Zane's Big Day

Zoe's tummy timer, the one that says it's time to eat now, went off a little early this morning. She greeted us in bed with her usual onsalught of kisses and got us all moving after a very restless night.

Zane needs to be at Dr. Durkes by 8 am and with an empty tummy. He has not done his business yet as he hates to potty while on a leash. As you can imagine, this creates a problem for us when we are traveling. Make mental note to forewarn Dr. Durkes that Zane is rather full.

Dr. Durkes spent plenty of time explaining the procedure while examining Zane. He answered all our questions and the ones we didn't think to ask.

We left the office and went off to explore the little town of Marion, Indiana. We found a great pet store and stocked up on treats, bones, and toys for the pack. Zeke even got a new jacket...he hates to get wet but will gladly take a walk in the rain if he is wearing a jacket.

We noticed that wherever we went, people knew about Dr. Durkes! Just mentioning that we were only in town for the day was enough of a tip off for people to question us and ask if we were here to see Dr. Durkes. He is clearly a big fish in a small pond (make that a very small pond).

We arrived back at the office just before 1pm. Zane walked right into the room on his own. His wild happy tail let us know that he was glad we were back for him!

Here's the scoop:

• Zane came out of the procedure and anesthesia very well. Upon waking, he stood up on his own. This is a positive sign as Dr. Durkes said that only half the dogs willingly get up on their own.
  
• Zane's neck is wrapped from just behind his ears to where his neck meets his shoulders.
  
• The neck brace is very firm but is crucial to good healing after the implants.
  
• We were instructed in how to loosen the brace should it become too tight.
  
• Don't get it wet! Did I mention how much Zane loves water?
  
• We could see plenty of holes where the beads were implanted.
  
• Zane has over 300 of these pinhead - sized gold beads in his neck.
  
• Normal exercise is fine. No excessive jumping. No playing that involves twisting of the head or neck. No rough housing with the other dogs....Zeke, that means you.
  
• Antibiotic for 12 days to protect against any bacteria.
  
• Watch for the improvements.
  

Dr. Durkes feels that Zane has the potential to make good progress. Zane is one of the youngest Danes that he has treated. He feels that we have caught this early enough that Zane should lead a long healthy life. Heavy sigh