Pet Stories

Gemma's Story

Gemma was brought to the hospital as an emergency in june last year aged 17!
She was treated for shock and had radiographs taken which showed her to have a fractured humerus. Initially we were very concerned that the fracture maybe due to a bone tumour given her age and from the radiographs.  Gemma's owners wanted to try everything possible to save the limb, so an external fixator, which is a metal frame with pins to hold the bone together, was placed during surgery.  Gemma's prognosis was guarded initially but after 7 months the bone eventually healed and we removed the fixator in January! 
Gemma is doing well at home and due to her feisty nature I'm sure will outlive us all, we wish her a happy 18th birthday in April!

Jingle's Story

Jingles is a 2 year old cat who came to the hospital out of hours in Jan 2010 when the owner found her unable to stand and crying in pain outside. She was in shock from being hit by a car so received emergency treatment overnight until she was stable. The following day Jingles had radiographs taken as she was unable to stand or feel her left hind leg, these revealed multiple pelvic fractures. Her pelvis was stabilised during surgery. Jingles stayed in the hospital for just over a week and was a firm favourite due to her lovely nature. We are pleased to say that she is now back at home with her owner 5 year old Lucy. She has to have cage rest for the next few weeks but is gradually improving, she is just starting to use her left hind which has had nerve damage, we will keep you updated on her progress!
 

Kasper's Story

Kasper was found on the road side by a member of public and taken to the RSPCA who brought him straight to us at the hospital. He had been hit by a car and was in a state of severe shock with multiple facial injuries. He was put onto shock doses of fluids, given strong pain relief and placed into an oxygen chamber. Fortunately Kasper's owners had had him microchipped so we were able to contact them to let them know the situation. Over the next few hours his condition stabilised.
The following day we were able to assess his injuries, Kasper had fractured the bones to the roof of his mouth and on the left hand side of his lower jaw. He had also bruised his leg and ruptured his ear canal. We sutured his mouth closed and wired his upper jaw to help the bones to heal and placed a feeding tube. After 5 days in the hospital Kasper went home and his owner did a great job of feeding him and giving him all his medications through the tube. Kasper did unbelievably well, in part due to his determined nature! A few of weeks later, after having a tooth removed to help him to close his mouth, he is back to his normal self and eating without problems which is wonderful news as he's such a lovely boy.
Kasper was microchipped and insured which meant that we could reunite him with his owner and that his owner did not need to worry about the cost of the intensive care and surgeries that Kasper required.

Nur's Story

Nur is a 7 year old cat who came to the hospital with breathing problems in Jan 2010, a radiograph showed that he had fluid around his lungs. 120ml of pus was drained from his chest. Nur had a chest drain and a feeding tube placed under anaesthetic and stayed in the hospital for 9 days having his chest flushed, intravenous antibiotics and being tube fed. Day by day we saw Nur getting better and brighter, starting to eat and purring non stop! He is now back at home but will be on antibiotics for the next 6 weeks, and coming back regularly for check ups. We hope he will continue to improve, he will be missed by the nurses and Kate the vet as he has been an angel to treat!

Holly's Story

Holly is a 13 year old Labrador, she had been a little off colour at home and the owners noticed an abnormal discharge from her rear end, she had had a small season 2 months earlier. Holly was brought to the hospital where we suspected that Holly had pyometra which is a serious, potentially life threatening infection of the uterus and a very common ailment in older unspayed female dogs. The enlarged pus filled uterus was confirmed on ultrasound scan. Holly was placed on intravenous fluids and antibiotics and later went to theatre to remove her uterus. Surgery went well and she recovered over the next few days in the hospital she is now back at home and doing well.

If your pet has not been spayed it is important to watch for symptoms of a pyometra which usually occur several weeks after a season, this can include vomiting, increased drinking, not eating/unwell, abnormal discharge. If you want to prevent pyometra, uterine tumours, unwanted pregnancy, mammary tumours and false pregnancy then neutering your dog is the best way. We can now also perform keyhole surgery for this if your pet is suitable.

Tilly's Story

Tilly came into Wood Street as an emergency on 6th of December. She had been attacked in her outdoor run by a wild animal ( possibly a bird of prey) and had sustained multiple puncture wounds to her neckand shoulders. More worryingly, she was in severe shock and was struggling to breathe. Tilly was given emergency treatment including a lot of pain relief, and gradually became more responsive. 

