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Pet of the Month – Feb 2013
by on February 1st, 2013
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Milly, a 2 year old Labrador cross, was brought into our surgery because she had been vomiting intermittently for two days and had stopped eating. Within the vomit were small amount of a rubber backed coconut mat she had partly eaten two days previously. Fearing that more may remain inside her we advised that x-rays be taken of Milly’s abdomen. Initially x-rays were unrevealing. As some foreign bodies do not show up on x-rays we then gave Milly a barium meal. The barium, which coats the bowels and shows up clearly on x-rays, should move progressively through the gastrointestinal tract indicating that the bowel lumen is patent. On viewing Milly’s barium x-rays a large amount of radio-opaque material could clearly be seen in the stomach however there was no movement on into the intestines. It was agreed that surgery was needed. On exploratory laparotomy a large amount of matting was found in and removed from Milly’s stomach and duodenum.
Milly recovered well from surgery and was hospitalised until she was eating and defecating normally. We are pleased to report that Milly is doing really well and is back to her happy doggy self.
Pet of the Month
by on January 4th, 2013
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We start the New Year’s Pet Of The Month with a 10-year-old Lurcher called Lolli. She was brought into our clinic as a stray 9 years ago when she was about 8 months old. Nobody ever came forward for Lolli so one of our staff decided to take her on and give her a loving home.
Lolli has always been a very active happy dog with a beautiful nature, however for the last four years she has been on anti-inflammatory drugs for arthritis. About a year ago Lolli suddenly deteriorated. Her owner thought it seemed to worsen after she attempted to dive down a rabbit hole. Lolli was very lame and very sad. Alongside rest Lolly was tried on a variety of different drugs to try and give her some relief from her obvious pain. Nothing seemed to work.
Further investigations revealed advanced destructive joint disease. Lolli’s quality of life was seriously compromised – she was just not a happy dog anymore. After much soul-searching it was decided that the only option left that would give some hope of restoring Lolli’s quality of life would be to have her leg amputated.
This proved to be the right decision as when her leg was removed it was found that her joint had disintegrated from the terrible arthritis. Lolli recovered well. She was taken to the park every day where she would walk just a few steps. It is just as important for a dog’s emotional welfare to give them some fresh air and a change of scenery as it is for us humans. Lolli’s owner felt this helped stop her becoming depressed.
We are pleased to report that Lolli is now a different dog! She loves having a roly-poly and can go for short distance walks. She is so much happier and cheekier and is even more sociable with other canines she meets when out and about (she could be a bit of a snappy monkey beforehand if other dogs got too close to her). All of this is proof that the decision to amputate Lolli’s leg was the right choice for her.
Pet of the Month – December
by on December 3rd, 2012
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Dudley has made a most amazing recovery from that dreaded condition, bloat. Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV), commonly called bloat, is an emergency medical condition that is seen most commonly in large and giant breed dogs. This is a life-threatening situation that occurs when the stomach fills with gas and/or food, expands, and then rotates, trapping gas inside the stomach and cutting off blood supply to the stomach and spleen. As pressure in the stomach builds up and cannot be released, the stomach tissue becomes necrotic (dies) and the stomach can even rupture. The expansion of the stomach also has a serious effect on the heart and lungs, causing difficulty breathing and abnormal heart rhythm. Most dogs will go into shock soon after the signs of GDV are seen. Death can occur within a matter of hours (or less). The most common signs of GDV include the following:
- Distended (bloated) abdomen
- Unproductive retching / heaving
- Extreme lethargy
Dudley’s bloat was so bad that not only did his stomach need decompressing but his spleen also needed to be removed, which in turn necessitated a blood transfusion. We are thrilled to report that he is now back to his normal charming self!
Pet of the Month – November
by on November 5th, 2012
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Although poor Poppy has really been through the mill, she has remained a gentle and perfect patient throughout. Poppy’s troubles started some months ago when she began to vomit each morning before eating. Response to treatment was poor so tests were carried out. Blood tests, radiographs and ultrasonography indicated pancreatitis however Poppy did not respond well to medication and her symptoms persisted. This necessitated endoscopy and biopsy of her stomach and intestines. The results showed Poppy to be suffering from an unusual form of inflammatory bowel disease as well as probable chronic pancreatitis. She was treated with a different medication to reduce acid production in her stomach and put on a special diet that would be suitable for dogs with inflammatory and allergic bowel disorders. She also has to wear an appropriate type of muzzle when exercising to stop her eating any interesting morsels she might come across. All is going very well and we are delighted to report Poppy is back to being the bouncy labrador we knew of old.
