Smokey Gets Neutered

Smokey after a post-surgical nap.

Today was a very big day in the life of Smokey. It was a much bigger event than number of pictures shared here indicates. It was one of those events where I really couldn't take pictures.

This is Smokey right after we stuffed him into
the crate. His eyes were open but he wasn't
really conscious yet. His tongue was still
hanging out of his mouth. 

In addition to being intact, Smokey had never yet seen a vet. He didn't have any vaccines, we had no idea of his heartworm status. He had never seen a vet in his life, and I'm not sure he really did today for that matter.

First, a bit of background. Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge had found Smokey living in a pen with little or no shelter, little or no food, and absolutely no human contact. He's feral. He's been here for a while now and I've slowly introduced him to other dogs, to indoor living, and to leash walking, all in very limited quantities and in carefully controlled situations. Today they arranged for a mobile vet to come to our house today to do all the essential veterinary services, including neutering him.

Here's how it went down today. I gave him 200 mg of trazadone this morning. When the vet arrived I went out with a leash and a muzzle to get Smokey. He was interested in the smell of other dogs on the muzzle and I was able to slip it onto him and get it fastened and tightened behind his head before he really knew what was happening. I leashed him and we headed to the vet's van parked in our driveway. He was pawing at the muzzle the whole way and he finally went into a few alligator rolls as we approached the van, but the muzzle held and I had a death grip on the leash so we made it. They quickly and efficiently gave him an injection into a vein in his leg and he went out like a light. We put him up on the table and I went back into the house to work and await a call letting me know that they were done.

It wasn't long before he perked up, but once
he realized where he was, he went back to sleep.

I swear it wasn't more than 15 minutes later that my phone rang and the surgery was complete. He was still quite out of it when we carried him into the house and put him into a crate to finish waking up. He was neutered and vaccinated and tested for heart worms etc. All the tests were negative! I was amazed how quickly it was done and Smokey never knew what hit him. He came out of the anesthesia but then went back to sleep in the covered crate. I had all the dogs vacate the kitchen for the day because he feels compelled to bark at them ferociously from inside the crate.

It is done. No one got hurt. Smokey lost his balls which I hope will help him begin find his inner shepherd as the tide of hormones ebbs over the coming weeks. I'm still not making any prediction, but this was a big step towards a possible happy ending. Thanks to Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge for making this as easy as possible on me and Smokey both. I know an at-home surgical visit for a single dog isn't cost efficient, but I hope it will prove to be worthwhile.

Like all rescue groups, Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge operates on a shoestring budget. If you feel so inclined, I know they could use any donation, big or small. In a small organization, even a small donation makes a big difference. If you click on the name Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge the link  will take you to their Facebook page where there's a donation button. Or you can mail a check to Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge, P.O. Box 7961, Charlottesville, Virginia 22906. Tell them Smokey sent you.