Unfortunately, once the initial signs of shock had resolved, we discovered that Tilly was almost fully paralysed, probably as a result of struggling during the attack. However, Tilly is a very plucky bunny, and despite being unable to move, responed well to intensive care from Beth and the nursing team. Her willingness to eat in particular soon made her a firm favourite!

After several days hospitalisation, Tilly's owners took her home, where she has continued to thrive and less than 3 weeks later was able to move and even attempt hopping around the room!

We hope she will continue to progress and make a full recovery.

Ricky's Story

Ricky had some episodes of syncope (fainting) and Phil Barr was worried that he may have a heart condition common in Boxers called Boxer Cardiomyopathy.

Ricky came into a nurse clinic to have a Holter heart monitor fitted by Claire our Head Nurse. This is an ECG that can be worn for 24 hours or longer to monitor the heart for abnormal rhythms.

We were very pleased that the results came back with no major abnormalities, and that Ricky can still run around causing havoc with his best friend Harvey!

 Bubble's Story

Bubbles was attacked by another dog and suffered some serious injuries to her front leg. She had an operation to repair the damaged and torn muscles followed by post operative intensive physiotherapy with our Head Nurse Claire.

Bubbles is always happy to come and visit us at Wood Street and she is now well enough to have hydrortherapy at the Royal Veterinary College. We are all very pleased that Bubbles made a speedy recovery after her ordeal.

Shadow's Story

Shadow is a young cat that went missing for 2 days and returned home severely lame on his hindlimbs. His owners brought him to the hospital concerned that he had been involved in an accident on the road. On examination he was painful around his pelvis and reluctant to move around. His claws were all scuffed which suggested he had been involved in a road accident. We immediately gave him some pain relief and took x rays to check for life threatening injuries with him awake. He was later anaesthetised and x rays of his pelvis revealed a separation of the pelvis from the spine called a sacro-iliac subluxation. It was decided to stabilise the pelvis with a screw to speed up Shadow’s recovery and to help reduce his discomfort. He has made a very good recovery and his mobility has improved greatly when he was last examined. We expect him to go on to make a full recovery from this unfortunate event. We still don’t know exactly what happened but a road accident seems most likely. Fortunately the owners never had to worry about the cost of his treatment because he was insured.

Sam's Story

We saw Sam in April 2006 for a nose bleed. Investigations fortunately showed no sinister causes and these resolved after treatment.  Sam then developed poor respiration and started to regurgitate his food. Radiographs showed that Sam had a condition called MEGAOESOPHAGOUS and PNEUMONIA.

Megaoesophagous is where the oesophagous (the tube that joins the mouth to the stomach) stops working properly and the food is not pushed into the stomach.  The food and saliva builds up and causes regurgitation.  Sam was obviously losing weight and had inhaled some of the food causing his pneumonia. 

Sam received 24-hour nursing care for 2 weeks, feeding from a height, steam inhalations and coupage (firm massage to loosen and remove fluid).  Sam has made a great recovery but still needs to be fed from a height and has occasional minor relapses which we are monitoring closely .

Sam is a great patient and a firm favourite with all the staff at Wood Street.

We saw Sam in April 2006 for a nose bleed. Investigations fortunately showed no sinister causes and these resolved after treatment.  Sam then developed poor respiration and started to regurgitate his food. Radiographs showed that Sam had a condition called MEGAOESOPHAGOUS and PNEUMONIA.Megaoesophagous is where the oesophagous (the tube that joins the mouth to the stomach) stops working properly and the food is not pushed into the stomach.  The food and saliva builds up and causes regurgitation.  Sam was obviously losing weight and had inhaled some of the food causing his pneumonia. Sam received 24-hour nursing care for 2 weeks, feeding from a height, steam inhalations and coupage (firm massage to loosen and remove fluid).  Sam has made a great recovery but still needs to be fed from a height and has occasional minor relapses which we are monitoring closely .Sam is a great patient and a firm favourite with all the staff at Wood Street.

Sadly Sam passed away in October 2008.  He will be missed enourmously by his family and all the staff at Wood Street.

 Hazel's Story

Hazel is a 14 year old collie that was rehomed from the RSPCA centre in Southridge  by her owners as a young dog. She has lived a long and healthy life until last year when things started to go wrong. Firstly Hazel developed a primary lung tumour which we removed via open chest surgery using a surgical stapling device to room the diseased part of her lung. She recovered well and still leads an active life. Then, 2 months later she developed a malignant melanoma in her mouth. Although this can be serious we removed it early and she is currently showing no apparent signs of problems after 9 months. We hope this year will be less unlucky for Hazel and her owners cherish every day with here.

