Buster: Home, Sweet Home!

I'm home! I'm finally home! The staff at Virginia Tech Veterinary Teaching Hospital decided I was well enough to come home yesterday, so Maw packed up my medicine, aftercare instructions, and the comfy things she brought for me to sleep with (her pillowcase and t-shirt), and off we drove, back home to West Virginia to see Paw, Gus and Hobbit. To keep things as quiet as possible for me at home Paw sent Abby to visit Aunt Mary, and Huck to stay at "Camp Good Shepherd." That was a good idea. They are too excitable for me right now. I need some peace and quiet. But, boy, oh boy, were Gus and Hobbit happy to see me. Especially Gus! He really wanted to play, but he knew not to get too frisky. He could tell I was purdy tired. Paw was the happiest to see me. He smiled real big and shed tears of joy. And when I ate some of the chicken he fixed for me? Well, that made him even happier!

As Gus said in his blog entries on July 7th and July 10th , things have been purdy scary. When we got to Virginia Tech Vet Hospital last week, it was decided that I needed emergency exploratory surgery. During the procedure the surgeon found a tear in my pylorus. That's the part where the stomach empties into the small intestine. The surgeon said it was a difficult place to make a repair. On top of that, my blood wasn't clottin' like it should have. The doctor also found some dark spots on my spleen, so she removed it. The odds of me gettin' through the surgery were not in my favor, but the hospital staff watched me closely and lots of people were prayin'.

The next hurdle was my recovery. It was a long week in ICU with a lot of ups and downs, but because everyone at the hospital took such good care of me I'm now on the mend. The vet students and clinicians  would sit with me and pet me, talk to me and do their best to make me feel comfortable. I really enjoyed the little walks they took me on, too. On top of the excellent care and attention I received at Virginia Tech, I was on the prayer lists of many people. Even dogs and cats! Lots of these carin' individuals wrote to us here at The Doggy Diary sending prayers and "purrayers" that I would get better. There were even some blogs that posted my picture on their site, along with information about my condition and a link to The Doggy Diary. They are great blogs: Loving For A Living, Beyond The Garden Gate, Cat Blogosphere, and Max The Quilt Cat. (I sure hope I didn't leave anybody out.) And, boy, were there ever lots of well wishes and encouragin' words posted on Maw's Facebook page. The support our family received was awesome and we still can't get over it. But, more than anything, Maw and Paw say it was all the prayers that worked. God is Good! He loves all of His creation.

Well, I'm ready for another little walk with Maw. I can't wait to show the neighborhood that I'm startin' to get some spring back in my step!

Love,
Buster Booglebear

Here I am the day before I was released from the vet hospital. I think I look purdy good after a week in ICU.

This is Dr. Laura D'Amico, the resident veterinary surgeon who performed my emergency abdominal operation. She saved my life. 

This is the veterinary student who was assigned to my case the last half of my stay. Her name is Kimberly DeLisi and she's real friendly. Smart, too. She'll make a fine vet someday. Another sharp student named Lara Brennecke took good care of me the first part of my hospital stay. She was very kind and gentle with me, too.

And here I am, real happy to be lyin' on my dog bed, in my house, surrounded by my family. :)