Braveheart Of The Year 2010
The time has come again to vote for the Braveheart Winner from 2010 who you feel is the most deserving of the title 'Braveheart Of The Year' The Nominations are listed below. To vote come in to the practice and fill out a voting form (NB One vote per household). The Winner will be announced in Early February.
KATIE WALKER
Katie became January’s Braveheart on account of her stoicism through her course of treatment.
In 2008 Katie was found to have a mild heart murmur. At this point Katie was not showing any clinical signs although she was slightly overweight. She was placed on a suitable diet to encourage gradual weight loss. A year later the heart murmur was found to have got worse and a scan revealed that the leak in her mitral valve had increased and was causing extra strain on the heart muscle. Katie was prescribed medication to reduce the work load of the heart. A month later, whilst out for her daily walk, Katie collapsed. She recovered well but then experienced a second episode and was placed on a stronger medication which causes the heart to beat slower.
Whilst her heart problem had not been cured, the medication allowed Katie to enjoy a good quality of life. Unfortunately, Katie passed away at the end of August 2010. She will be dearly missed.
MOUKI VAN REIL
Mouki, a leopard gecko, had a rather sensitive problem!
He had over exerted himself and prolapsed his hemipene (one of his reproductive organs) Under anaesthetic the hemipene was placed back through the cloaca (orifice) and sutured into position. Unfortunately the hemipene prolapsed again the next day and the only option was to surgically remove it. Throughout the operation Mouki was kept on a heat pad to ensure he did not become hypothermic as there is a high risk of this in exotics and small mammals. Following the surgery he was monitored closely to check his temperature did not fall.
Mouki was soon well enough to return home and back in his favourite hiding place, a woolly glove, but with instructions to keep him separated from the females, to prevent him becoming over excited and causing further damage!
HARLEY SHORT
Lively, eight month old, Staffie Harley was admitted after he came into conflict with a car. His owners rushed him to the surgery where a vet assessed him immediately. It was apparent that Harley’s left leg had sustained severe trauma. The nurses placed him on intravenous fluids and pain relief was administered. When Harley’s condition had stabilised X rays were taken which revealed a fracture of the tibia and fibula. The vet and Harley’s owners agreed that surgery was necessary and in an orthopaedic procedure a plate was applied to stabilise and compress the fracture.
Despite all he had been through, Harley’s bouncy, waggy nature shone through and he was discharged home with strict instructions for cage rest. It wasn’t long before Harley was back to his usual bouncing form.
ROSIE DECRUZ
Jack Russell Terrier, Rosie was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2007. She was placed on medication to control the seizures and, although this was successful at first, the fits became more regular over the next year. The dose of the medication was increased and Rosie was able to carry on with her happy little terrier life.
This year Rosie developed a retching cough and swollen lymph nodes. The cough did not resolve with antibiotics and further investigation proved necessary. An endoscopy was carried out under general anaesthetic to assess the severity of inflammation and check for foreign bodies. Rosie was placed on anti- inflamatories to help reduce the inflammation in her trachea. However her fits intensified and poor Rosie became unhappy and lethargic. The anti-inflamatory drugs were withdrawn and Rosie was started on a human anti-epileptic drug with good effect. She is now a much happier dog. Unfortunately her cough returned so a long term plan is being worked on which won’t involve anti-inflamatory drugs.
TRILBY SLATER
Six year old Trilby the Doberman presented at the vets with a bout of diarrhoea and vomiting. The vet gave her antibiotics and advice to her owners that she should be starved overnight with small amounts of food later in the day. Unfortunately Trilby’s condition did not improve and the vet suggested x-raying her abdomen to check for foreign bodies. The X-rays revealed some abnormalities of the gut and it was decided to perform a exploratory laporotomy. This revealed adhesions with an enlarged caecum and appendix. Surgery was undertaken to address these problems. Trilby was hospitalised overnight, placed on venous antibiotics and strong pain relief. Two days later she was allowed to go home. Unfortunately serious swelling appeared near the surgical site and some days later Trilby was back in the surgery for a further exploratory laporotomy which revealed more adhesions within the abdomen. Trilby was placed on a combination of intravenous fluids, antibiotics and gut protectants.
Home once more Trilby decided tablets weren’t for her and her owners had to resort to expensive treats in which they could hide the medication. Still, it meant Trilby was eating!
AMBER LANGLEY
Fourteen year old Amber, a tortoiseshell cat, began to lose weight at the beginning of the year. The vet took a blood sample and the results showed that Amber was suffering from hyperthyroidism, a metabolic condition which is common in older cats.
Amber was started on medication to reduce the production of thyroid hormones, however despite this she continued to show signs of hyperthyroidism and her heart rate had increased. A higher dose of medication was deemed necessary and Amber began to improve greatly. Her heart rate decreased and her weight began to go up and it was decided that she could go back onto a lower dose of medication. In the following weeks Amber see-sawed between being hypo and hyperthyroidism. It seemed that a tablet every day was too much and a tablet every other day too little.
Her owners suggested that they could give the tablets every 36 hours. This was tried for 3 weeks and the next blood test showed normal thyroid levels.
Unfortunately even after the dedicated care Amber received throughout her illness she sadly passed away at the end of October.
