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Peppers' First Surgery

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This morning, Pepper, my daughters’ two-year-old horse had her umbilical hernia operated upon. Tom White DVM of Linden, Arizona, performed the hour-long procedure skillfully and professionally. Pepper needed the operation because her umbilical cord got infected soon after birth, and was left unattended without the advice of a veterinarian. We bought the horse back in July of last year, and were not told of this potentially serious condition. The vet explained that Peppers’ intestines were bulging out through the muscle, and had to be pushed back, the muscle sewn together, the area cleaned up and then sewn back together.

The procedure went as follows:

Pepper was lead to a soft dirt area, as her pen was too rocky and she needed somewhere soft to lie. Pepper was held securely, while Tom White injected a tranquilizer to relax her. She grew a little drowsy and her head began to drop. Tom White then injected her with a dose of sodium pentathol. Within a few moments Pepper became unsteady on her feet, her eyes began to droop and her head was ready to drop completely. Her hindquarters began to wobble and soon she was down on her side, out for the duration.

Tom White instructed four of the spectators to each hold one of Peppers’ legs to keep her in a good position for surgery. Firstly, Tom shaved the area around her navel. Then he disinfected the entire area he intended to work with.

Tom White took a sterile scalpel, and made an incision approximately four inches long, through the hernia and began scraping and discarding pieces of unwanted skin and generally cleaning up the hernia. He then pushed Peppers’ intestines back where they belonged, and took absorbable thread and sewed her muscle back together, where it should be. All the while, Tom was disinfecting the incision area. When Tom White was certain everything was in order, he sewed Peppers’ outer skin together. Pepper received about fifteen stitches during this part of the procedure. Dr. White then disinfected the stitched area once more. His helpers were then instructed to put her legs down and let Pepper lie on her side and recover. Dr White got Pepper up on her feet and then gave a tetanus shot and an oral wormer that is effective for three months. Pepper was lead to her pen and although groggy, Pepper was searching for hay in no time flat!

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