 Sweep’s Story

Sweep is a one-year-old cat that we saw in Nov 2007. He had not been himself all day and seemed to be in a lot of discomfort.  On examination Sweep had an extremely large painful bladder and was very quiet and lethargic for such a young cat. He was admitted immediately as an emergency as his bladder was blocked.  Blood tests showed his kidney levels and potassium levels to be extremely elevated.  He was put on high rate fluids and anaesthetised as soon as possible.  We passed a catheter into his urethra to remove the blockage and empty his bladder.  A sample of his urine was examined under the microscope, which revealed masses of struvite crystals.  These can build up to form sludge or even stones, which can stop a cat being able to pass urine. This condition is an emergency and potentially life threatening if not treated in time.

Fortunately for Sweep after a couple of days in the hospital and some medication the catheter was removed. His kidney levels returned to normal showing no permanent damage and he was able to pass urine and go home to his family.  Sweep has to come and visit us now and then for a check up and he is on a long-term specific diet to stop the crystals returning.  He was a lovely little cat to treat one, of the most friendly and laid back cats we’ve seen at the hospital! 

Monty's Story

Monty is a 10-month-old labradoodle.  He came to the hospital during evening surgery in January 2008.  Monty had vomited 8 times during the day; he was starting to get dehydrated, had a painful abdomen and was feeling very sorry for himself.  Monty had a history of scavenging and eating stones.  He was admitted to the hospital for intravenous fluids to resolve his dehydration and a radiograph was taken of his abdomen.  A large stone seen here in the radiograph was present in his intestines causing a blockage.  Monty was taken straight to theatre as we were concerned that his bowel could perforate if the stone was not removed that night.  Monty’s abdomen was opened up and a 4cm stone was removed from part of his small intestine.

Monty was kept in the hospital and looked after by our nurses overnight to make sure he was comfortable and recovering well from his anaesthetic.  The following day Monty was much brighter and started to eat.  After 48 hours in the hospital Monty was allowed to go home.  He is recovering very well, the only problem being trying to keep him rested after his operation and away from any more stones!

Scarlett's Story

Scarlett had a traumatic start to life when her mother accidentally sat on her when she was born. She had to be resuscitated but thankfully pulled through, and when her owners saw her hiding in the back of the pen whilst all the other puppies were fighting for attention they knew she was the one for them.

Scarlett is now a lovely 11 year old Great Dane, but at the start of 2006 she was not herself and an ultrasound scan showed that she had a mass on her spleen. 

We did not know at the Hospital if the mass was benign or malignant but internal haemorrhage is always a large concern with splenic masses.

Last April we anaesthetised Scarlett and removed her spleen.  She sailed through the general anaesthetic and made a great recovery.  Fortunately the pathology came back as a benign splenic growth.

Sadly Scarlett passed away in April of 2007.  She will be sadly missed.

Penny's Story

Penny is a 6 year old west highland white terrier who was brought to us as a second opinion from another local veterinary practice. She had been violently sick and her owner thought she may have eaten a bone.

Examination and xrays did not show any bone in her abdomen (belly) but she was still unwell and we used endoscopy to look at the inside of her mouth, throat, and gut. This is a long flexible tube and camera system which let's us examine internal organs without surgery. Although in people this can sometimes be done conscious, or just using a sedative, in pets we must give a general anaesthetic to do this safely.

When we examined Penny's oesophagus (her gullet) we found a small piece of bone wedged near her heart.

We were able to remove this using the endoscope and instruments without the need for a very complex surgical procedure to open her chest to remove the bone.

After removal, there was a lot of inflammation and bleeding where the bone had been stuck and we were worried about possible future complications.

A further endoscopy a few weeks later showed that her oesophagus had healed really well, and Penny has never looked back and is very healthy indeed 6 months later!

Buddy's Story

Buddy is a gorgeous young male Briard dog whose loving owners rescued him from Battersea Dogs' Home.

They noticed that he had a urinary problem; he was dribbling urine & wetting all around the house.

We were suspicious that he might have a problem with his ureters, which carry the urine from the kidneys to the bladder. We used ultrasound and x-rays with contrast to confirm that this was the cause of his problems.

Buddy's problem was then surgically corrected and he has been a very happy boy ever since!