[bendyfoot]

Wow, what a scary ordeal for you...lots to consider You've got a gorgeous pup there

A few things popped out at me that I thought I'd comment on...

Originally Posted by GoldenAngel

When he had his hematoma drained, he was at the vet for 3 hours and they said he came around from anesthesia faster than expected and he was crying hysterically and I could come get him early if I was able to watch him... which I did.... Does nothing to settle the nerves... He is a particularly emotionally needy dog and we are both exceptionally attached to each other... (he's my only dog).

It's good to keep in mind that some dogs react really bizzarely to general anaesthetic...my special gal is one such dog. She recently had surgery (last week) and was an absolute basket case when she woke up at the vet, and really for the remainder of that day...I had to sleep on the floor with her that first night because she was so agitated and freaked out. She was much better the next day, after the anaesthetic had flushed out of her system. She reacted the same way after her last surgery too...lol we got a similar call "please come get your dog if you can, she's hysterical"...she was stoned and wigging out big time.

Originally Posted by GoldenAngel

My fear is that I am doing a radical surgery on something that is not causing the dog any problems so far and disfiguring him for his remaining years. I know they say dogs don't care and live 'in the moment', but I'm pretty sure he will notice half his lower jaw is gone!

This is the main thing I wanted to address. So the dog I was just talking about? We had her whole front right leg amputated when she was 7 months old. It was deformed and causing her discomfort and just generally getting in her way.

I can tell you this with certainty: your dog probably will "notice" that his mouth is different...but only in the physical sense. His thought process will basically be: "huh, that's weird"...followed by "well, that's life"..."now where's my ball?" There will be none of the grief, depression, or self-esteem issues that humans struggle with when they face disfiguring injuries. Dogs really truly DO just live for the day, and once the surgical injury is healed, he will adapt to any physical changes/limitations and then simply get on with his life. The only one likely to experience grief, depression, etc. are his human caretakers...but hopefully only in the short term as they realize that their canine pal is the same old dog, just a little different-looking.