February 4, 2004.... Recently we got a call asking if we'd take a puppy with a broken neck ... you heard that right, a broken neck. Although he is neurologically fine at this point, he probably cannot live like this as he grows and remain pain-free for the long-term and we believe he deserves that chance. So, at 9:30AM central time he will go into surgery. A surgery that the surgeon has never done ... and Dr. Cook teaches surgery at the Vet School in Columbia, MO - Dr. Cook is pretty sure that nobody has seen an injury like this before - at least none of the DVMs or MDs he emailed about Buster have seen anything like it.
Dr. Cook is the same surgeon that Kelly Graham (thank you!!) introduced us
to when we had Daffy. See Daffy's story here.
Buster is in as capable hands as there are on the planet ...
9:15pm.... A quick update on our broken-neck boy. Surgery went well and lasted almost 7 hours.
The problem is ... he is not wanting to breathe on his own. He has been seen by a neurologist who believes that his function is intact. Buster can even move his legs on his own and he chews on the trache tube when challenged. Ann says it's like his lungs are still asleep after being under for so long.
Dr. Cook wants to wait until the morning to "challenge" him again.
the above view from the side of Buster's neck
in the above view Buster is laying on his back and the x-ray was taken looking down
February 5
In the morning Buster was challenged again and still couldn’t breathe without the ventilator. We were advised that keeping him on the vent more than a day could create even more medical problems. The neurologist and team of doctors agreed that Buster would have breathed by now if he was able. The surgery had gone so well, and the doctors and all of us were crushed, but it was time to let our brave little boy go.
Buster’s cremains were returned to Ann where he watches many other pups and adults come and go to their new homes…Buster has already found his forever home
there… and in the hearts of countless others.