| Dudley is our second rescue and he was very sick when he came to our house. I couldn't believe not one person before me had noticed Dudley's problem is basically due to his previous owners never taking the time to notice that Dudley's testicles had never dropped. How an owner would miss this, especially when both testicles are involved is beyond me. The reason Male dogs aren't supposed to keep their testicles with-in their body cavity is that the hormones produced by those testicles aren't meant to be kept at body temperature which is why they drop into a sac outside the body. When those hormones are kept at body temperature they wreak havoc on the male dog's body. What had happened to Dudley was his body was producing massive amounts of struvite crystals in his urine. Over time his urethra tube became so scarred and weakened that it collapsed. The collapsed urethra tube wouldn't allow Dudley to empty his bladder. His bladder became distended and his prostate swelled to a huge size. When all this started I immediately took him to my vet and they were able to insert a catheter and get him going on his own again. Dudley was allowed to come home that day but with-in 24 hours he couldn't relieve himself again. I again took him to my vet immediately. I spent most of the day at the vet's office while they tried to insert the smallest kitten catheter they could find. I even ran to another vet's office to see if they had any smaller catheters but what they gave me didn't work either. There was nothing my vet could do and they sent me to the Emergency Animal Hospital, in Tacoma, WA, almost an hour away. I scooped Dudley up and immediately left for the emergency hospital. The staff at the Emergency Animal Hospital, Tacoma, WA, were incredible! After a short explanation of what was going on they took Dudley in back to start helping him. This was before any discussion about cost or my ability to pay. I couldn't believe it, my past experience has been the first thing a vet wants to know, prior to starting any medical procedures, is whether or not the pet's owner can pay for the needed procedures. Not these guys, they were great and they were able to reduce my stress level quickly. We ended up getting very lucky, because the emergency surgeon on call for that day was already on his way in to do his rounds. Apparently, the surgeons don't have any set time to be at the clinic so they just show up whenever. He arrived and preformed surgery on Dudley at about 8:00pm that night. When I picked Dudley up to take him home the surgeon explained how bad Dudley's condition really was. Apparently, Dudley had never been able to completely empty his bladder. He said that he had to make about a 6" incision starting in-between his back legs where is penis began up the stomach to the front of his penis so he could remove all the debris that had been stuck in Dudley's bladder for years. Next he removed the retained testicles. Once the bladder and testicle procedures were finished the surgeon created a completely new opening in Dudley's scrotum area so he would be able to empty his bladder. Apparently, Dudley's urethra tube was just too scared to fix. Apparently, this surgery is commonly preformed on cats with chronic struvite crystals in their urine. I know it all sounds incredibly weird but I know that surgery was a life saver for Dudley. Dudley's recovery was pretty awful, for 8 to 10 days Dudley looked like he was peeing solid blood. He dribbled blood/urine everywhere he walked and when he slept. I felt so bad for him, normally at night Dudley would slept with us and all the other pugs. Now, with his leaking problem and the possibility of being injured by one of the other pugs, he couldn't. I decided to buy a baby crib to place on my side of the bed. At night I lowered the crib's bed side rail just enough so I could pet him but not enough for him to climb out. The crib worked out perfect! I was able to wash any soiled linens quickly and easily. And most importantly, since the crib mattress was at the same height as our bed Dudley still felt like he was sleeping in the bed with everyone. A while after his surgery Dudley became a totally different dog. You could tell, without a doubt, that he felt a million times better. It's been at least 4 years now and Dudley is a normal healthy naughty pug. He's even developed some annoying habits. I try to remember how he was when he was sick, just standing around the house weaving back and forth ever so slightly. I can say I know for sure that Dudley wouldn't be alive today if he hadn't came to our house. He had lived at two different foster homes and one adoptive home for months before he came to us. Not one of those people noticed how sick he was and that maybe he needed to see a vet. The whole ordeal has cost us a small fortune but it's well worth it to see Dudley being a normal pug who loves to wear clothes, go on car rides, and play with his stuffed squirrel. He barks at nothing and constantly makes a low growling noise; I think he is one happy pug. 2009 update Dudley has begun to show his age. I think all his past medical problems may have weakened him so much that his body is aging at a faster rate than a normal generally healthy pug. He has gone deaf and cataracts are developing in his eyes. The only bladder problems have been dealing with a chronic staff infection in his bladder. The vet isn't sure why this has just recently started to happen and figures it's just something that happens when the urethra tube is open like Dudley's is. There still aren't many dogs that have had this procedure so many things are unknown. Even with all that Dudley is still able to be naughty and even start an argument or two. Unfortunately, he is usually on the loosing end and it's a pretty pitiful site. |
| To Contact Kary Kidder: e-mail: onesmugpug@comcast.net phone: 425-413-5032 |
