Shiron has to Go under the Knife

Wundowie — 2000-02-10

Today’s the day. Our baby is going to be sterilised. We take him to a veterinary clinic approximately 90 kilometres from here. Like every time we take him for a ride in the car, Shiron sits in a basket and curiously looks out of the window. Tanja caresses his head thoughtfully. “It’s for his own good,” I say, as I know exactly what Tanja is thinking.
She answers with a nod.

At 11 o’clock in the morning, Shiron is on the surgery table. The nurse feels his pulse and is satisfied with it. “You have a very relaxed kangaroo boy there,” she says with a smile. Then Shiron gets the anaesthetic injection and it doesn’t take long until he is sound asleep. To prevent his eyes from drying out, some ointment is put under his eyelids. A friendly vet enters the surgery room, introduces himself, washes his hands and puts on his surgery gloves. Then Shiron gets a shaving around the testicles and before the doctor applies the knife everything is being disinfected. “Won’t you go outside?”, I ask Tanja. “No, I’d rather be here,” she replies with tears in her eyes. The scalpel blade glistens in the bright lamplight, and before we know it the vet has removed Shiron’s testicles with a few routine movements. Finally he stitches up the cut again and the operation is finished. Now he is going to have as good a future as can be expected under the circumstances and we have done all we can to make this life possible.