Pet of the Month – October
by on October 12th, 2012
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Presley is an absolute star! For over seven years he has suffered from Canine Atopic Dermatitis and has been bravely coming in to the surgery month after month for repeat immunotherapy injections. These help significantly reduce his inherited predisposition to develop allergic symptoms following repeated exposure to some otherwise harmless substances. In Presley’s case the “allergens” to which he is sensitive are dust and storage mites. Presley still suffers occasional lapses in effective control when he may rub, lick, chew, bite or scratch his skin and need additional medicinal assistance such as anti-histamines to control these flare-ups. Overall however the desensitisation achieved by these regular immunotherapy injections have been a great help to him.
Pet of the month – September
by fitzalan on September 10th, 2012
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Mickey has had a miraculous recovery from the most serious of anaesthetic related complications – status epilepticus. He had suffered an occasional partial seizure over several years but never a full blown convulsion and had no need for medication. When a lump needed to be removed, sedatives appropriate to his history were used. We were shocked when Mickey started to convulse every time we tried to lighten his anaesthetic, once surgery was over. We sought advice from a European Specialist in Neurology who suggested a departure from the accepted protocol for treating status that we had instituted and after approximately 18 hours of being maintained in deep sedation Mickey began to recover. He quickly regained his strength and is now back to his usual delightful self.
Pet of the month – August
by on August 9th, 2012
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It seems only appropriate that Fatty should be Pet of the Month for our Diabetes Awareness Month.
Appropriately named for his voracious appetite for food, mice and birds, it is likely that Fatty’s early years of over-eating, not helped by him eating his sister’s food as well as his own, will have predisposed him to develop Diabetes.
He has had various difficult periods in the management of his diabetes resulting in hypoglycaemic episodes, not least when he developed hyperthyroidism two years ago as well, but having had the condition for over 4 years he is testament to how well diabetes can be managed these days with the latest forms of insulin and most appropriate monitoring regimes and diet foods.
Pet of the Month – July
by on June 29th, 2012
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When Bruce’s usually good appetite stopped abruptly he was brought into the surgery. We found his mouth and oral cavity to be very inflamed in a manner suggestive of chemical burns.
The most common cause of this is motor oil or fuel. When cats hide under cars their coats can easily become soiled, and in attempting to clean their coats through licking and grooming, these caustic compounds can severely damage the mucous membranes of the mouth and gullet, as they are ingested.
It was obvious that Bruce found swallowing far too painful to contemplate. He was given antibiotics, strong painkillers and a stomach tube was temporarily stitched in place up so that we could meet his nutritional requirements without him having to swallow. This allowed his gullet to recover and within a fortnight he was back to his usual cheeky self.
Pet of the Month – June
by on June 1st, 2012
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Amy came into the surgery following a road traffic accident, very shocked, and with a deep wound around her bottom. Her tail was paralysed, and it was unclear whether she could use her back legs
Amy was anaesthetised for further assessment and radiographs revealed a fractured pelvis as well as a broken and displaced tail (see arrows on enclosed images). Her wound was cleaned and flushed and her tail was amputated. Now we had to wait and see if Amy‘s back legs would improve.
Luckily Amy did regain function in her back legs, but was faecally incontinent. Her urinary catheter was removed but her bladder still needed to be emptied manually – something that might continue for the rest of her life. This would require a huge commitment from Amy’s owners. Amy’s owners wanted to give her every chance and were willing to do everything possible. Because of her other injuries this normally pain free manipulation was painful but she remained compliant and purred throughout.
Amy was discharged with a guarded prognosis as the wound was very large, under tension, and at risk of contamination due to proximity to her bottom. Amy was to have cage rest for six weeks in order that her pelvic injuries might heal.
Unfortunately the skin on Amy’s back started to become necrotic and much of her skin in this region had to be surgically removed as the blood supply had been severely compromised in the car accident.
Since then Amy has visited us on a regular basis for Fentanyl patch changes (pain relief) and cleaning of the wound. Her prognosis continues to remain guarded and the wound remains open however it is clean and Amy is comfortable. Amy’s owners have been totally dedicated and committed to her care and Amy has been a really remarkable patient. All the staff at Fitzalan desperately hope that this story of such a delightful young cat has the happy ending it deserves.
Pet of the Month – May
by on May 1st, 2012
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Dusty, a delightful ten month old kitten, suffered a terrifying ordeal recently when he was hit by a car. Although no bones were broken his breathing was laboured after the trauma and xrays showed he had suffered a diaphragmatic hernia. The force of pressure on Dusty’s abdomen had created a tear in, and made an abnormal opening through his diaphragm, the muscle that helps you breathe. This opening allowed part of the organs from the abdomen (stomach, spleen, liver, and intestines) to go up into the chest cavity near the lungs. Severe breathing difficulty developed, because of ineffective movement of the diaphragm and crowding of the lung tissue, which caused a degree of lung tissue to collapse. Prompt surgical intervention enabled us to repair a huge diaphragmatic hernia in which there was 40% avulsion from the body wall. Involved post-operative care including chest drainage and potent analgesics saw daily improvements and we are delighted to report that Dusty is now doing very well at home.
