It is now 20 months since Ellie has a tracheotomy in, she has done really well and lived a normal life apart from not being allowed near water. Ellie lives with other dogs, runs and plays with them but she is an old girl and this is what happened. We were going away for the weekend, all 4 dogs were in the car, 3 on the back seat and Ellie in the passenger seat as normal, the caravan was hitched up to the car.
As I got into the car to drive off, Ellie couldn’t breath, I tried to pull the trach open but it wouldn’t, it was blocked and swollen. All I could think of was to get it unblocked but there was nothing there to unblock it apart from my mobile phone charger, the thin end that goes into the phone was used to unblock the trach and it worked. It wasn’t completely clear but clear enough for me to keep it open and Ellie to get some air.
I was stuck, there was nobody around shout to and I couldn’t leave Ellie, she would have suffocated if I had. I set off to the vets, driving with one hand and trying to keep the trach open for Ellie. Every so often I had to pull over and stop to unblock it again so she could breath.
It was a nightmare journey, traffic was heaving on the main roads so I took the back roads, these were narrow and very twisty in parts, with stone walls either side, vehicles coming the other way had to pull over to let me pass, I wasn’t stopping for anything. I did have to come off these and onto the main roads for about 2 miles and as expected was stuck in traffic but did get through by taking another road that goes the back way.
As I got near to the vets there was a parking space just round the corner, I pulled over and stopped. I couldn’t take the chance of the car park being full and not being able to part. I picked Ellie up, all 15kgs of her, and tried to run. One of the receptionists was coming back from her lunch, through her bag at me, asked what was wrong, took Ellie and ran. I will always be very grateful to Linda, I wouldn’t have made it in time, she did, the vets were already working on Ellie when I got their and she was sitting up.
Talking to the vet later I asked if I had done the right thing by using the mobile phone charger to open up the trach, he told me that it was more important to open it up than what you use. Keeping my hand pulling the skin round the trach kept it open even if it did block from time to time so I had to stop to redo it.
This was on 16th July, Ellie stayed in the vets, they were just watching her at the hoping the swelling would go down enough not to need another operation. They may have to take some of the skin round the trach, it seems that over time the hole can reduce enough to need enlarging, this isn’t a big operation, more maintenance. A lot depends on how good a healer a dog is, it seems Ellie is a good healer, too good, she had healed so well she blocked the tracheotomy.
Ellie was put into intensive care for the weekend, she was given time to recover, she seemed to be making progress but wasn't trying to wreck the kennel which worried me, that wasn't my Ellie to be good
  |  Monday both Stuart and Joachim examined her, both are very experienced, everything seemed fine but their gut instinct said something was wrong so kept her for another night. Thank goodness they listened to their gut instincts. During the night Ellie collapsed, being in intensive care she was seen so brought round, the following morning she collapsed again, thankfully the nurse was Kate who knew Ellie, she was brought round again. 20 minutes later a vet was at the next kennel when she collapsed again and brought round. Stuart and Joachim said she couldn't go on like this, phoned me to ask permission to operate. They wanted to see what was happening inside and also put a bigger one in. Obviously I told them they could and also told them that if there was nothing they could do, they were to let her go and don't bring her round.
I won't tell you what I went through during the time they were operating and eventually Stuart phoned, she had come through the operation and was recovering well.
It seems that Ellie heals too well, they have never seen anything like this before, the scar tissue had completely filled the airway so they have put a bigger one in, and the hole is really big now, so hopefully this won't happen again.
The following day I had a phone call to ask to go in at 3pm that afternoon, as you can imagine I was quite worried, thankfully I had nothing to worry about.
Ellie was back to her normal self and was trying to destroy the kennel, she was getting really stressed and they were having to sedate her to keep her calm so I was asked if I could cope if I took her home. Of course I could, and pigs fly. hehehe
I was terrified, every time she moved I was there, she refused to eat and I couldn't get her medication down her which was important. I slept on the sofa with Ellie next to me on a lovely comfy bed, did I say slept, I hardly slept a wink, every time she moved I was their and she started to get stressed. She was supposed to have some tablets if she got stressed but wouldn't take them. Luckily I have a liquid herbal calmer in for when there is thunder or fireworks, using a syring I put some into her mouth, she then settled and I did get a little rest but couldn't sleep.
I phoned the vet the following morning, apart from the calmer the other meds didn't matter that much and as I had dealt with that, she would be fine but I had to get her to eat, that was really important.
I had a couple of tins of sardines in so opened one, Ellie had refused her breakfast but she didn't refuse the sardines. Ellie continued to eat sardines, mackeral or tuna for several days. These are fine for dogs as long as they are not in brine. Gradually I started to introduce her normal food by adding cooked veg first then kibble.
Ellie is back to her normal self, the mucus did block her airway a couple of times but that was easily cleared. She is fit and well again and getting into mischief. All she wants is food, I can't fill her but she has lost quite a lot of weight.
She is still on no exercise, she has been to hell and back these past 2 weeks, if I had known what she was going to go through I would have had her pts instead but I didn't. She won't go through this again but I am so pleased I still have my little girl.
My vets were wonderful, they pulled all the stops out to save Ellie, I had told them that they could save Ellie for herself but if it was a case of keeping her alive for me then to let her go. This is about Ellie not me, I don't think I could live with myself if I kept any of my dogs alive for myself, that is when dogs suffer.
My vets say this is a wonderful operation because it gives dogs their lives back, without it they don't have a life and will eventually suffocate.
On 20th August I got up at 5am, Ellie had passed away in her sleep, I checked to see if she had suffocated, she hadn't, the tracheotomy was clear, she died the way she wanted to in her sleep. Her tongue was sticking out as it did when she was relaxed and she had a lovely smile on her face.
Ellie was a law unto herself, if she didn't want to do anything she didn't, I always managed to get what I wanted even when she didn't want to do it, never by force, that would have made her worse. Ellie taught me so much about how to handle dogs, she was a wonderful abassador for Staffies, the perfect dog, good with humans and dogs, she lived with 5 others.
I miss my little girl, life just isn't the same without her just as it isn't with my other 3 dogs I have lost in the last 11 months, don't think I can cope with loosing any more.
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