Small Miracles

First thing this morning, I called Veterinary Specialist Services (VSS) to see when we could schedule Bailey's consultation, which is required for surgery. Our vet, Dr. Britt, let us know that it wasn't uncommon for it to take a while to get in to a specialist, as they're frequently backed up. When I called, I was told the earliest we could get in would be April 8 - three weeks from now. My heart dropped. I didn't think it would really be THAT long.

I let the receptionist know that Dr. Britt had encouraged us to get in as soon as possible, and because BaileyBear is still growing and her injury could affect her growth plates, we really needed to get in sooner, if at all possible. She took down my number at work and promised to talk to the surgeon to see what we could work out.

At 10:21 AM, my phone rang. The surgeon had a cancellation today, and if we could be there at 11:45 AM, the time slot was ours. Well, I work downtown, and knew that the process of getting Bailey and getting out to Manchester & 141 for this appointment might be pushing it, but I took it anyway.

Again, I hauled ass home, and Mr. P met me there. We got out to VSS with plenty of time to spare, and waited our turn for our consultation, understanding that we'd have to come back in a couple of days for surgery.

Bailey was simply the life of the center - she wanted to love on EVERYONE who would let her! Lori was the vet tech we worked with, and Bailey acted like she was a long lost friend. When Dr. Anderson came in, he used a model to show Bailey's injury, and explained what he would be doing to fix it. Then, to our greatest surprise, he said that if we would be willing to leave Bailey at VSS today, we wouldn't be charged for tonight's overnight stay, and she'd be first on the list for an operation TOMORROW morning!

Bailey's at VSS tonight, has her surgery tomorrow morning, stays at VSS again tomorrow night, and comes home on Wednesday. She'll be in a cast for 4-8 weeks with a couple of follow-up visits, but I swear someone was smiling down on our little family today.

This surgery is definitely a bite to the pocketbook, but I know Bailey's in capable hands and will be treated very well. It was hard to come home today and not have her here to greet me :(

They say that bad things happen in 3's. Bailey's accident was our number 3 over the course of a week, and definitely the one that hit us hardest. After our three bad things, I feel so blessed that Bailey will be taken care of this quickly. She's brought such a light to our lives - I can't imagine what it would be like without her. Please keep her in your puppy prayers - we'll know how surgery went tomorrow evening.

Sorry for the lack of pictures - I've had a little too much to deal with lately. Hopefully I'll get some post-op shots of my pretty little girl soon :)