surgery and subsequent physical trauma caused the ulcer.
My decision to move forward with the corrective surgery was to help secure a healthier future for Magek. My mistake was to consider the future prognosis rather than his current circumstances. I wanted to spare him from disability and enable his ability to run as he aged … to give him the best and most active lifestyle possible. Instead, I stole his future and my good intentions were for naught. His negative post-surgical reaction made recovery challenging …. and then impossible.
Had I listened to my internal warning system and canceled the procedure, our boy would be alive, healthy and with us today. I have found this mistake difficult to live with and one which will haunt me for the rest of my days.
What I would have done differently:
- Postpone surgery
- Get a third opinion from specialist
- Talk to others with similar experience
- Research alternative methods of treatment