MONTY AND DAISY MONAGHAN
The two year old, Border Terriers had been missing for five days when they returned home, dehydrated, covered in ticks and fleas and both with severe injuries to their lower jaw. Their owners rushed them to the surgery where they were placed on intravenous fluids and given pain relief and antibiotics.
The wounds around the jaw required a great deal of attention as the skin was starting to die and had become infected with maggots. The wounds were flushed daily, the dead and contaminated tissue removed and Flamazine cream applied but it was apparent that the wounds could still break down and a decision was made to remove the necrotic tissue under general anaesthetic and suture the wounds.
Both Monty and Daisy recovered well from the procedure and went home with Elizabethan collars to prevent them scratching themselves. They went home with the strict instructions of the nurses not to go ever chasing badgers again!
CRACKER STONEMAN
Cracker, and eleven month old Tabby and white cat was rushed to the surgeryin the early hours with a gin trap still attached to his leg.
GIN TRAPS ARE ILLEGAL AND HAVE BEEN SO FOR MANY YEARS. THE LAW STATES THAT IT IS ILLEGAL TO SET ANY TRAP CALCULATED TO CAUSE BODILY INJURY TO ANY WILD ANIMAL AND ANYONE SETTING A GIN TRAP WHICH CAUSES UNECESSARY SUFFERING TO AN ANIMAL CAN FACE A MAXIMUM SENTENCE OF SIX MONTHS IN PRISON AND/OR A £20,000 FINE.
Once the vet had carefully released the trap Cracker managed to jump down from the consulting room table. Though obviously in a lot of pain, he was able to flex and extend the limb. He was admitted and given pain relief and antibiotics to prevent sepsis setting in. His leg was extremely swollen but there were no obvious lacerations. He was allowed home to be rested in a confined space for a couple of weeks to allow the soft tissue swelling to subside.
FLINT BUTLER
Flint an 8 year old, Old English sheep dog with a lot of character, big spirit and determination, was first presented in early October when his owners noticed him passing blood in his faeces. Ultrasound revealed that his prostate gland was slightly enlarged. Flint was booked for castration and perineal hernia repair.
Flints problems began after surgery had been performed. Although bright in himself Flint began to haemorrhage from the operation site and his scrotum swelled. He was given medication to lower his blood pressure and his intravenous fluid rate was increased. Flint was still haemorrhaging an hour later and was placed onto a synthetic blood replacement along with more medication to lower his blood pressure. Due to a possible blood clotting disorder. By the morning only a small amount of old haemorrhage was being passed. He was bright and able to walk out. To his owners delight he was allowed home later that day
Flint returned regularly for checks and has recovered brilliantly. He is back to his normal happy self now and is being thoroughly spoilt by his owners.
YOSHI RODMAN
Yoshi is a one year old, extremely talkative ragdoll cat and was first seen at the end of October with a history of lethargy, anorexia and weight loss. A blood sample showed raised liver enzymes. Yoshi was placed on antibiotics, appetite stimulants and liver supplements. After initial improvement, Yoshi lost his appetite again. A further blood sample showed increased bilirubin levels. Yoshi would still not eat at home. The vet advised that an exploratory laparotomy (surgery to explore the abdomen and its organs) may help find the cause of Yoshi’s inappetance. The operation showed a distended gall bladder, but with no obvious obstruction and a jaundiced liver of which biopsies were taken. Yoshi recovered well from surgery.
The results of the biopsy indicated that Yoshi was suffering from a fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis). Hepatic lipidosis can be caused by dieting a fat cat too fast and the liver is not able to cope metabolising the fats fast enough.
Yoshi would still not eat voluntarily, even with the nurses putting lots of tempting foods in front of him, so it was necessary to syringe feed him with a high calorie liquid diet. After a day of syringe feeding, the vet decided to place a feeding tube down his nose into his stomach via his oesophagus. For the following two days, Yoshi was fed on a regular basis via his feeding tube. On the third day, Yoshi decided he wanted to eat tuna; in fact he ate nearly a whole tin of tuna straight away!
The next day, Yoshi was still eating so the nasogastric tube was removed and his owner was informed that he could go home on a high calorie diet. His owner was delighted and picked him later that afternoon. Yoshi has since come back for regular check-ups and blood tests. He is doing really well at home and back to his normal self. The most recent blood test shows normal liver and bilirubin levels and he has maintained his weight.
TOMMY COCKER
Tommy is a 6 month old, very bouncy Jack Russell terrier. He was first seen at the beginning of November after managing to wriggle out of his owner’s arms. He was very reluctant to walk and when he did, he would not use his right hind leg. He was sent home on pain relief and anti-inflammatory medication. After another week Tommy was still lame, so it was decided to x-ray his leg. The x-rays showed a fracture of the lower femoral growth plate, just above the stifle joint.
Early the next week Tommy was admitted for a General anaesthetic to repair the fractured leg. The fracture was located near the end of the femur at the growth plate, resulting in the end of the bone being at the wrong angle. The vet placed two metal pins into the femoral bone to correct the position of the two pieces of bone, and a supportive Robert-Jones bandage was applied. Tommy recovered really well from the operation and was sent home that evening. Tommy is under orders to have strict rest for 4 weeks to allow the bone to repair the fracture. A further x-ray will be taken in a month’s time to check that the fracture has healed in the correct position.
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