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Sammy being checked before surgery.
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View from Knock down room into surgical room
Padded walls so horse can safely lay down when anesthetized and a crane lifts the horse onto the table which is then rolled into the surgical room. |
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Knockdown Prep
Horse has a catheter in and wraps are put on legs so no damage occurs when lifted with the crane. |
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Sammy is successfully placed on table
and now the fun begins...it takes quite some time to prep a horse for surgery once they are on the table. |
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Sammy on Anesthesia
Even while the surgical site is prepped he is already constantly monitored on his anesthesia. |
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Prepping Legs for Surgery
In Sammy's case the team removes the hobbles used for the crane lift and will place plastic bags over his legs to keep the surgical room sanitary. |
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Everyone goes to work
From the moment a horse is knocked down there is a team of people that perform different roles to speed the process of completing the surgery - Sammy had a team of five working on him during the procedure. |
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More prep
Putting the baggies on and creating a sterile surgical site |
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Still prepping....
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Scrub down for sterilization
On horses all sterile areas must be scrubbed for 10 minutes to ensure as few bacteria as possible that can collect in hair. An arm tiring job that Dr. Schmitt is performing |
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Still monitoring Sammy's vitals
Justin is an old pro at anesthesia for horse surgeries.... |
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Getting ready to drape
Scrub down is complete, masks go on and Drs. Carpenter and Scmitt are preparing to drape the surgical area. |
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Sammy is all draped
and the surgery begins. The cancerous portion is wrapped so as not to infect the surgical site. |
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Surgical incision...
In Sammy's surgery Dr. Carpenter has to make an incision below the cancerous area to create a new urethra...Sammy is on a catheter during the surgery. |
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Slow and steady...
Each layer is carefully cut thru so that as little blood loss occurs as possible. |
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It takes hours
to get thru a surgery like this but it's moving along well. |
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Justin is still on top of Sammy's stats
helping the surgeons know when Sammy fluctuates from pain at certain points on the surgery. Sammy is on painkillers to reduce this as much as possible. |
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Operation complete!
Drs. Carpenter and Scmitt are pleased with a job well done and Sammy is prepped for removal from the table. |
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One final check ...
Dr. Carpenter makes sure it looks good before Sammy is lifted from the table. |
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Sammy is pulled back into the recovery room.
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Gently laid down
Sammy is rested on cushions to spend the next 30 minutes coming back from anesthesia. |
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Padded up....
Sammy is carefully laid on his side on pads and his legs are prepped for him to stand. |
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Justin stays in to monitor
Sammy and put his head bumper on... |
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Help him stand...
When Sammy is ready a rope attached to his halter and tail will help him get safely upright. |
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He made it!
Sammy is back in Cave Creek at his rehab barn eating - he gets three weeks of stall rest and then he can go back to work! |
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