by Penny from Turtle Moon Rescue

Click images to enlarge.

As we get ready to leave, the vet tells me she would like to examine Keona’s incision briefly and give her a Remedyl for pain. During the exam the vet notices that Keona’s incision was swollen and hot on one end, and she mentioned that she thought she felt a pocket….as she further examines her, an onset of heavy bleeding begins from the incision site. I was in shock, but the vet assures me she is no immediate danger, but she would have to undergo another surgery to be sure that all was ok inside. So I leave her in the care of the clinic and go home to wait for a call. I am upset for Keona, because this poor girl has been through so much in her life already, and I pray that all goes well for her today. I think to myself that some day soon, she will have the comforts of her own home and her own family to love and care for her for the rest of her life, because she certainly deserves that.

7:15 p.m.

The call finally comes in from the vet. She tells me that Keona was just waking up from surgery and the surgery itself went ok, however….she tells me when they opened Keona up that she was just full of blood. The vet checked all the necessary area’s to make sure that Keona was not bleeding from a specific place due to the earlier suregery, and that all checked out good. She said there was allot of blood, yet no indication was ever found of a specific place that it was coming from. She told me she was worried that Keona might have a bleeding disorder of some sort, but it was too early to tell. When they got her out of surgery they set her up with an IV and gave her vitamin K. The vet told me when they inserted the IV that Keona developed a hemotoma almost immediately. The vet said that first thing in the morning they will do a CBC and check her platelet levels as well. It is too early to tell anything more. All we can do now is hope that Keona pulls through this without any future problems. Keona was stable at the time the vet called, and she assured me not to worry right now. That is easier said than done. I myself am concerned about her welfare and hoping for the best. I keep thinking that she has been through so much already, and I hate to know she is suffering yet again. I know it's a different kind of suffering, but it's suffering none the less. My plans are to visit the clinic in the morning to see her myself and give her some time of love and attention. I know she could use it.

10:45 A.M.

The vet phones to tell me the results on Keona’s tests. She tells me that she was a bit anemic, but not too bad. Her red count was just below the normal range. Her platelets were also just at the bottom of normal range, which she says was nothing to be overly concerned with given all that just happened. She tells me that she wants to do a few more blood tests on Keona before administering any HW treatment. She says we will wait on that until Keona has healed from her surgeries. She tells me that Keona can come home today, so I tell her I will come get her.

We got Keona home and so far she is doing wonderful, considering. She has lost a few pounds, but we know we can get her weight back up in no time. The vet asked us to keep her quiet as possible and not to resume any normal activities or training on her until she has made a complete recovery. For now she is doing as well as can be expected. We will give her time to recover then speak with the vet about further testing and the HW treatments. Even through all this, Keona’s loving personality still shines through. She is every inch a trooper.