October 2009 - Milo Filo-Cooper
Milo
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Milo a 7 year old Lancaster Heeler has been awarded the October Braveheart award for his outstanding courage.
Milo was rushed into the surgery on Thursday the 15th of October after being knocked down whilst chasing cars! By the time Milo arrived at the surgery he was suffering from severe shock and hypothermia.
The first course of action was to place Milo on to intravenous fluids to treat for shock and to prevent his condition from deteriorating. The fluids were warmed to body temperature to help raise his core temperature which was only 35°C (his temperature should have been 38.3°C-38.7°C). A strong pain killer was administered along with antibiotics as he had a small wound on his stifle.
Milo was placed into a recovery kennel with a heat pad and his temperature, heart and respiration rate were monitored every five minutes. Slowly, during the course of the afternoon, he began to improve and his temperature rose to normal and the rest of his vital signs also normalised. However, during these examinations over the course of the afternoon, the vet noticed Milo’s chest was slowly expanding and his skin was making what can only be described as a crinkly noise. The vet diagnosed emphysema, caused by air leaking from his lungs and collecting under the skin.
The following day, the air under his skin continued to inflate but his condition was now stable enough to undergo x-rays of his chest. The x-rays revealed that Milo, despite jumping around and being extremely bright, had 7 fractured ribs. Milo underwent a procedure called a thoracocentesis - this is where a needle in inserted into the thoracic cavity and the air is withdrawn using a syringe.
Over the next few days Milo improved greatly and was taken off fluids. He remained on pain relief for his fractured ribs; the staff were so pleased with his recovery he was sent home.
Milo improved more and more each day. For now Milo has restrained from chasing cars but knowing Milo, and being a typical terrier, it won’t be long before he’s chewing rubber again.
