Our day at Virginia Tech

This is a statue outside the VTH (Veterinary Teaching Hospital) at Virginia Tech, where Rocky and I went today. To jump to the end of the story, I left Rocky there. He will have a CT scan and x-rays tomorrow and surgery on one ear on Friday, followed by surgery on the other ear, probably on Tuesday of next week. If all goes well and according to schedule, I'll go back to get him sometime towards the end of next week.

I hated leaving him there, but he's in good hands and I really didn't have any good alternative. He's in pain and really needs the surgery. The vet says that they generally have good results from the surgery. It should resolve the infection and relieve his pain, leaving him with no more or less hearing than he has currently. They will be doing a procedure called TECA, an acronym that stands for Total Ear Canal Ablation. Essentially they will remove his ear canals, which are hardened almost like bone, along with the tissue that is causing the infection in the middle ear. It's not pretty to listen to, see, smell, or talk about, and it is quite painful, but he's in a lot of pain now too.

We left here at 6:00 a.m. this morning, and arrived about an hour and a half early. Rocky rode in the back of the Subaru without a crate and without a problem. He really travels well. I could leave him loose in the car when I ran into the clinic, a Starbucks, and a Blacksburg bookstore where I bought this key chain. I buy key chains as souvenirs when I travel and put them on the dogs' collars. All of our dogs carry a lot of trinkets around their necks because of that, so I decided that Rocky should have one from Virginia Tech. He wasn't overly impressed, but it is a very nice dog collar ornament, and it seemed fitting since VA Tech will now figure heavily in Rocky's life.

Because he had an active infection they didn't want Rocky in the public area of the clinic, which I can understand. So I did the paperwork and went over his history with a vet student while Rocky waited in the car. It's a good thing that Rocky was patient and content in the car because we had quite a wait, although I did take him out to sniff and mark a tree or two. When he finally went in to be examined, it was on a gurney with gloved and gowned vet techs.


They told me what I already knew, that Rocky is a sweet, kind, and gentle dog in spite of his pain. I'm obnoxious and mean when I'm in pain and can not even imagine living with the pain Rocky has had for so long. He definitely deserves a chance at something better.

I put down a $1,000 deposit towards the estimated $2,000 - $3,000 cost. I am not personally paying the vet bill, I couldn't, but donations to Virginia German Shepherd Rescue are welcome and appreciated for those who have asked. The address is: VGSR, P.O. Box 126, Sterling, VA 20167. Please indicate that the donation is for Rocky and include a note asking them to let me know about it.

I'm tired tonight and emotionally drained, but I so look forward to the day I can write a post about Rocky's adoption into a great new home. It's a long way off still, but the day will come.